Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-mzp66 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-27T00:56:24.917Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 57 - Legal and Ethical Issues in Gynaecological Practice

from Section 11 - Public Health Issues in Gynaecology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2021

By
George Gregory Buttigieg
Edited by
Tahir Mahmood ,
Charles Savona-Ventura ,
Ioannis Messinis  and
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Tahir Mahmood
Affiliation:
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Charles Savona-Ventura
Affiliation:
University of Malta, Malta
Ioannis Messinis
Affiliation:
University of Thessaly, Greece
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Affiliation:
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, UK
Get access

Summary

Defensive medicine may be an instinctive reaction, but like many primeval reactions, it may not come cheaply. And rather than the monetary cost, which is known to all, one refers here to loss of the pleasure of practice, the depersonalization of the patient and the self-destructive constant paranoid deliberating. The honest advice, which comes after 40 years’ experience in the field, is to practice evidence-based medicine and keeping updated with advances in the medical, legal, ethical and technological spheres. Practitioners must take pride in their work and rejoice that they have done well.

Keywords

medicolegalethicsgynaecologydefensive medicineconsentnegligence
Type
Chapter
Information
The EBCOG Postgraduate Textbook of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Gynaecology
 , pp. 491 - 498
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Will, JF. A brief historical and theoretical perspective on patient autonomy and medical decision making: Part II: The autonomy model Chest 2011;139:1491–1497.Google Scholar
Oken, D. What to tell cancer patients. A study of medical attitudes. JAMA 1961;175:1120–1128.Google Scholar
Lexis Library.Gynaecology – ovarian cyst – unnecessary removal left ovary: Riley -v- North Manchester Health Authority Medicine and Public Health. Case Reviews. Clinical Risk I 1995;1.4(151).Google Scholar
Coffman, A, Torgeson, A, Lloyd, S. Correlates of refusal of surgery in the treatment of non-metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Ann Surg Oncol 2018;26:98–108.Google Scholar
Ashcroft, RE. From public interest to political justice. special section: dissecting bioethics. Camb Q Healthcare Ethics 2004;13:20–27.Google Scholar
Mello, MM, Chandra, A, Gawande, AA, Studdert, DM. National costs of the medical liability system. Health Aff (Millwood) 2010;29:1569–1577.Google Scholar
Turley, LA. The Hippocratic oath. JAMA 1939;113:2442–2443.Google Scholar
Williams, S. On the defensive. Africa Casebook 2011;19:8–10.Google Scholar
Sheth, SS, Malpani, AN. Inappropriate use of new technology: impact on women’s health. Int J Gynecol Obstet 1997;58:159–165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ross, BK. ASA closed claims in obstetrics: lessons learned. Anesthesiol Clin North America 2003;21:183–197.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mazor, KM, Simon, SR, Yood, RA, et al. Health plan members’ views about disclosure of medical errors. Ann Intern Med 2004;140:409–418.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buttigieg, GG, Buttigieg, G. Medico-legal litigation: the clinical contractual nature of the obstetric anaesthetist–patient relationship. Malta Med J 2014;26:44–48.Google Scholar
Stirrat, GM. How to approach ethical issues: a brief guide. Ethics. Obstetrician Gynaecologist 2003;5:214–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
EALM Working Group on Medical Malpractice. Malpractice and medical liability European guidelines on methods of ascertainment and criteria of evaluation. Int J Legal Med 2013;127:545–557.Google Scholar
Pinto, A, Pinto, F, Faggian, A, et al. Sources of error in emergency ultrasonography. Crit Ultrasound J 2013;5(Suppl 1):S1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Driscoll, V. Case in focus: bowel injury during laparoscopic sterilization. Medicine and Public Health. Clin Risk 2004;10:109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
House of Commons Library. UK regulatory materials summaries. 2017.Google Scholar
Egorova, N, Moskowitz, A, Gelijns, A et al. Managing the prevention of retained surgical instruments: what is the value of counting? Ann Surg 2008;247:13–18.Google Scholar
Ellet, L, Maher, P. Forgotten surgical items: lessons for all to learn. Gynaecol Surg 2013;10:295–297.Google Scholar
McLannen v Newcastle Health Authority [1991] Lexis Citation 2507. Queen’s Bench Division.Google Scholar
Roberts v South Bedfordshire Health Authority. [1996] Lexis Citation 5619. Queen’s Bench Division.Google Scholar
Driscoll, V. Case in focus: Bowel injury during laparoscopic sterilization – Vanessa Palmer v Cardiff & Vale NHS Trust. Clin Risk 2004;10:109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, J. Medical records and issues in negligence. Indian J Urol 2009;3:384–388.Google Scholar
Lexis Library. Gynaecology – laparoscopy – perforation of bowel. Clin Risk 2003;9:72.Google Scholar
Lexis Library. Stillbirth following abdominal surgery. Tucker -v- North Tees Health Authority. Medicine and Public Health. Case Reviews. Clin Risk 1995;1:151.Google Scholar
Venner v North East Essex Health Authority and Another. [1987] Lexis Citation 1288. Queen’s Bench.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×