Question

A patient is treated for low back pain caused by a fall at the local mall. The patient sues the physician, because the pain is unresolved. Which of the four D's would be the most difficult for the patient's attorney to prove? Why?

Answer 1

Acute low back pain is a common reason for patient calls or visits to a primary care clinician. Despite a large differential diagnosis, the precise etiology is rarely identified, although musculoligamentous processes are usually suspected. For most patients, back symptoms are nonspecific, meaning that there is no evidence for radicular symptoms or underlying systemic disease. Because episodes of acute, nonspecific low back pain are usually self-limited, many patients treat themselves without contacting their primary care clinician. When patients do call or schedule a visit, evaluation and management by primary care clinicians is appropriate

Step-by-step explanation: