Page 67 - Anatomy of a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
P. 67
SVMIC Anatomy of a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
What can be done? Recognizing the signs of the previously-
listed reactions is the first step to help physicians to cope with
the stressors of litigation and to minimize their adverse effects.
The second step is to develop healthy coping mechanisms
such as the following.
The third step is to seek professional help. As briefly touched
upon earlier, professional liability carriers (including SVMIC)
and defense attorneys instruct physicians not to discuss the
facts or medicine of the case with anyone other than the
defense attorney and the claims representative; but, this does
not mean that the physician can’t talk with others about the
reactions or effects that the claim or lawsuit is causing. Usually,
only material legal and clinical aspects of a case must be kept
confidential. If you are confused about what you can and
cannot discuss, talk with your defense attorney or an SVMIC
Page | 67