Law &. Ethics for Medical Careers 5th Edition by Karen Judson,Carlene Harrison

Exercise 24

Use your critical-thinking skills to answer the questions that follow each case study.
A patient in her mid-twenties saw an ophthalmologist for a routine eye exam. Due to her young age, a glaucoma test was not performed. She later was diagnosed with glaucoma and sued the ophthalmology group, alleging negligence in failing to perform a glaucoma test.
The defense argued that the standard of care was to not administer the test to patients younger than 40 because the instance of glaucoma at younger ages was rare.
Which of the following statements do you think best describes the applicable standard of care in this case? Explain your choice.
The defense should prevail because the reasonable, customary, and prudent course of action followed by practitioners in the same or similar circumstances would be the same.
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