[Specialists and assistant physicians; disciplinary division of responsibilities]

In every day hospital practice, the division of responsibility between specialists and assistant physicians plays an important role. This division of responsibility has repercussions in disciplinary judgements concerning the conduct of the supervisor and the assistant physician. The problem with this is that disciplinary law assumes individual liability. If a patient chooses to lodge a claim solely against the assistant physician then whether the assistant physician can appeal to shortcomings in the supervision is dependent upon the situation concerned. The supervisor is obliged to ensure that the necessary supervision is given or if the assistant physician indicates that a given task is beyond his own abilities then the supervisor should carry this out or find someone else to carry it out on his behalf. Within jurisprudence the value of protocols is becoming increasingly important.