Knowledge, attitude and practice among dentists of Gujarat regarding medico-legal issues

Background: Law concerns with every field of human life and dentistry is no exception. Therefore, knowledge of legal aspects is as important as knowledge of medicine in life of health care professionals. The patient-dentist relationship had undergone a significant transition over the past few decades with upsurge anxiety in the community and increased lawsuits against dentists. Thus, a health care professional must know about medico-legal problems to protect oneself from legal issues. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire was pre-tested among the group of 10 professionals prior to the study. It was made available to dental practitioners residing in Ahmedabad city. It was mandatory to answer all the questions. Data was collected through online survey forms and were subjected to descriptive statistics. Results: The results showed that there was lack of knowledge in majority of dentists regarding medico-legal issues. Nearly half (53%) of the participants were unaware concerning consumer protection act and 81.33% of the candidates were not aware regarding minimum duration for the preservation of dental records. Around 56% were unaware about revised code of ethics and less than half know about negligence and non-negligence acts. Conclusions: The present study depicted that majority of the dentists lack knowledge concerning medico-legal issues. Therefore, seminars should be arranged to intensify their knowledge regarding legal facets or more information should be added in dental curriculum.

Analyzing the Role and Liability of Paramedics in the Indian Healthcare System

The Nursing and staff serves as backbone of a healthcare system. Despite being central to any healthcare system, not much has been written about them, especially on the issue of their regulations and legal liabilities emanating from their professional activities. Though they are governed by National and State councils, the implications of their acts are different in Civil Law, Criminal Law and under their respective regulations. These differences are primarily the subject matter of this paper.

Consumer Protection Act – Awareness.

Background: With the inclusion of health care services under Consumer Protection Act, a spurt in litigations arising out of breach in medical/dental profession is seen. Thus, it becomes imperative for health professionals today to be aware of such laws. Objective: To assess and compare the awareness about Consumer Protection Act among dentists (dentists in teaching institutions and dentists in private practice.) Material and Methods: A questionnaire survey was carried out on a total of 224 dentists [112 dentists in teaching institutions (DTI)] from Manipal and Mangalore and 112 dentists in private practice (DPP) from Udupi and Mangalore, Karnataka, India]. Statistical Analysis was done using SPSS version 10. Chi- square test was used to compare between the categorical variables (P<0.05). Results: A total of 69.6% of DTI and 76.8% of DPP reported to be aware of Consumer Protection Act but subsequent analysis of responses did not reveal the same. Awareness (> 75%) about rules and regulations of Consumer Protection Act was found to be low in both the dentist group. No difference was seen in awareness based on gender, degree and type of practice (P>0.05). Significantly higher percentage of DPP as compared to DTI (90.7% Vs 69.2% ; P< 0.05) were observed to rely upon regular consent. Conclusion: There is a need to raise the awareness of health professionals about such laws so that their increased professional concern and practice conforms to welfare of patients.

A review of second medical opinion cases and its attribute to medical negligence: A retrospective study.

Today the number of cases of medical litigation is increasing and already it has become a great problem for surgeons, anaesthetists and obstetricians. The general practitioners and physicians are also facing the problem and in coming years the profession may turn into a nightmare. SMS Medical College is the biggest and oldest medical teaching institution in Rajasthan. The department of Forensic Medicine handles all types of medico legal works and there is a separate established Medical Board under the chairmanship of the Head of the department. Here we receive second opinion cases from different law enforcing agencies including the hospital and public administration. In this paper we have reviewed the second opinion cases with a primary focus on medical negligence cases in the time period of 2005 t 2009. Total 55 cases were identified out of which 42 were dead and 13 were alive. Maximum numbers of cases were observed in the age group of 21-30years. The number of female cases outnumbered the number of males. Maximum numbers of cases were related to surgical practice (OG-21, Surgery-8, Ortho-6, Neurosurgery-3, ENT-2, Opthal-1 and Urology-1).

Consumer protection act (CPA / COPRA) related to medical profession.

With the fast pace of commercialization and globalization on all spheres of life, the medical profession is no exception. Since the passing of the Consumer Protection Act in 1986, the doctor-patient’s relationship has deteriorated significantly and litigation against doctors is increasing day by day. This review article enlightens medical practitioners regarding Consumer Protection Act and how to prevent litigations.