Commentators have observed that very few lawsuits have involved Good Samaritan doctors and that such laws are both unnecessary and ineffective. Those who are averse to helping will remain on the sidelines even with the protection of the law.
In a 1963 AMA survey, approximately half of responding physicians said they would render emergency help, and this did not depend on whether there was a Good Samaritan statute in place (Sanders GB. First Results: 1963 Professional-Liability Survey. JAMA 1964;189:859-66).
Contact the author at siang@hawaii.edu.