title: Duty to third parties: a new worry for doctors.
abstract: The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled on June 10, 2002, that physicians might be liable to non-patient third parties if they fail to warn their patients regarding a medication's adverse effect on driving. Conceivably, this liability may also extend to physicians who fail to inform their patients and/or the Department of Motor Vehicles of medical conditions that affect operating a vehicle safely. Physicians must be cognizant of every medication's impact on driving ability, inform their patients of these adverse effects, and should consider asking their patients to stop driving if the risks are substantial.
authors.affiliation: University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: Reina M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ahern
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D001334:Automobile Driving; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D017007:Duty to Warn / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006254:Hawaii; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations