New York, US – 30th January, 2020: A judge dismissed a $ 10 million ruling against a New York primary care physician whose patient committed suicide while in his care, Staten Island Advance reports.
For many years, Richard Shouldis was a patient of a doctor of internal and geriatric medicine who also holds high-level administrative positions at both Staten Island University Hospital and his parent company, Northwell Health. In early June 2012, you should visit your doctor, complaining of a series of worsening symptoms: panic attacks, depression, fatigue, worry, loss of concentration and weight loss. The doctor treated his symptoms with medications to calm his anxiety and help him sleep.
Despite this, Shouldis arrived at a follow-up visit on June 6, 2012, in an extremely agitated and disturbed condition, according to his wife's testimony at the trial. The doctor asked Doesis if he intended to hurt himself and, when the patient assured him no, he prescribed antidepressants, which he warned would take several weeks to be completely effective. He also referred Shouldis to a psychologist.
At some point overnight, however, life should be taken. In his lawsuit, the Shouldis family stated that, although the primary care physician had prescribed certain appropriate medications, he had not "properly recognized and evaluated the progressively depressive and self-destructive state of the deceased" and had not "properly assessed the deceased for suicide thoughts and ideas."
When asked at the trial if he should have been sent to the emergency department after his visit to the primary care doctor on June 6, neurologist Lawrence Shields, the plaintiff's only medical expert, replied: "Ultimately, yes Or (a) a psychiatrist or any other doctor with knowledge about suicidal patients."
The trial jury agreed and awarded the plaintiff almost $ 10 million.
However, in his review of the verdict, New York State Supreme Court judge Alan C. Marin discovered that the "causal link" between the doctor's treatment and the eventual suicide of Shouldis was too weak to establish the culpability.
"There was nothing in Dr. Shields' testimony that adequately linked any deviation (from standard and accepted medical practice) to suicide when it occurred," Judge Marin wrote in his decision, which reversed the lower court decision.
The lawyer for the Dois family says he plans to appeal: "We believe that the jury verdict is correct and must be respected. The standard for setting aside the jury verdict is very high, and we do not believe that Judge Marin has met that standard without take into account the factual conclusions of the jury. "
At the close of this edition, it was not known when an appeal would be filed.
Source: https://newsdio.com/the-doctor-did-not-cause-the-patients-suicide-the-judges-rules-plus/39253/