Upcoming Medicolegal Challenges for a Practicing Surgeon in India
Sishir N Choudhury, Mamadur MR Shankar
Keywords :
Bolam test, Doctor–patient relationship, Golden hour, Medicolegal, Medical negligence, Professional obligation, Telemedicine
Citation Information :
Choudhury SN, Shankar MM. Upcoming Medicolegal Challenges for a Practicing Surgeon in India. Journal of Medical Academics 2023; 6 (2):66-68.
Surgical practice is one of the main pillars of the medical profession. Surgery in India has been flourishing since ancient times, be it the examples of trephination found on skeletal remains at sites of Indus Valley civilization (2nd millennium BCE) to the surgical excellence of Maharshi Sushruta (Sushruta Samhita) in the 1st millennium AD to India becoming a hub for surgical (medical) tourism in the 21st century.
However, today in India, there is also a growing anxiety about the rise of medicolegal issues in surgical practice both among doctors as well as society in general, creating a trust deficit in the doctor–patient relationship. Hence, it is of paramount importance that clinicians not only are skilled in their profession but must also be acquainted with the latest medicolegal aspects to have an uneventful practice. The aim of this article is to analyze the evolution of medicolegal foundations in India, predict the likely course of medicolegal issues in the future and democratize this information to clinicians as widely as possible to ensure a healthy doctor-patient relationship in the Indian context.
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