In the news: Wisconsin supreme court rules that physicians must alert patients to all options

Wisconsin’s supreme court ruled that William Brusky, MD, failed to inform a patient who he had diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) of alternate diagnostic and treatment options, according to the Fond Du Lac Reporter, a newspaper in Fond Du Lac, WI. A trial jury initially rejected the negligence claim against Brusky, and an appeals court upheld that determination, but the state supreme overturned it on Friday.

Victims of TIA often display stroke-like symptoms but recover quickly. This patient, however, later suffered partial paralysis and slurred speech due to a stroke. The patient claims that Brusky’s incorrect diagnosis and failure to provide him with complete information regarding treatment options cause the irreparable damage.