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Geriatric Medicine pp 979–991Cite as

Medical Treatment and the Physician’s Legal Duties

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Abstract

In the course of obtaining medical care, the older patient enters into a relationship with one or more physicians, professional staff working under the physician’s control, and frequently health care entities through which or in which the health care is delivered. These relationships may be described as both contractual (i.e., based on a mutual exchange of promises) and fiduciary (i.e., based on the necessary trust that accompanies the patient’s reliance on the more knowledgeable and powerful health care provider). Under either of these characterizations, the relationships that are formed entail a variety of legal obligations on the part of the physician. These duties are enforceable, and their violation may lead to adverse legal and financial consequences for the physician.

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Authors
  1. Marshall B. Kapp
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Henry L. Schwartz Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, 10029-6574, New York, NY, USA

    Christine K. Cassel M.D. (Professor and Chairman) & Diane E. Meier M.D. (Associate Professor) (Professor and Chairman) &  (Associate Professor)

  2. Center for Study of Aging and Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Duke University Medical Center, 27710, Durham, NC, USA

    Harvey J. Cohen M.D. (Director) (Director)

  3. University of Washington Medical Center, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA

    Eric B. Larson M.D., M.P.H. (Medical Director) (Medical Director)

  4. Gerontology Division, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 02115, Boston, MA, USA

    Neil M. Resnick M.D. (Chief) (Chief)

  5. Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Sepulveda VA Medical Center, 91343, Sepulveda, CA, USA

    Laurence Z. Rubenstein M.D., M.P.H. (Director) (Director)

  6. Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, 60637, Chicago, IL, USA

    Leif B. Sorensen M.D. (Professor and Vice Chairman) (Professor and Vice Chairman)

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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Kapp, M.B. (1997). Medical Treatment and the Physician’s Legal Duties. In: Cassel, C.K., et al. Geriatric Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2705-0_66

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2705-0_66

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-2707-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2705-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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