Biomaterial Database

The physician's duty to warn: a new twist. 1984

D J Tennenhouse

It has long been accepted that it is a physician's duty to warn the patient of medical conditions that create a risk of injury to the patient. A recent California Court decision suggests that the physician may also be liable for damages to a person injured by a patient who was improperly warned of a debilitating medical condition. The case of Myers v. Quesenberry is reviewed and its implications for ophthalmologists are discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007603	Jurisprudence	The science or philosophy of law. Also, the application of the principles of law and justice to health and medicine.	Litigation,Medical Jurisprudence,Constitutional Law,Court Decision,Law,Legal Aspects,Legal Obligations,Legal Status,State Interest,Aspect, Legal,Aspects, Legal,Constitutional Laws,Court Decisions,Decision, Court,Decisions, Court,Interest, State,Interests, State,Jurisprudence, Medical,Law, Constitutional,Laws,Laws, Constitutional,Legal Aspect,Legal Obligation,Litigations,Obligation, Legal,Obligations, Legal,State Interests,Status, Legal
D008318	Malpractice	Failure of a professional person, a physician or lawyer, to render proper services through reprehensible ignorance or negligence or through criminal intent, especially when injury or loss follows. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Professional Negligence,Negligence,Negligence, Professional,Professional Negligences
D009885	Ophthalmology	A surgical specialty concerned with the structure and function of the eye and the medical and surgical treatment of its defects and diseases.	Ocular Surgery,Ocular Surgeries,Surgery, Ocular
D002140	California	State bounded on the east by Nevada and Arizona, on the south by Mexico and the Pacific Ocean on the south and west, and on the north by Oregon.
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000063	Accidents, Traffic	Accidents on streets, roads, and highways involving drivers, passengers, pedestrians, or vehicles. Traffic accidents refer to AUTOMOBILES (passenger cars, buses, and trucks), BICYCLING, and MOTORCYCLES but not OFF-ROAD MOTOR VEHICLES; RAILROADS nor snowmobiles.	Traffic Collisions,Traffic Crashes,Traffic Accidents,Accident, Traffic,Collision, Traffic,Collisions, Traffic,Crashes, Traffic,Traffic Accident,Traffic Collision
D001334	Automobile Driving	The effect of environmental or physiological factors on the driver and driving ability. Included are driving fatigue, and the effect of drugs, disease, and physical disabilities on driving.	Automobile Drivings,Driving, Automobile,Drivings, Automobile
D012306	Risk	The probability that an event will occur. It encompasses a variety of measures of the probability of a generally unfavorable outcome.	Relative Risk,Relative Risks,Risk, Relative,Risks,Risks, Relative
D014786	Vision Disorders	Visual impairments limiting one or more of the basic functions of the eye: visual acuity, dark adaptation, color vision, or peripheral vision. These may result from EYE DISEASES; OPTIC NERVE DISEASES; VISUAL PATHWAY diseases; OCCIPITAL LOBE diseases; OCULAR MOTILITY DISORDERS; and other conditions (From Newell, Ophthalmology: Principles and Concepts, 7th ed, p132).	Hemeralopia,Macropsia,Micropsia,Day Blindness,Metamorphopsia,Vision Disability,Visual Disorders,Visual Impairment,Blindness, Day,Disabilities, Vision,Disability, Vision,Disorder, Visual,Disorders, Visual,Hemeralopias,Impairment, Visual,Impairments, Visual,Macropsias,Metamorphopsias,Micropsias,Vision Disabilities,Vision Disorder,Visual Disorder,Visual Impairments