Physicians are often sued for reasons that could have been prevented with proper care. In addition, the practice of medicine is becoming increasingly complex as technology advances and medical knowledge expands.

This can make it difficult for physicians to keep up—not only with their patient’s needs but also with their own obligations under federal law—and puts them at greater risk of being sued if things go wrong during treatment.

1. Failing to obtain informed consent

Informed consent is the process that allows a patient to make an informed decision about their health care.

It is not just signing a form to indicate you understand what your doctor says or even just agreeing to take the treatment or procedure.

Informed consent means that you are fully aware of your options and the potential consequences before giving your consent for a procedure or treatment.

Informed consent does not mean voluntary consent; rather, it’s about ensuring that patients understand all aspects of their condition to make an educated choice about how they want to proceed with their health care.

2. Prescribing or administering the wrong medication and dosage

Most medications have side effects, so if a patient takes an incorrect dose or receives a drug that’s inappropriate for his/her condition and has bad reactions, you may be responsible.

Make sure you’re familiar with all medications and dosages before prescribing them to patients!

3. Using outdated equipment

If you use outdated equipment on patients who suffer injuries as a result of this practice, then you could potentially face legal repercussions down the road.

Always make sure that all necessary updates have been made when performing procedures.

4. Failing to recognize side effects or signs of a condition

Physicians should be aware of their specialties’ most common side effects and signs of conditions.

They should also know about drug interactions, drug allergies, and other factors that may affect a patient’s health.

Physicians need to recognize these risk factors when treating patients or referring them to specialists who can provide care.

5. If you fail to recognize your patient’s signs or symptoms:

You could miss an important diagnosis that could lead to injury or death.

You may not order tests needed for early detection, and/or you may recommend ineffective treatment plans because you failed to detect a potential problem earlier.

6. Mismanaging treatment plans

It’s important to have a treatment plan in place before giving the patient any treatment. It’s also important to ensure they understand the plan and that they’re on board with it.

This can sometimes be difficult, as some patients may not know exactly what they want or need. If this happens, ask them questions and try to determine what their concerns are so that you can address them.

If a patient has questions about their treatment plan while you’re treating them, address those questions as best as possible. The more informed your patients are about their treatment options, the better their overall health outcomes will be.

7. Failing to order the appropriate testing and screenings.

It is crucial that physicians order the right tests and screenings at the right time. Physicians who fail to do so also leave themselves open to legal action.

Physicians should know their patients very well before ordering any test or screening, including:

• The patient’s medical history and current condition
• Past tests and diagnoses, if applicable
• Family history of disease or conditions

Physicians can reduce the odds of being sued by following best practices.

Best practices are a combination of medical knowledge and communication skills, clinical judgment and common sense, legal knowledge and risk management skills.

In order to be successful in any job, it is important that you have a good understanding of your responsibilities as an employee. You should also have some idea about what might happen if you fail to meet those responsibilities or break company rules.

This means that you should know about things such as:

• The employer’s expectations for how employees will behave on the job (and off)
• Your rights as an employee
• What happens if someone else breaks these rules

Understanding these facts can be difficult without a complete contract review by a professional team like Physicians Thrive.

Conclusion

We’ve highlighted the most common reasons physicians get sued and what you can do to avoid these lawsuits.

Physicians should take the time to review their practices, identify areas of concern and seek out training if necessary.

By following best practices when treating patients, physicians are less likely to be sued by their patients or family members because they know they will be treated appropriately.