Impertinent remarks

Several years ago I wrote an article titled “Impertinent remarks: when critical comments lead to litigation.” The article described how health care professionals can inadvertently incite patients to file lawsuits simply by making comments such as “I would hardly expect that kind of complication from such a simple procedure” or “the radiologist would have caught that lump if he had looked for it.” These innocent remarks may lead patients to believe there was something wrong with their previous treatment. Then the lawyers get involved. Since writing that...