The courts will challenge medical decisions that are not made fairly

doi:10.1136/bmj.321.7253.0/g

The courts will challenge medical decisions that are not made fairly

Doctors need to become more familiar with the principles of administrative law if they are to avoid ending up in court overunreasonable decisions, argues Stewart on p 105. Administrativelaw is concerned with the legality of the process of decisionmaking, not the merits of a particular decision. Although thecourts have not intervened in decisions based solely on financialconcerns or medical opinions, they have challenged decisions todiscriminate against certain sorts of patients, blanket policiesnot to treat particular conditions, and broken promises to providea particular service. Doctors may expect to be challenged moreas they rely more on guidelines andpolicies.