The Iowa Board of Medicine has dismissed disciplinary charges against Dr. Curtis Waite, a physician who argued Iowa’s ‘stand your ground’ law protected him from sanctions for physically striking a combative patient. The incident occurred at Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames, where Dr. Waite practices emergency medicine.
Incident Details
On November 14, 2023, police brought a suspect to the hospital for treatment of head lacerations. The patient, who appeared to be experiencing some form of psychosis, had allegedly assaulted several people and attempted to take a police officer’s gun. After being placed in a bed with his hands cuffed behind his back, the patient spit blood in Dr. Waite’s face and kicked him in the head.
According to the Board of Medicine, Dr. Waite responded to the attack by striking the patient in the head three or four times. The board noted that the patient was not injured by Dr. Waite’s punches, which were delivered with limited force.
Board Decision
The Iowa Board of Medicine decided to dismiss the charge against Dr. Waite, stating that a physician is not required to stand by and accept serious injury or death to avoid touching a patient who is actively assaulting him. The board found that Dr. Waite’s actions did not rise to the level of unprofessional conduct, given the totality of the circumstances.
Original reporting: KCCI Des Moines — read the source article.
