therapeutic privilege doctrine

A doctrine that protects a doctor faced with a patient who may be too emotional or apprehensive to fully and logically assess his needs for a therapeutic intervention

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

therapeutic privilege doctrine

Forensic medicine A doctrine that protects the physician faced with a Pt who may be too emotional or apprehensive to fully and logically assess his needs for a therapeutic intervention; such situations may arise in emergencies, advanced age, dementia; when possible, permission should be obtained from the nearest relative. See Good Samaritan laws. Cf Doctor-patient interaction, Informed consent, Paternalism.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.