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What if a patient blames their doctor for an opioid addiction?

Most claims of medical malpractice arise after egregious mistakes or obvious negligence on the part of a health care provider. However, the last few years have seen an uptick in a different type of medical malpractice lawsuit.

Individuals struggling with opioid addiction and families grieving the death of someone who overdosed may try suing a doctor for the care that they provided. Opioid pain medication is crucial for the symptom management of those with major injuries.

Opioids are powerful and affordable when compared with traditional opiate drugs. Unfortunately, they are also very addictive. People prescribed opioid medications may not stop taking them when they should and may develop a substance abuse habit. People may then try to blame a doctor for managing a patient’s pain.

How can doctors fight back against allegations that they are responsible for an opioid addiction?

With their medical records

Best practices for opioid prescribing provide clear guidelines for modern physicians. They need to check carefully for signs of drug-seeking behavior, such as doctor shopping. They generally need to limit the prescription they provide to the lowest reasonable dose in the lowest reasonable number of pills and refills given the circumstance.

They also typically need to oversee a patient’s tapering off of opioids. By providing a patient with instructions to reduce the frequency of medication use and the dosage they consume, doctors can help them avoid withdrawal symptoms. Medical records affirming that a doctor was cautious when prescribing the medication and attentive when recommending the cessation of treatment can go a long way toward establishing that they were not negligent in prescribing opioid medication.

With proper support

Opioid drugs like fentanyl have been a boon for patients with chronic pain and for physicians who have struggled to get their patients the pain relief they needed previously. Unfortunately, rampant addiction and abuse of these drugs as an adulterant on the unregulated market have led to a lot of social stigma.

Juries and court professionals may have strong negative opinions about opioids and possibly the doctors who prescribe them. Physicians facing accusations of malpractice for treatment that falls within the standards for current best practices often need help responding appropriately in court.

An attorney can help explain best practices in a rational and compelling manner. They can also reference the law and judicial precedent in a manner that can help the accused professional obtain the best possible outcome.

Responding proactively when facing medical malpractice allegations can help physicians protect their reputations. The practice of issuing opioids to patients is not automatically malpractice, even in cases where patients have unfavorable outcomes, but doctors may need help exonerating themselves when accused of unsafe prescribing practices.

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