Phone: (516) 487-8207
In the wake of Amy Winehouse's tragic death, Dr. Emily Gibson, a rehabilitation physician, reflected on the role of prescribers, such as herself, in dispensing medication that may lead to overdoses, such as that, which is suspected in Winehouse's death. Prescribers, she claims, must be "accountable for the clinical decisions that place combinations of potentially lethal medications in their patients’ hands and mouths."
There are both irresponsible and responsible prescribers. The latter, Dr. Gibson claims, can still be accessory to an overdose if they do not check on a patient's extracurricular medication habits. She claims that the increased prevalence of electronic medical records can connect doctors, pharmacists, and others to check on the full medical history of a patient in ways impossible before: prescribers can now look up community pharmacy databases and hospital medical record systems.
There are other precautions a prescriber may take to bolster oversight. Dr. Gibson offers her own methods. She prescribes small doses of dangerous or addicting medication. She never automatically allows refills and doesn't recognize off-hours refills. If she has any reason to be suspicious, such as when symptoms no longer justify prescription, Dr. Gibson cuts off the medication. Detoxification is done with daily oversight: each day receives an ever-decreasing prescription size. She also insists on random urine samples, just in case.
This is all done under an aggressive reading of the rubric, "do no harm." Dr. Gibson knows how easy it is for an addict to take advantage of friends, multiple doctors, pharmacists, and the black market to score any number of drugs. It is the responsibility of every one of the links in this chain -- especially prescribers -- to help the addict cut down.
If you would like more information about how medical malpractice and accident cases work in the state of New York, I encourage you to explore my educational medical malpractice website. If you have legal questions, I urge you to pick up the phone and call me at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at lawmed10@yahoo.com to answer your questions. That's what I do every day. I welcome your call.
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