When a physician goes beyond needlestick protocol

This article examines a situation in which a physician ordered a large number of tests on a patient because an EMT accidentally was stuck with a needle. The tests do not benefit the patient, but are for the sake of the EMT, who possibly was exposed to infection. The authors argue that the patient's physician should not be permitted to override institutional protocol on testing following a needlestick incident and that the patient should not be billed for testing that is not essential to his care. A patient's physician is obligated to do what is medically best for the patient and to avoid anything that does not benefit the patient.