Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bolitho v. City & Hackney HA (1998) AC 232, HL.
Chester v. Afshar (2005) 1 AC 134, HL.
Gregg v. Scott (2005) 2 AC 176, HL.
Pidgeon v. Doncaster HA (2002) Lloyd’s Rep Med 130.
When a physician acts as a consultant, courts have found the nature of the relationship to be very fact-based. For example, it has been found that when a physician is consulted by phone, a relationship has been established. O’Neill v. Montefiore Hospital, 11 AD.2d 132 (NY AD 1960). On the other hand, informal opinions are unlikely to result in a duty of care. Oliver v. Brock, 342 So.2d 1 (AL 1976) (informal conversation recorded in patient’s record did not result in physician–client relationship).
There is a distinction between medical and legal causation illustrated well in Hawkinson v. A.H. Robins Co., Inc. 595 F. Supp. 1290, 1315 (D CO 1984): [A] distinction must be made between fact finding in the courts and in the scientific community. In the courts, cases are decided according to probabilities. Probabilities may, in turn, be based upon fair inferences from circumstantial evidence. It is not necessary to exclude all other possible explanations, or to avoid all apparent inconsistencies.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer-Verlag London Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Peacock, N.A., Jennings, K., Roxstrom, K.E. (2009). Medicolegal Considerations: The British and U.S. Perspective. In: Sultan, A.H., Thakar, R., Fenner, D.E. (eds) Perineal and Anal Sphincter Trauma. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84628-503-5_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84628-503-5_15
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-85233-926-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-84628-503-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)