What to Do When a Patient Claims Harm

The majority of anesthesiologists will face complaints and legal challenges from patients at some point in their career. The prospect of being sued for causing harm to a patient can be jarring, particularly for younger doctors.
However, handling these types of issues is crucial for anesthesiologists.
During the annual Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia 2025 conference, Brian Parker, MD, the senior associate dean of clinical affairs, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and chief medical officer of UBMD Physicians’ Group at the University at Buffalo, in New York, presented a session about how anesthesiologists should handle the legal actions of a patient who believes they were harmed by the given procedure. 
Parker explained that anesthesiologists often aren’t exposed to a lot of these types of issues during their training, but can find themselves in a legal situation shortly into their career and should be prepared to handle the situation. 
“The reality is the longer you practice, the chance that you may have a case brought against you,” Parker said. “It doesn’t mean the case has a legitimate concern or that it has merit. Folks can bring a suit as long as a plaintiff’s attorney is willing to take the case.