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medpundit |
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Friday, January 31, 2003General practitioners are faced each day with the possibility that a patient they are treating will die unexpectedly in the near future. Handling this uncertainty humanely and efficiently is part of our skill. If we as general practitioners are going to face regular medical coroner's investigations, looking for the all encompassing "incidents of medical error," our practice will change profoundly. We would be much more willing to offer further investigation or referral, even when the chances of benefit to the patient seem slim. We would also insist on long (probably 20 minutes) consultations to minimise the possibility of any medical error and to make very detailed records. We already practice medicine that way in the United States, not out of fear of the coroner, but out of fear of the trial lawyer. posted by Sydney on 1/31/2003 06:02:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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