Was 'most responsible physician' held to impossibly high standard?

Headnote

Obstetrician deemed negligent in patient's death relied on wrong type of specialist

If you are designated as the "most responsible physician" (MRP) for a patient, it is a broad responsibility. It means you have an over-arching duty to look at the big picture. You must make your own independent judgments, and the buck stops with you.

This comes from a recent judgment of the Ontario Court of Appeal. The decision was not unanimous. One of the three judges dissented, lamenting the seemingly paradoxical fact that, in this case, the MRP was held liable for malpractice, but the specialist who gave him an incorrect opinion was not.

The lawsuit arose after the patient, 28 years old and 36 weeks pregnant, was admitted to hospital with severe, suddenonset chest pain and shortness of breath. The possible cause was thought to be either a pulmonary embolism or an aortic dissection. None of the tests showed an aortic dissection. The patient was...