Dutton - Medical Malpractice in SA

138
Medical Malpractice in South African Law
Judgement, error of … 109–110
Legal causation … 73–77
‘Loss of a chance’ rule … 71–72
Medical malpractice
background … 12
key principles … 6–10
overview for medical practitioners … 5–10
Medical misadventure … 109–110
Medical practitioner
overview of malpractice law for … 5–10
reasonable see Reasonable person: medical
practitioner
Misdiagnosis … 103–106
precedent … 123–124
Misstatement … 41–42
Motive … 83–85
Necessity … 57–58
Negligence … 85–114
assessing, medical profession’s role in …
92–94
children … 88–89
circumstances surrounding … 97
concept of … 86
definition … 85
diagnose, failure to, precedent … 123
error of judgement … 109–110
experience of practitioner … 99–101
follow up, failure to … 101–103
foreseeability test … 94–96
see also Foreseeability test
gross … 111
ignorance … 107–109
imperitia culpae adnumeratur … 107–109
precedent … 131–132
medical cases … 97–99
medical misadventure … 109–110
misdiagnosis … 103–106, 121
precedent … 119–120, 123–124
novice … 99–101
precedent … 121
omissions … 110–111
ordinary … 111
plaintiff’s knowledge of … 26
pleading … 27
post-operative care, failure to render …
101–103
precedent … 127–128
preventability … 96–97
reasonable person … 87
refer, failure to … 106–107
precedent … 125–126
Negligence (cont)
skill, lack of … 107–109
test for … 86–87
Negotiorum gestio … 57
Omission … 46–50, 110–111
‘but for’ test … 61–62
contract … 47–48
control of dangerous object or person …
48–49
factors … 47
law, rules of … 49
omissio per commissionem … 48
prior conduct … 48
special relationship between parties … 49
Omissio per commissionem … 48
‘Once-and-for-all’ rule … 28
Pain and suffering, action for … 23–24
characteristics … 23–24
essential elements … 23
precedent … 117–118
Party, identifying … 29
Physical integrity … 20–21
Post-operative care, failure to render … 101,
127–128
Prescription … 26
amendments to pleadings … 26–27
negligence, plaintiff’s knowledge of … 26
Preventability … 96–97
practical considerations … 95–96
Principles, summary of … 6–10
Privacy … 21
intention in invasion of … 85
Reasonableness … 37–38
Reasonable person … 87
medical practitioner … 89–94
Recognised risk-avoidance … 70–71
Refer, failure to … 106–107
precedent … 125–126
Refusal of treatment … 51
Remoteness of damage see Legal causation
Res ipsa loquitur … 112–114
Res judicata … 28
Sine qua non test see ‘But for’ test
Skill, lack of, deemed to be negligence …
107–109
Standard of proof … 62–63
Surgery
general, precedent … 133–134
plastic, precedent … 135–136
Therapeutic privilege … 58
Thin skull cases … 77–78