Examples of Medical Negligence
- Wrong drug administration
- Wrong blood transfusion
- Leaving a surgical instrument inside the body
- Failure to diagnose an obvious condition
- Operating on the wrong patient or wrong site
- Failure to obtain informed consent where required
Defences Available to the Doctor
- No duty of care existed
- No breach of duty
- No causal connection between act and injury
- Contributory negligence by the patient
- Accepted medical practice followed (Bolam principle)
Clinical
Medicolegal importance: The law of negligence protects patient rights, ensures professional accountability, and forms the basis of civil and criminal action against medical practitioners.
Caution
The Bolam principle is a key defence — a doctor is not negligent if they acted in accordance with a practice accepted as proper by a responsible body of medical professionals.