Man dies due to physician assistant’s negligence

Medical negligence cases are frequent in Connecticut. With the increasing demand for swift medical care services, the medical industry has come up with care facilities that offer speedy medical assistance for all kinds of medical issues.

A decade ago, the level of access and promptness that is available today was unconceivable. Given that medical negligence cases are also increasing in numbers every day, this has increased the need for firmer regulations, ensuring transparency in treatment and medical care.

In a recent case of medical negligence, a 39-year-old man died after being treated by a physician assistant and not a doctor when he went to a medical facility for joint pain. The physician assistant only recommended exercise after treating him, and within a few days the man died of a heart attack. The wife of the victim brought a suit against the care facility after learning that her husband had been treated by a physician assistant instead of a doctor.

Medical malpractice cases are increasing due to a number of factors. One important factor behind the medical negligence epidemic is that physician assistants are being recruited in large numbers by the medical industry, and these professionals are often substituting for doctors at an alarming rate.

These professionals have less medical training than a doctor and are usually required to work under the supervision of a physician. In Connecticut and some other states, however, physician assistants can treat patients without a doctor being present. Patients go to hospitals and clinics expecting to be treated by trained doctors, not physician assistants.

Source: NBCNewYork.com, “I-Team: Urgent Care Centers Are Booming, But Some Say Regulatory Standards Aren’t Keeping Up,” Pei-Sze Cheng and Ann Givens, Nov. 19, 2014