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Book Review: Law and the Doctor
[To cite: Lalwani S. Law and the doctor (Book Review). Natl Med J India 2024;37:166. DOI: 10.25259/NMJI_695_2023]
Law and the Doctor. Third edition. Sunila Sharma. Paras Medical Publisher, New Delhi, 2023. 476pp, price not mentioned. ISBN 978–81–8191–549–8.
This book provides information on the numerous acts and pertinent legal provisions that every medical professional should be aware of. It is the need of the hour with rising public awareness and doctors now covered by the Consumer Protection Act. It is crucial for doctors to be aware of specific sections of several acts that are important to our daily practice due to the rise in cases involving medical negligence. The effort to include various case studies and judgments relating to various medical specialties is commendable.
The identification and reporting of diverse medicolegal cases have been explained. Legal disputes between different medical specialties have been discussed, citing several instances and their judgments. The author has succeeded in addressing the various practice-related issues that can give rise to allegations of negligence. The author has worked hard to identify the many hazards and how to avoid them by including a variety of cases from various specialties, complaints against personnel from various medical specialties and judicial rulings. Various medical and legal aspects of the injured victim are taken into account. In addition, the author has stressed the value of proper documentation and its storage. Many parts of research and law have been briefly discussed, along with guiding principles for research. A brief overview of medicolegal autopsy procedures and recommendations for conducting postmortem examination have been included.
This book will be a useful resource for all medical professionals to help them identify and avoid problems related to their practice. The contents of this book are explained in clear and simple language. Typically challenging topics are addressed in an approachable way. I advise medical professionals in all specialties to read this book to expand their present understanding of the current topics. The book will be useful not only for practising medical professionals but also for lawyers and undergraduates.
