Physicians are practicing more defensive medicine
A new survey of physicians, nurses, and hospital administrators suggests that malpractice concerns are leading to the practice of more and more defensive medicine. Large numbers of medical doctors report that they order more tests, refer more patients, prescribe more medication, and suggest biopsies more often than is necessary because of concerns about malpractice.
Large majorities of physicians, nurses, and hospital administrators say they believe that defensive medicine leads to provision of unnecessary or excessive care. Most doctors say fear of liability discourages open discussions of ways to reduce medical errors and is a primary reason why hospitals do not share the results of inquiries into patient injury cases. Large majorities of doctors and hospital administrators do not trust the current justice system to achieve reasonable results, and large majorities of doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators favor replacing the current lay court system with special medical courts staffed by medical experts.
Those are some of the results of a nationwide Harris Interactive survey of 300 practicing physicians, 100 hospital administrators, and 100 nurses in March 2002. The survey was conducted for Common Good, an organization that advocates reform of the civil justice system, including malpractice reform.
41% of docs prescribe drugs unnecessarily
The survey found that, because of the fear of liability, 79% of physicians say they order more tests than are medically needed, 74% of physicians say they refer patients more often than they would if based only on their professional judgment, 51% of physicians suggest invasive procedures such as biopsies more often than they would if based only on their professional judgment, and 41% of physicians prescribe medications more often than they believe is medically necessary.
Overall, 94% of physicians, 66% of nurses, and 84% of hospital administrators say they believe unnecessary or excessive care is provided because of the fear of malpractice. The survey also found that 43% of medical doctors now practicing say they have considered leaving medicine because of the malpractice liability system. Furthermore, most physicians (59%), but only minorities of nurses (22%) and hospital administrators (25%), say they believe fear of liability discourages medical professionals from thinking of and discussing ways to reduce medical errors.
Only small minorities of physicians (17%) and hospital administrators (28%) — but almost half (48%) of nurses — say they feel they can trust the justice system to achieve reasonable results. As a result, very large majorities of doctors (94%), nurses (75%), and hospital administrators (81%) favor medical courts "presided over by independent medical professionals and other experts."
A new survey of physicians, nurses, and hospital administrators suggests that malpractice concerns are leading to the practice of more and more defensive medicine. Large numbers of medical doctors report that they order more tests, refer more patients, prescribe more medication, and suggest biopsies more often than is necessary because of concerns about malpractice.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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