Our last column reviewed the decisional law regarding implied physician-patient relationships, which give rise to a duty of cared owed by a doctor and liability for a breach of that duty. The cases discussed in that column involved circumstances in which a treating physician or other health care provider relies upon advice from a specialist who never examined the patient or provided a formal consultation.

In this column we continue with that theme, exploring decisions addressing implied physician-patient relationships in the context of obstetrical care. Although the principles are the same as previously discussed, obstetrics has some unique attributes that factor into the analysis, such as the prevalence of covering and collaborative arrangements relative to prenatal care, labor and delivery.