Education And Debate
The legal position
BMJ 1997; 315 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.315.7118.1299 (Published 15 November 1997) Cite this as: BMJ 1997;315:1299
- Andrew Burrows, professor of English lawa
- a University College, London
From a legal perspective there are two main questions. Is a doctor in breach of the duty of confidence owed to a patient by disclosing information about the patient to a third party, such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency or the patient's employer? May a doctor be liable in negligence, to a person injured by a patient, for not having disclosed information about the patient to, for example, the licensing agency or the patient's employer?
As regards the first question, doctors have a legal duty to …
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