With the standard of care upheld by the New York State medical community, your doctor must be completely attentive to you and your health concerns during appointments, procedures, or any other interactions they may share with you. So, such attentiveness cannot be possible if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol at these times. In fact, this is unacceptable behavior. Please follow along to find out what to do if you suspect your doctor of having a substance abuse issue and how a proficient New York City medical malpractice attorney at Mark L. Bodner, P.C. can help keep you out of harm’s way.
How might a doctor’s drug or alcohol addiction harm their patients?
Evidently, drugs and alcohol alter your brain function and subsequently how you conduct yourself. This is why a doctor, under no circumstance, cannot partake in drug or alcohol consumption before seeing a patient. If they do, they may harm their patients through the following actions:
- An intoxicated doctor may misunderstand a patient’s expressed symptoms and subsequently misdiagnose them.
- An intoxicated doctor may be unable to think clearly and prescribe the wrong type and dosage of medication for their patient.
- An intoxicated doctor may be unaware of their behavior and inappropriately touch or speak to a patient during their appointment.
- An addicted doctor may grow distracted and leave in the middle of a major procedure to get drugs or alcohol.
- An addicted doctor may grow desperate and take a patient’s necessary prescription medications for themselves.
What should I do if I suspect my doctor has a substance abuse issue?
You may not be getting treated by a doctor whom you suspect to have a substance abuse issue. Rather, you may simply observe their erratic behavior from afar. Even if you are not directly affected or harmed, you should still take the initiative to report it. Specifcally, the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct or Office of Professional Discipline. This is so you may help prevent this doctor from harming other patients in the future.
On the flip side, if you are unfortunately injured by a doctor who appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you may have a valid medical malpractice lawsuit on your hands. Here, you may recover compensatory damages for your economic and non-economic losses. Similarly, you may get this doctor stripped of their medical license and make them unable to hurt any other patients than they already have.
If you find yourself at a crossroads, please seek the sound advisement of a talented New York City medical malpractice attorney. Someone at Mark L. Bodner, P.C. will stand by your side at a moment’s notice.