Il polifratturato: aspetti medico-legali

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to present a detailed enquiry into the legal liability of leading professional figures involved in the treatment of poly-traumatized patients. Over the past few years, there has been an exponential growth in the number of claims forwarded regarding compensation for malpractice, which has led observers to draw pessimistic conclusions regarding the state of health care in Italy. The analysis proposed in this paper focuses on the roles of health care professionals and structures involved in relations with patients, the administrative-legal procedures through which such structures are informed of any controversies, the salient features of the event(s) in question, the nature of the error(s) committed and the type of damage attributed to such error(s).

The authors also takle the concept of informed consent: an issue whose delicacy is all too apparent when, following treatment administered in violation of the duty to inform, there is no worsening of the patient’s condition. The paper closes with an overview of the most recent rulings regarding various cases of malpractice.