Why do patients sue their doctors? The answer is not straightforward. A single factor is unlikely to be responsible. Not all patients sue doctors when mistakes are made. One thing, however, is certain: the answer is important to the quality of healthcare. This book provides answers to this important question.

 

Now in its second edition, Why Patients Sue Doctors contains new and interesting material from the authors’ collective experience in over 1000 real-life medicolegal cases. It also has a new section on disciplinary proceedings. The authors draw on these cases to explore why and how doctors make mistakes. By analysing and discussing the situations and behaviours that lead to complaints by patients and their families, this book provides practical guidance on how to improve clinical care and avoid litigation. The lessons learned will help practitioners in the future avoid some common clinical pitfalls of the past.

 

As with the first edition, this book will be of immediate interest to anyone concerned about the quality of healthcare and how to improve it. The cases presented by the authors will also be of general interest to those wishing to know more about medical litigation or to those interested in what occasionally goes wrong in the practice of medicine.