Letter to the editor: 'Malpractice' will become harder to define

 I agree with David Keller, MD’s comments in his January 10, 2014 letter, “Jury Trials Are Wrong For Malpractice Case.” But our concern for human\ suffering and the high cost of medical care will eventually find a way to compensate all patients, whether they have suffered a medical error or have suffered an unpreventable bad outcome.

Moreover, the use of complex new technologies and treatments that are not only expensive but have confusing and unpredictable results, along with the price controls imposed by insurers and the increased number of patients with chronic diseases, will make physicians more vulnerable to allegations of malpractice because it will be more difficult for them to achieve the perfection that is expected of them.

Clearly, the interaction of the complex science, an aging population, and the human limits of physicians’ abilities has not received the attention it deserves.

“Malpractice” may become rare because it will be almost impossible to define except in the most obvious cases.

Edward Volpintesta, MD

 Bethel, Connecticut