The right of Refusal - Essay Example

The Right of Refusal "[Click here and type " "[Click here and type your s " The Right of Refusal Fear is a hard thing forsomeone to handle and it is even harder for those who have no fear to understand. Thanks to the news media and television, a great job has been done on the public about excessive radiation. The news media does a good job of scaring the people and a bad job of informing the people. The doctor must make the call as to whether or not an uncooperative patient continues to receive treatment.

If the treatment plan is compromised to the point of not being successful, the doctor needs to evaluate his position of responsibility and keep himself out of the gun sights of a lawyer who would love to prove that the doctor did not do his job. Patient education is an excellent procedure to try in an effort at discovering why the patient is being uncooperative. The education must be complete enough so that the patient is aware of why the dental x-rays are needed. This will also allow the patient to see that the doctor has his best interest uppermost in his mind.

At this point, fear must be addressed in a positive manner. Doctors have a responsibility to make their patients as comfortable as possible with the procedure that they are about to endure. At the same time, the patient must realize that the doctor is well within his rights to refuse to treat the patient if the doctor is unable to obtain satisfactory x-rays. If the patient is in the doctor’s office and must be treated, the doctor should treat the patient as best as he can and then suggest that on his next visit, the patient see another dentist.

To treat a patient and not really know what one is treating is negligent on the part of the doctor. Documentation must be maintained by the doctor in a permanent patient file in order to protect himself. A letter to the doctor’s lawyer which explains the situation is in order. A letter of dismissal should then be written by the lawyer and sent by registered mail to the patient. Involving the doctor’s lawyer might seem a bit premature, but there have been many lawsuits nipped in the bud by just such an action.

References Rebecca Wilder. (2011). The Right of Refusal. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, Unknown(March 2011), unknown. Retrieved from http://www.dimensionsofdentalhygiene.com/ddhright.aspx?id=170&terms=the%20right%20of%20refusal (Rebecca Wilder , 2011)