Swiss Federal Supreme Court rules on physician liability

The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has addressed the criminal liability of an emergency room physician following a violent incident involving a patient. In April 2018, a man arriving from the United States was admitted to a hospital after exhibiting aggressive behavior on a flight. Although the patient initially appeared calm and cooperative during his examination, he later attacked a woman in a hotel, causing severe injuries before dying of heart failure at the scene.

The legal proceedings focused on whether the resident physician acted with negligence by discharging the patient. While the Glarus prosecutor's office initially dropped investigations into negligent homicide and negligent bodily harm, the victim sought to pursue the case, leading to the high court's involvement regarding the physician's responsibility for unpredictable patient actions.