Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Doctor sterilizes patient without consent, keeps license

So should doctors be able to perform possibly life-altering procedures without permission if it means possibly saving the patient's life at a later date?



A doctor in Arkansas was found to have performed a tubal ligation without a patient's consent after doing a C-section because "she feared the lining of the patient’s uterus would burst if she got pregnant again."



The most surprising thing about this whole case is that the physician didn't mention the procedure to anyone. She never told the patient and she never added it to the medical record. The physician had to go before the medical board, which was split 6-5, and was allowed to keep her license.



The patient was given a settlement and offered a reversal of the tubal but declined. The physician is now in private practice.

{source}

No comments: