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Medicolegal Issues in Obstetrics and Gynaecology pp 9–13Cite as

Why Doctors Get Sued

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Abstract

Clinical negligence claims arise from issues relating to consent, errors of treatment and errors in diagnosis. Consent should deal with material risks and any reasonable alternatives to treatment. Litigation relating to errors in treatment and diagnosis usually arise when the actions by a doctor are contrary and/or deviate from what is considered appropriate by a responsible body of medical opinion. It is important to be aware of guidelines and literature to ensure practice is up-to date and be willing to refer patients elsewhere when treatment cannot be offered in house.

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References

  1. “Delivering fair resolution and learning from harm”: Our strategy to 2022. NHS Resolution, p4.

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  2. NHS Litigation Authority Annual report and accounts 2015/16, p16.

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  3. “Delivering fair resolution and learning from harm”: Our strategy to 2022. NHS Resolution, p12. Note that these statistics do not seem to include gynaecological claims other than obstetrics.

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  4. Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015] UKSC 11. The facts of the Montgomery judgment are considered in more detail in [chapter dealing with case law].

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  5. Webster v Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2017] EWCA Civ 62, para 81.

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  6. Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1 WLR 583, p587.

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  7. Bolitho v City and Hackney Health Authority [1998] AC 232, p1158.

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  8. Muller v King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust [2017] EWHC 128.

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  9. Sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management, https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng51.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Serjeants’ Inn, London, UK

    Eloise Powers

Authors
  1. Eloise Powers
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Correspondence to Eloise Powers .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jessop Wing, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Sheffield, UK

    Swati Jha

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jessop Wing, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Sheffield, UK

    Emma Ferriman

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

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Powers, E. (2018). Why Doctors Get Sued. In: Jha, S., Ferriman, E. (eds) Medicolegal Issues in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78683-4_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78683-4_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-78682-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-78683-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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