A doctor should provide their patient with a reasonable standard of care. This includes referring them to a specialist when the patient’s condition requires specialized knowledge, skills and equipment. For example, when a doctor cannot definitively diagnose a patient’s condition, when a patient has a rare medical condition, when a patient requires specialized treatment and when a patient’s condition does not improve with treatment.
A physician who fails to refer a patient when circumstances show it’s necessary may have breached the expected standard of care. Accordingly, such a case could potentially be considered medical malpractice. Here is why:
Its consequences
Failure to refer can lead to substantial harm to a patient. Firstly, a patient’s condition may worsen. For instance, a delay in getting the right diagnosis allows a condition to progress, seeing that the start of the appropriate treatment will also be delayed.
By the time the patient is referred to a specialist, the condition may have caused severe harm or progressed to a life-threatening state. It may also have caused a temporary or permanent disability. Treating a condition in such a state may cause the patient increased medical expenses and psychological trauma.
Further, failure to refer can lead to death. Some serious cases, such as a heart condition that is not diagnosed and treated by a cardiologist on time, can sadly lead to the loss of a life. Cancer can also spread to a degree that’s difficult to control if a tumor is not discovered early. This can happen when a patient’s primary physician fails to refer them to an oncologist despite the patient having a persistent lump.
Different factors cause some doctors to fail to refer patients to specialists. These include overconfidence, financial gain and failure to listen. If you sustained harm due to such negligence, legal guidance can help you understand your options.