Posted by Jumpy on November 15, 2002, at 22:51:50
In reply to What are GPs anti-psychotropic?, posted by utopizen on November 14, 2002, at 14:11:36
Well, all doctors ... even pdocs ... are trained that disease X is treated with medication Y. That is each disease has a specific medication to treat it ... almost "lock and key" fashion. For example, docs are taught that for elderly women with high blood pressure the treatment of choice is hydrochlorothiazide. But in the real world, this patient will receive two to three medications for adequate control of blood pressure.
Same in psychiatry ... docs are taught first line treatment for depression is an SSRI. But in the real world, many patients need a combination of meds to control symptoms. So it actually may take an antidepressant, benzodiazapine and a mood stablizer to help the patient.
The big problem is that when in comes down to it, the general practicer is held liable for the over all health care of patient. Even if another doctor prescribes a combo of meds that may interact and cause you harm ... the generalist can be held responsible to have identified the other doctors mistake and correct the medication. This is almost impossible with the speed at which new medication come out and new warning on older medication are announced.
So really it is just a few "bad apple" lawyers that have put fear into the eyes of all GP's. GP's do lose there licenses or practices for medication errors and interaction, even if they did not prescribe them. (Actually, what a malpractice lawyer does is first sue the primary doctor .... then latter looks at the medical record and adds on every doctor and the hospital to the lawsuit .... some doctor's insurance companies will simply settle and pay the lawyer in order to avoid a long trial)
Paul
poster:Jumpy
thread:127642
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021108/msgs/127879.html