Open AccessThe role of clinical guidelines in establishing competent professional practice
Author(s) -
David Pakchung,
Maynard E. Smith,
Catherine Hughes
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
australian journal of general practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 2208-794X
pISSN - 2208-7958
DOI - 10.31128/ajgp-09-18-4714
Subject(s) - duty , professional standards , duty of care , medicine , service (business) , psychology , medical education , nursing , law , engineering ethics , political science , business , marketing , engineering
In a medical negligence claim, courts must consider whether a doctor acted in accordance with the required standard of care. Experts may disagree on what should have been done, particularly in light of knowledge that a patient has been harmed. In Australia, the law gives further guidance on the standard of care, providing that doctors will not have breached their duty if they acted in a manner that, at the time the service was provided, was widely accepted by peer professional opinion as competent professional practice.