Informed consent under heat in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is reviewing a lower court's decision that found a physician negligent for failing to inform a patient about the option of undergoing a stroke test after diagnosing him with a condition marked by stroke-like symptoms, reports American Medical News. Thomas Jandre arrived at the St. Joseph Hospital West Bend emergency department in 2003, complaining of dizziness, slurred speech, and facial paralysis. Therese J. Bullis, MD, evaluated Jandre, ordered a CT scan to check for hemorrhagic stroke, and ultimately diagnosed him with Bell’s palsy. She failed to order a carotid ultrasound, which would have ruled out ischemic stroke. Jandre had a stroke 11 days after visiting the emergency room. In 2004, Jandre sued Bullis, alleging that the doctor misdiagnosed him negligently and failed to disclose information necessary for him to make an informed decision about his treatment. While some claim that patients have the right to know all of the testing and treatment options for all possible diagnoses related to their symptoms, others argue that applying the informed consent law too broadly would increase the practice of defensive medicine, where doctors order every test in the book in an effort not to get sued.