It Finally Happened to Me

Abstract It finally happened to me: I was sued for malpractice by the family of a patient who had died suddenly. My inner turmoil in the aftermath of this traumatic event affected me deeply. While I was an experienced family doctor dedicated to patient-centered medicine, the event challenged my cust...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of family medicine 2014-09, Vol.12 (5), p.475-477
Main Author: Kannai, Ruth, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anecdotes as Topic
Attitude of Health Personnel
Death, Sudden
Family Practice - ethics
Family Practice - legislation & jurisprudence
Humans
Internal Medicine
Israel
Liability, Legal
Male
Malpractice - legislation & jurisprudence
Physician-Patient Relations - ethics
Reflections
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Summary:Abstract It finally happened to me: I was sued for malpractice by the family of a patient who had died suddenly. My inner turmoil in the aftermath of this traumatic event affected me deeply. While I was an experienced family doctor dedicated to patient-centered medicine, the event challenged my customary approach to my patients. I share three vignettes from my practice that describe my inner dialogue both “preprosecution” and “postprosecution” and explain how I acted in each case.
ISSN:1544-1709
1544-1717
DOI:10.1370/afm.1667