Medical error and complication. Gloss to the Judgment of the Court of Appeal in Szczecin of 11 May 2017, I ACa 560/15

Abstract

This gloss discusses the issues related to complications and medical error, notably the distinction between the error covered by third party liability versus undesirable results of treatment, commonly referred to as a complication or a medical failure. In medical practice, the latter gives rise to a number of practical and legal questions, at the same time being of considerable importance for insurance undertakings offering third party liability insurance. Taking into account the facts of the case and deliberations of the Court of Appeal in Szczecin in its judgment of 11 May 2017 (I ACa 560/15), the author of this gloss indicates that in the event of an error, irrespective of its nature (diagnostic error, therapeutic error, prognosis error, executive error), the doctor may be held liable for negative consequences that occur to the patient (health disorder, bodily injury or even death). However, if a doctor proves that in the case concerned a complication has occurred and that the complication is prognosed by the current medical expertise, the following mechanism applies: if the patient concerned has been advised of the possible occurrence of the complication and has given his or her informed consent to the treatment, the doctor bears no liability for negative results thereof. The cause of liability in the above case would not be a medical error, but the failure to obtain the patient’s informed consent that he or she is aware of possible complications of certain type. A distinction needs also to be made between the occurrence of a complication, the failure to provide a correct diagnosis and/or the failure to take remedial action in respect of the patient who exhibits negative effects of the treatment applied.