Medical Legal Point of View

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Recently, many organizations and governments have taken the initiative to educate the society on the guidelines of identifying real and fake doctors in an effort to save patients from manipulation and misuse by physicians operating against the law and who are a threat to the patients’ safety. The same physicians are also committing a crime and should be charged and prosecuted for the same.

The legal aspect of medical practice

In recent years the law relating to medicine and health care has become increasingly complex and patients are becoming more aware of their legal rights. This has significant consequences for medical practices and questions of legal liability and compensation. Changes in the structure of the NHS are also giving rise to a number of important legal problems.

The LLM (Legal Aspects of Medical Practice) aims to provide a sound knowledge of the legal rules applicable to, and the issues surrounding, the practice and administration of health care, as further changes make a deeper understanding of the field ever more significant.

Sourced From: http://www.law.cf.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/medical_practice/

Not every medical practitioner around works in accordance with the law, even our most trusted physicians may be rogue and we carry on believing in them just because they help us with any professional medical attention we need. There are many physicians, nurses and many other partakers in the medical fraternity out there who are not licensed, raising questions of whether they are qualified. Getting services from an illegal practitioner poses more danger than the ailment itself. And doing the same against the law is a crime in itself on the side of the practitioner as well.

Illegal medical practice

Each state has its own definition of what it means to practice medicine, though these definitions involved the same general type of activity. A person practices medicine whenever he or she attempts to diagnose a patient, treat medical conditions, prescribe medications or treatments, or perform surgery. The unauthorized practice of medicine also includes advertising your services as a physician, or holding yourself out to the public as a physician, doctor, surgeon, or someone licensed to practice medicine. If you actually perform medical treatments, it is not necessary for you to receive any kind of compensation to be convicted of this crime, nor do your actions have to result in harm to the patient.

While any instance of practicing medicine without a license is a crime, some actions are more dangerous or harmful than others and states have laws that provide additional penalties for such acts. For example, a state may prohibit anyone from advertising his or her services as a physician as the illegal practice of medicine. That state may also have a law that provides for a harsher penalty if the illegal practice of medicine resulted in someone’s financial, physical, or psychological harm. If someone dies as a result of the illegal practice of medicine, more serious charges, such as manslaughter, can apply.

Sourced From: http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/practicing-medicine-without-a-license.htm

As much as we would like to keep some of the personal pressing issues to ourselves, involving a doctor and discussing with him or her about your concerns can help the doctor help you out. Many times we blame our doctors for being ineffective when we have played a part in their failure to effectively help us. Many take a fast move to switch doctors which does not help as much since you have to develop trust with your new doctor, only to find it hard to confide to him or her eventually. Opening up on some personal issues is all that can help us through as far as patient-physician relationship and satisfaction is to be maintained.

Confiding in your doctor

As you get older, the issues you face can get more complicated and personal. Health issues that might have been simpler before now can include concerns about things such as sexual development, emotions, or weight problems. It’s important to find someone to talk to who is both knowledgeable and someone you can trust.

That’s where your doctor or nurse can help out.

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Doctors and nurses are trained to help you with your health and emotional concerns. You can talk with them, they can ask you questions, and they can check out what worries you. That’s their job.

Even if you feel embarrassed at first about raising personal subjects (like physical development or sexual health), it’s helpful to know that doctors deal with those concerns — and all sorts of things — every day. And sometimes ignoring the risks of not talking to your doctor can outweigh the few moments of discomfort you may feel in raising sensitive health concerns.

Sourced From: http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/talk-doctor.html