Does Neglect count as Malpractice?

[Pyrotastical]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Illinois

So, if a doctor just keeps throwing antibiotics at a patient and insisting that its "fine" and "normal" that they're sick at least once every three weeks, does that count as malpractice if they have a serious problem that is actually causing the infections?

He keeps saying he'll run tests "If" something doesn't work and he's not doing it. The "patient" is a 20 year-old female who is almost perpetually feeling 90 because she's either sick or tired but the doctor is just raking in cash from giving her the effing antibiotics and having an appointment on his schedule every 3 weeks or so. She's suffering from a lot of other constant symptoms that he refuses to acknowledge and this seems to have "greed" written all over it.

 

[lya]

Yes; neglect, or more accurately, failure to diagnose, is negligence/malpractice/medical mismanagement.

The patient needs a second opinion and most likely, a complete physical with tests to rule out auto-immune diseases.

In today's environment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria/infections, indiscriminate prescribing of antibiotics is a HUGE no-no.

For there to be a viable claim of damages from failure to diagnose, the patient must suffer significant harm. So far and from the information provided, this scenerio does not rise to the level of a viable medmal claim.

The patient is responsible for seeking a diagnosis and treatment from another physician.

 

[barry1817]

medical

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Illinois

So, if a doctor just keeps throwing antibiotics at a patient and insisting that its "fine" and "normal" that they're sick at least once every three weeks, does that count as malpractice if they have a serious problem that is actually causing the infections?

He keeps saying he'll run tests "If" something doesn't work and he's not doing it. The "patient" is a 20 year-old female who is almost perpetually feeling 90 because she's either sick or tired but the doctor is just raking in cash from giving her the effing antibiotics and having an appointment on his schedule every 3 weeks or so. She's suffering from a lot of other constant symptoms that he refuses to acknowledge and this seems to have "greed" written all over it.

If antibiotics don't work, and keep getting prescribed I would think that this is negligence in absence of specific bacterial tests.

If the doctor is not doing anything differently, then it seems time to get a second opinion, and that by the way, could open the diaglogue for negligence by the first doctor.