Suspended: Doctor failed to discuss X-ray results with patient who died of stage 4 lung cancer

A Quebec doctor who failed to discuss X-ray results with a patient who subsequently died of stage 4 lung cancer has been given three concurrent suspension sentences totalling 22 weeks and ordered to pay investigation and hearing costs. Dr. Samir Habib, a Montreal family physician, also faced accusations of failing to followup with the patient and being deficient with his record-keeping, according to the decision document issued by the disciplinary board of the Collège des médecins du Québec. The patient, who had been under Dr. Habib’s care for several years, came in at the end of January 2019 complaining of constant coughing and pain in his ribs. Dr. Habib prescribed antibiotics and sent the patient for blood tests and a lung X-ray. The X-ray report—which was sent to Dr. Habib on Feb. 4, the day after the X-ray was taken—highlighted the presence of suspicious opacity and suggested either a CT scan or a checkup in seven to 10 days. Dr. Habit added a note to the report about a “semi-urgent appointment.” A followup appointment is booked for March 12. This was in addition to a March 1 appointment which had been scheduled already to discuss the patient’s blood test results. Read: Misdiagnosed emergency: Doctor's appeal is denied in the case of teen patient who lost his only testicle The patient attended Dr. Habib’s clinic on March 1 but cancelled his March 12 appointment. He came in again on Aug. 2. According to the decision document, on the two occasions when the patient came in, Dr. Habib made no mention of his chest X-ray results. On Oct. 30, the patient could no longer tolerate his pain and took himself to emergency, where he underwent a number of tests and was told he had inoperable stage 4 lung cancer. The attending physician asked why there was no followup to the X-ray done in February 2019. The patient died of lung cancer in September 2021, about a year after he filed a complaint with the college. In his defence, Dr. Habib explained that his failure to talk to the patient about his X-ray results stemmed from the cancellation of the appointment that had been booked for that particular purpose. This oversight would likely not have occurred with paper records, he noted. Read: 'Disproportionate, unfair' and speculative: Professions tribunal overturns college ruling Dr. Habib did acknowledge that he bore responsibility for making sure the patient knew about the results of his X-ray. He also told the disciplinary board he should have prioritized the discussion of the X-ray results over the appointment to discuss the blood tests, which had been scheduled first and which the patient attended. The college’s expert witness told the disciplinary board that Dr. Habib knew the patient was a smoker who went through one to two packs of cigarettes a day. Given this information, Dr. Habib should have treated the X-ray results as urgent and pushed for a discussion immediately with the patient. The expert considered it “imperative” to contact the patient quickly and organize another X-ray or CT scan. Scheduling a follow-up appointment on March 12, 2019—five weeks after the receipt of the X-ray report—was contrary to best practices. Dr. Habib was found guilty and sentenced for three counts, with two counts carrying a suspension of 10 weeks each and the third count carrying a suspension period of two weeks. Because the sentences are concurrent, the actual period he is not allowed to work is 10 weeks. Read: Improved consolidation therapy for lung cancer

Suspended: Doctor failed to discuss X-ray results with patient who died of stage 4 lung cancer

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