Day on Torts
A neurosurgeon has written an op-ed piece about his experience with medical negligence litigation and offering his opinion about the role it plays in our society. The article is titled “How Malpractice Suits Keep My Profession Honest.”
The writer gives this example of the pressure faced by doctors who testify for patients: “I remember a Detroit neurosurgeon calling me in desperation to ask what to do after he had testified against a surgeon who had operated on the wrong side of a patient’s head. The Detroit doctor worried that he was being needlessly scrutinized by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. It reminded me of a case in which I had been an expert witness here in Washington that led to complaints from the professor who had performed the surgery and unrelenting nit-picking from the association. My advice to the Detroit doctor? Resign from the association. That’s what I did.”
Isn’t it nice to see a member of the profession speak out on the side of his patients?