Houston Doctor Cleared of Wrongdoing After Prescribing Hydroxychloroquine
It seems like a long time ago that hydroxychloroquine was the most controversial thing coming out of the White House. It was believed that Trump touted the remedy because he and his family owned stock in the company that held the patent. After nearly a year of testing the drug, clinical studies have not been kind to the claim that it’s an effective treatment against coronavirus with many doctors saying that any possible benefit of the drug is vastly outweighed by the dangers. But what about doctors who prescribed the drug to patients only to see them later suffer serious complications? Well, the Texas Medical Board just exonerated a doctor for prescribing hydroxychloroquine and quashed a medical malpractice lawsuit against him.
Elements of Medical Negligence
Medical negligence is not like other forms of negligence. Doctors often make decisions that put their patients’ lives at risk. Sometimes these decisions work out and other times, the patient suffers severe complications or dies. To prove medical negligence, a plaintiff must be able to show how a doctor’s standard of care deviated from the prevailing standard of care. It is for this reason that the lawsuit against the doctor who prescribed hydroxychloroquine was dismissed.
Doctor Touts Hydroxychloroquine
Despite major medical associations warning against the use of hydroxychloroquine, there was a time when the drug was considered a life-saving treatment when taken in combination with other drugs. There was, at least, no clinical evidence showing that the drug was ineffective like there is now. Despite all that, the idea of hydroxychloroquine being an effective treatment is now tied up in pro- and anti-Trump rhetoric. Those who are pro-Trump believe that the former president’s hydroxychloroquine is what the world needs to end the pandemic. Meanwhile, pro-Trump doctors are accusing the Texas Medical Board of targeting those who use hydroxychloroquine to treat patients.
The Prevailing Standard of Medical Care
Effective treatments against the coronavirus for those who suffered the worst symptoms of the disease were few and far between in the early days of the pandemic. Having any medication that could work was something doctors desperately needed. Some studies from China indicated that the drug could be effective when taken in combination with other drugs. However, recent treatments aim to reduce inflammation to the lungs caused by the disease.
In other words, there was no prevailing standard of medical care when the drug was first administered to COVID patients. It was all trial and error. Today, a medical malpractice lawsuit against a doctor prescribing the drug may be successful. But the Texas Medical Board reputed to target hydroxychloroquine doctors, found in favor of the hydroxychloroquine doctor.
Talk to a Houston Medical Malpractice Attorney Today
If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of a medical doctor, you can file a lawsuit to recover damages related to future medical expenses, lost wages, and reduced quality of life. Call the Houston personal injury attorneys at Livingston & Flowers today to learn more about how we can help.
Resource:
thetexan.news/texas-doctor-cleared-of-malpractice-claims-after-using-hydroxychloroquine-to-treat-coronavirus/
