What Happens When Doctors Mock Unconscious Patients

Reports Shows What Happens When Doctors Mock Unconscious Patients

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Shapiro Law Group

Doctors and other health care professionals are expected to uphold a high level of professionalism and skill, but sometimes they behave badly. A recent blog published in the New York Times gives examples of doctors behaving badly. The article used an essay from the Annals of Internal Medicine to describe what happens when doctors mock patients who are unconscious during procedures.

The two incidents described by the blog and essay involve gynecologists making sexual and racist comments towards unconscious patients. In one incident, a doctor made sexual comments about an anesthetized woman who was being prepped for surgery. The other incident involved a doctor who had performed lifesaving surgery on a Hispanic patient. After saving her life, he began to sing a popular Mexican song. Both examples given in the blog and essay took place in front of medical school students who were there for training purposes.

Women are not the only patients who have been mocked by doctors while unconscious. In a recent case, we wrote about a Virginia man was awarded $500,000 after he recorded his anesthesiologist mocking him during a colonoscopy. The doctor claimed she wanted to punch her patient in the face, and announced her intent misdiagnose him with hemorrhoids.

Why is it Important for Doctors to Behave Professionally?

These cases are disturbing because we expect doctors to care about the lives and dignity of patients. Patients also need to be able to trust doctors. When doctors violate the trust of patients and treat them in a way that is unfair, dishonest or disrespectful, it calls their ethics and professionalism into question.

Shapiro Law Group – Tampa Bay Medical Malpractice Attorneys

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