West Australian Medical Negligence Law Blog : West Australian Medical Negligence Lawyer & Attorney : Julian Johnson Law Firm : Medical Malpractice, Cerebral Palsy Litigation

I recently came across an interesting article in a medical insurance journal, discussing the responsibilities of a radiologist to ensure communication of important x-ray or other radiology test results.  The conclusion of the article was that the radiologist has responsibility for prompt first-hand communication with the referring GP, but the article stopped short of suggesting a need for the radiologist to inform the actual patient of their test result.  

The patient is obviously the radiologist's patient, as well as the GP's.  The patient (or his insurer) pays for the radiologist's services and a duty to take care is owed by the specialist to the patient.  Why then no obligation to tell the patient of the result of their investigation?

This is an issue I have had cause to consider recently, in the context of a delay in diagnosis of breast cancer case.  In that case a radiologist's report indicating likely breast cancer was not acted upon by the GP practice (it appears the report went astray + was not followed up), leading to a delay of several months before the patient, re-attending the GP practice, raised the issue of the earlier test, resulting in (a very unhappy) realisation of the oversight.  

Claim was brought against the GP practice + was indefensible.  It did however occur to me that quite apart from liability in a medical negligence claim context, the whole problem could have been avoided, had the radiologist conveyed the findings of the scan to the patient.  

I have seen several cases in the past in which recommendations for further investigation were made by radiologists in their reports, yet not passed on by the patient's GP to the GP.  

Quite apart from having an obvious opportunity to advise and explain concerning test results, it occurs to me that often such specialist radiologists may be in a better position to put the test results in context and recommend further forms of investigation if warranted (FNA, core biopsy etc), than the GP referrer.

It is accepted that in cases like this, it is important that 'bad news' is conveyed in an appropriate setting + with appropriate supports.  Nonetheless, it is not easy to see why no responsibility for communication to the patient seems to be accepted as arising on the part of this form of specialist (or other similar areas, pathology etc).

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One of the most emotionally demanding, complex and ultimately, often rewarding categories of case handled by medical negligence lawyers, are those cases arising from a negligent delay in diagnosis of cancer. At any one time, I am generally acting in 4 or 5 such cases.

Following the High Court's decision earlier this year, in Tabet v Gett [2010] HCA 12, uncertainty has been expressed, particularly by those representing medical defence organisations, as to the recovery of compensation in such cases.

I thought it interesting to conduct a 'straw poll' of lawyers (and others) reading my blog, as to whether they think recovery will be possible, in the following categories of case, following Tabet.

As can be seen, the categories depend on the assumed expert opinions as to the likely effect of the relevant delay in relation to the client/patient's outlook. I think these categories cover the ambit of such claims commonly seen. In each category it is assumed that there has been negligent care and this has caused the delay in diagnosis and treatment of the cancer - for argument's sake, lets assume a 12 month delay. As can be seen, I have sub-divided the categories into 2 categories, being those in which recurrence/spread of cancer has occurred v those in which it has not (but potentially may do).

The categories are:

Where Recurrence of Cancer Has Occurred and it is likely the Client will not survive

In the first 3 scenarios, recurrence has occurred and the client/patient is likely to die from their cancer. In this group, the 3 scenarios are:

1. where it is likely (more than 50% probability) that if diagnosis had occurred at the time it should, the cancer would have been successfully treated and the recurrence/spread would have been avoided.
   
2. Where it is less than a 50% chance that earlier diagnosis, when it should have occurred, would have led to successful treatment and avoidance of the recurrence/spread. In such category there is nonetheless an appreciable chance (though less than 50%) that appropriately timed diagnosis and care would have altered the tragic outlook.
   
3. the same scenario as (2), but were the chance of successful treatment and a different outcome, had appropriately timed diagnosis and care occurred, is only very small (<5%).

Where No Recurrence of Cancer has Occurred

In these 3 categories, no recurrence has occurred yet. In this group, the 3 scenarios are:

1. where it is a better than 50% chance that recurrence will occur in the future (say within 5 years). It is also likely that if diagnosis had occurred at the time it should, the cancer would have been successfully treated and the risk of recurrence/spread would have been very much less (and < 50%).
   
2. Where it is less than a 50% chance that recurrence will occur in the future, but this chance is greater than it would have been, if diagnosis had occurred at the time it should, and such difference in likelihood is significant (say 25%).
   
3. the same as scenario (2), but the difference in likelihood of recurrence is small (say < 5%), in other words, the effect of the delay in diagnosis and treatment has been a slightly increased chance that cancer will recur in the future (though the overall chance remains < 50%).

It will come as no surprise that I think recovery should occur in all such categories, though obviously its quantification will vary greatly depending on the category:

Let me know your views on whether damages can be recovered in each of these 6 scenarios, anonymously if you like. I will (assuming I get a reasonable number of replies!), post a blog entry summarising the consensus of views expressed.

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Further to an earlier post, the New South Wales Court of Appeal has recently delivered its decision concerning the appeal in relation to Ms O’Gorman’s delay in diagnosis of breast cancer claim.

Tragically in the period between the initial decision in her favour and this appeal, Ms O’Gorman died from her metastatic breast cancer.   As a consequence the appeal was contested by her Estate.
The Area Health Service responsible for BreastScreen New South Wales, the Sydney South-West Area Health Service succeeded in its appeal and the Court of Appeal have ordered a re-trial on the issue of negligence.

The primary reason for the Appeal being upheld and a re-trial being ordered was the Court of Appeal’s view that the trial judge had been wrong to refuse to allow the two radiologists involved in assessing Ms O’Gorman’s original breast images to give evidence as to whether they had taken reasonable care in examining her breast images.

This is a not uncommon situation. A defendant seeks to bolster its case by reinforcing its “independent” expert witnesses’ opinions by the views of the particular doctors concerned. I have had first hand experience of this in several cases at and approaching trial in the last two or three years.

Consistent with the New South Wales Court of Appeal’s decision, the generally accepted position is that such evidence cannot be put forward unless its substance has been disclosed an appropriate period prior to trial (as with any other expert’s opinion).  By this means the parties are given an appropriate opportunity to consider such opinion, its foundation and prepare cross examination etc.

Subject to this requirement, such expert evidence can generally be put forward, albeit (and this point was acknowledged by the New South Wales Court of Appeal), there will always be issues as to the weight to be attached to such opinion given the witnesses' lack of impartiality.

More interestingly in a general sense, the Court of Appeal in this case made some interesting observations in relation to causation questions.

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I noticed via a recent news release, that 2 Queensland women are pursuing medical negligence claims via Maurice Blackburn, Lawyers, against BreastScreen Queensland.

This follows the O'Gorman case in Sydney in late 2008. In that case Ms O'Gorman was successful against the New South Wales equivalent, BreastScreen NSW, which was found negligent in relation to a screening mammogram. Ms O'Gorman had breast cancer that should have been identified. By the time it was, her cancer had progressed. At the time of trial, she was given only a very short period to live.

As with O'Gorman, these new cases appear to arise from routine breast screening mammograms being read as normal, when it is alleged they were abnormal. In 1 of the 2 women's cases, the delay in identification and treatment is alleged to have resulted in spread of her cancer such that she has been given 2 years to live.

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