Davis Gregory G
Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2006 Jul;130(7):975-8. doi: 10.5858/2006-130-975-MIPWTD.
A malpractice suit arises when a patient brings legal charges against a physician for suffering that the patient claims to have endured because the physician failed to provide appropriate care. Suffering usually encompasses a measure of misdiagnosis and of rude treatment of the patient by medical staff. Polite treatment of all patients by all laboratory staff will prevent some disputes from ever forming, thus preventing some charges of malpractice. Even if a patient is treated rudely, that rudeness alone is insufficient to justify a charge of malpractice. Attorneys must follow legal guidelines to determine whether the physician's actions caused actual damage. As soon as a physician is served notice of a lawsuit, the physician must notify the office that insures him or her against claims of malpractice (eg, the office of risk management or the physician's malpractice insurance carrier). Being sued creates an overwhelming urge to talk about the case, but a physician who has been sued must not talk to anyone about the lawsuit or the case involved. Conversations about the lawsuit may only safely be had with the attorney who will defend the physician against the charge of malpractice. Despite any frustrations with the legal system, the physician must work with and even trust the attorney handling the defense. It is possible to overcome a charge of malpractice, but not if the physician creates an indefensible situation by committing fraud. Examples of fraud are changing the medical record or destroying the pertinent microscope slide.
当患者因声称因医生未能提供适当护理而遭受痛苦，从而对医生提起法律诉讼时，医疗事故诉讼就产生了。痛苦通常包括一定程度的误诊以及医护人员对患者的粗暴对待。所有实验室工作人员礼貌对待所有患者将避免一些纠纷的产生，从而防止一些医疗事故指控。即使患者受到粗暴对待，仅这种粗暴行为本身也不足以构成医疗事故指控。律师必须遵循法律准则来确定医生的行为是否造成了实际损害。一旦医生收到诉讼通知，必须通知为其提供医疗事故索赔保险的机构（例如，风险管理办公室或医生的医疗事故保险公司）。被起诉会产生一种强烈的倾诉欲望，但被起诉的医生绝不能与任何人谈论该诉讼或所涉案件。关于诉讼的谈话只能与将为医生辩护以应对医疗事故指控的律师安全地进行。尽管对法律系统可能有任何不满，医生必须与处理辩护的律师合作甚至信任他。有可能克服医疗事故指控，但如果医生通过欺诈制造了无法辩护的局面则不行。欺诈的例子包括更改病历或销毁相关的显微镜载玻片。
