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prescriptions due to guidelines?

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April 4th, 2011
Given the current cholesterol guidelines, and the ever present risk for liable, do physicians ever prescribe lipid lowering drugs just to act within their professional guidelines, even if their personal convictions disagree?

I am trying to put myself in the physician\'s shoes. If a patient had a total cholesterol of 235, and I didn\'t prescribe statin, and that patient suffered a cardiac event, could I be held liable, or lose my job, for not acting within the guidelines, even though my personal convictions dictate otherwise?


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replied April 7th, 2011
Cholesterol Answer A21653
Hello and thank you for posting your medical question on E health Forum.

Every patient is different and medications needed in each case differ.

Presence of just high Cholesterol is not a factor for medications to be initiated.

Other factors like age, risk of cardiovascular diseases , other comorbid conditions, etc are important when a physician decides to start medications.

In the case described, if a competent doctor with sufficient knowledge and experience did not prescribe the medication, though there were no contraindications for the supposed medication, and such a act results in morbidity or mortality of the patient, then a physician can be held liable.

If there was sufficient contraindication for the medication in a patient, then a physician would definitely prescribe other medications or suggest alternative methods to control the condition.

I hope this helps.


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