Physician Assistant as an Expert Witness in a Medical Malpractice Case

The number of physician assistants (PAs) practicing in the United States is rapidly increasing each year. They are employed in all settings including solo or group practices, hospitals, nursing homes, correctional facilities, and rural and inner city clinics.

Malpractice in Female Sterilization

In order to permanently prevent a woman from becoming pregnant, a physician may perform one of a number of sterilization procedures. Sterilization may be accomplished through the removal of the uterus, both ovaries, both fallopian tubes, or a closure of the fallopian tubes. A tubal closure is currently the most common procedure when the sole purpose of the procedure is to prevent pregnancy.

Failure to Prevent Suicide

A physician, psychiatrist, or psychologist is treating a patient, and during the treatment period, the patient unfortunately takes his own life. The family members are anguished and angry, and they claim that the doctor was negligent in failing to take the proper steps to prevent the tragic event. The question of whether or not they will prevail in a medical malpractice action depends on the specific facts of the case, focusing on the reasonableness of the treatment in light of the patient's history.

Malpractice in Performing Abortions

Thousands of legal abortions are performed in this country every year, and although most are completed without complications, there are certain risks connected with the procedure, some of which can be life threatening. A physician must adequately warn the patient of the risks inherent in the procedure. Medical malpractice cases arise when a patient claims that she was not informed about the risks of the procedure or that it was the negligence of her physician that caused or contributed to complications from an abortion. Women who have negligently performed procedures may suffer perforation of the uterus, infection, and endotoxic shock. Some complications resulting from an improperly performed abortion may be long-term, such as an increased risk of certain cancers and future ectopic pregnancies.

Liability of Ambulance Attendants and Emergency Medical Technicians

Many times the first contact that a sick or injured individual has with a hospital is when an ambulance arrives at his home, the attendant and the emergency medical technician work over him, and he is loaded into the ambulance for the trip to the hospital. Now assume that the patient is in even worse shape when he gets to the hospital, and the reason for the decline in his condition appears to be the conduct of the emergency health care provider. Does the patient have a cause of action for medical malpractice against the health care providers or their employers, and if so, do the health care providers have any defenses against the action?