title: ["Is there a doctor on board?" - legal aspects of medical care in emergency situations during spare time].
abstract: Medical emergencies on international flights are not uncommon. In these situations the question often arises whether physicians are obliged to render first aid and whether omission leads to legal consequences. The general obligation to aid those in need applies to everyone, not only to physicians. Evading this duty makes liable to prosecution for omittance of defence of a third person in line with Art. 128 of the Swiss Penal Code, punishable by custodial sentence up to three years or an equivalent punitive fine. Vocational and professional law extend the duty to aid for physicians to urgent cases. Although resulting from the performance of a legal obligation, malpractice occurred in the course of first aid can lead to claims for compensation - even from foreign patients, and that according to their own domestic law.
authors: Universitäres Notfallzentrum, Inselspital, Universitätsspital Bern.
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Lindner
authors: Gregor
authors: G
authors: Lindner
authors: Aristomenis K
authors: AK
authors: Exadaktylos
mesh_terms: D000401:Aircraft; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005392:First Aid; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016079:Refusal to Treat / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013557:Switzerland; D014195:Travel
keywords: Berufspflichten; Erste Hilfe im internationalen Flugverkehr; Strafrecht; allgemeine Hilfeleistungspflicht; civil liability; criminal law; first aid on international flights; general legal obligation to assistance; la loi pénale; obligation aux premiers soins; obligations professionnelles; poursuites civiles en dommages; professional duties; urgences médicales en trafic aérien; zivilrechtliche Haftung