Usually we hear of stories where physicians get sued because they fail to abide by a patient’s wishes, however, the article “All-Time Craziest Frivolous Lawsuits”, (Krane 2014), discusses how a physician was sued for abiding to a patient’s wishes. The article provides insight into how some malpractice lawsuits impact physicians who try to provide patients with standard of care, only to have care refused by them and then later have legal action taken against them for complying with their wishes. The author best explains how physicians are affected by malpractice lawsuits in stating, “The assault on their reputations and the emotional upheaval they face can be traumatic even when the lawsuit is obviously fraudulent” (Krane, 2014, p. 1).
This particular article discusses the story of a man who cut his hand off because he “saw the number ‘666’ written on it and stated that he heard voices which told him to cut it off. When the on-call surgeon was called in for a consult, the patient stated that if the surgeon reattached his arm, “he would cut it off again” (Krane, 2014, p. 1). The surgeon had the patient undergo a psychiatric evaluation and was deemed competent. He also consulted with a judge and "The judge said that as …show more content…
Sometimes malpractice lawsuits are well warranted, however, sometimes they do not have legal merit. The conclusion of the article best summarizes the author’s advice to physicians faced with frivolous malpractice lawsuits when he states, “Doctors should hold the legal profession accountable when attorneys overstep. Give them a taste of their own medicine, and ask for damages. The number of frivolous cases has declined significantly since various tort reform measures have been enacted. If physicians are lucky, outrageous cases will be dismissed before too much expense is incurred. And fighting back could be a useful tactic for physicians” (Krane, 2014, p.
This particular article discusses the story of a man who cut his hand off because he “saw the number ‘666’ written on it and stated that he heard voices which told him to cut it off. When the on-call surgeon was called in for a consult, the patient stated that if the surgeon reattached his arm, “he would cut it off again” (Krane, 2014, p. 1). The surgeon had the patient undergo a psychiatric evaluation and was deemed competent. He also consulted with a judge and "The judge said that as …show more content…
Sometimes malpractice lawsuits are well warranted, however, sometimes they do not have legal merit. The conclusion of the article best summarizes the author’s advice to physicians faced with frivolous malpractice lawsuits when he states, “Doctors should hold the legal profession accountable when attorneys overstep. Give them a taste of their own medicine, and ask for damages. The number of frivolous cases has declined significantly since various tort reform measures have been enacted. If physicians are lucky, outrageous cases will be dismissed before too much expense is incurred. And fighting back could be a useful tactic for physicians” (Krane, 2014, p.