Legal aspects of men's genitourinary health

Abstract

Men's health issues have increasingly gained attention not only in the mass media, but also among most health-care providers. The diagnosis and treatment of male-related health problems, unfortunately, can lead to complications and error-related injuries resulting in claims of medical malpractice. This review article will look at the most common claims relating to complications and injuries in the management of men's health issues. Reviews of the literature over the past three decades using multiple search engines including PubMed were utilized. The most pertinent articles were selected on the basis of their relevance to men's health issues, complications and medico-legal ramifications. An evaluation of the literature reveals that although the number of claims against urologists has not increased over the past several decades, indemnity payments have continued to rise significantly. Claims can be divided into those relating to diagnosis and those relating to treatment. Providers of men's health care may become involved in claims of medical malpractice at some time during their careers. Patients' care can result in complications and injuries, most of which do not lead to claims. Certain areas of men's health lead to more claims than others. The keys to prevention and management of those claims are good communication, informed consent and documentation.

Electronic health record-based triggers to detect potential delays in cancer diagnosis

“…For instance, almost a third of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) can experience a missed opportunity in the initiation of colonoscopy referral, leading to diagnostic delays 5. Similarly, lack of follow-up on abnormal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) results is not uncommon 13 16 43. Although controversy exists regarding guidelines for PSA utilisation,44 45 and PSA testing and follow-up have become increasingly dependent on patient characteristics and preferences, follow-up of abnormal results, including routine monitoring with repeat testing, persists as a problem.…”

Medicolegal evaluation of the erectile function of patients referred from the Forensic Medicine Authority of the Ministry of Justice in Upper Egypt

“…19 These claims could be prevented through proper patient counselling and evaluation with an informed consent. 18 The current study has several limitations. The first limitation was the small sample size.…”

“…It should be noted that the medico legal aspects of the ED problem extend from the marital conflicts and rape cases into the claims related to physician malpractice during diagnosis and/or treatment of men's genitourinary problems. 18 For example, the medico legal concerns regarding the ED problem arise after surgical intervention. In a case of benign prostatic hyperplasia, transurethral incision of prostate (TUIP) was done and the patient claimed that he developed ED after the operation which could possibly happen as ED is a less common adverse effects to TUIP compared to the more common retrograde ejaculation.…”

A detailed analysis of pediatric surgical malpractice claims in Germany: what is the probability of a pediatric surgeon to be accused or convicted?

“…Generally, due to the long-term consequences of medical errors, the monetary penalties and compensations resulting from litigation that involves children are higher than those that involve adults [1,[10][11][12]. This is a finding that was noted in other pediatric subspecialties such as pediatric urology, oromaxillofacial surgery, orthopedics, and in other healthcare settings as well [13][14][15]. In a recent systematic review of pediatric orthopedic cases in the USA, over half of cases ultimately resulted in indemnity payments [16].…”