Better Safe Than Sorry: Medico- Legal Do’s & Don’ts, Dr. Lalit Kapoor

MEDICO-LEGAL CHALLENGES IN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY© By Dr. Lalit Kapoor   We are all aware of the rapidly changing scenario of medical practice in this country. Doctors are no longer surrounded by an aura of infallibility and the expectations of the public have risen sharply in an era of hi-tech medicine. Sub-optimal or adverse outcome of treatment is not accepted easily and often automatically equated to negligence/ deficiency in service. As a result, there is an exponential rise in medical litigation, especially in the wake of the Consumer Protection Act. Undoubtedly, certain medical specialties are more prone to risks of malpractice litigation and are considered high-risk. For example, in India Obstetrics is the branch of Medicine at highest risk of malpractice litigations. Orthopedic surgery is lower down in the list though still in the high-risk group. (see chart below) Hence it is prudent for Orthopedic surgeons to be cognizant of the vulnerable risk factors. WHAT ARE THE SPECIAL

MEDICO-LEGAL PITFALLS IN COSMETIC SURGERY AND COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY By  Dr. Lalit Kapoor  As you are all aware, there has been an exponential rise in the demand for cosmetic surgery in this country.  There are many obvious reasons for this viz. the craving for youth and beauty in Society, no doubt fuelled by images in print and electronic media, movies and other communication channels; the mind-boggling advances in Medicine and technology and easy access to these; the steadily rising disposable incomes of people in the wake of economic upturn in the country and the fact that undergoing cosmetic surgery has lost any stigma it may have had in the past. In view of this, cosmetic surgeons have probably never had it so good. Interestingly, this overwhelming demand for surgery has not been dampened by the fact that no Insurance Company re-imburses medical costs of cosmetic surgery! However, cosmetic surgeons, and indeed the non-surgical cosmetologists / Cosmetic Dermatologists as well, need t

    MEDICO-LEGAL CHALLENGES FOR CRITICAL-CARE PHYSICIANS AND ICUs/ICCUs © Dr. Lalit Kapoor  In recent times, a rise in the incidence of malpractice  litigation against critical care physicians is perceptible. Hence, it is appropriate to identify the medico-legal challenges faced by practitioners of critical care Medicine and ICU set-ups. What is it that makes intensive care physicians somewhat more vulnerable to medico-legal problems? Intensive care units treat seriously ill patients. In spite of ‘intensive’ care and best efforts of the team, morbidity and mortality rate is high compared to other units. Considering the complexity of the critical illnesses and the highly invasive interventions that are routinely carried out, one can easily explain the higher morbidity and mortality.  Reportedly, the average mortality rate is 30 % -- considerably more than the average risk. American statistics reveal that 1 out of 5 Americans will die in an ICU. Figures for our country are not available