Clinical guidelines are developed using best available evidence and consensus expert opinion. They are designed to assist clinicians in making the best decisions, to promote consistency in clinical practice and to minimize variations in care.

In medical negligence litigation where there is variation in opinion by experts, then an objective set of standards such as clinical guidelines might assist the court in deciding the reasonable standard of care.

In this talk I will review the interaction between clinical guidelines and the law of medical negligence and, looking at cases, I will question the extent to which guidelines engage in determining the legal standard for breach of duty. 

Presentation Sponsored by Avant