Defensive medicine
Defensive Medicine
Defensive medicine (pronunciation: /dɪˈfɛnsɪv ˈmɛdɪsɪn/) is a term used to describe the practice of recommending tests or treatments that may not be necessary, but are done to protect the physician from potential malpractice lawsuits.
Etymology
The term "defensive medicine" is derived from the concept of physicians acting defensively, or protectively, in their medical practice to avoid potential legal repercussions.
Definition
Defensive medicine is a practice where healthcare providers, primarily physicians, choose to deviate from the standard norms of medical practice to conduct additional tests, procedures, or avoid high-risk patients or procedures, primarily out of fear of malpractice litigation. This practice is often seen as a response to the increasing prevalence of medical malpractice lawsuits and the high costs associated with them.
Related Terms
- Malpractice: A term used to describe professional negligence or omission by a healthcare provider that deviates from accepted standards of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient.
- Risk Management: The identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability or impact of unfortunate events.
- Healthcare Provider: A person or institution that provides preventive, curative, promotional, or rehabilitative health care services in a systematic way to individuals, families, or communities.
- Medical Ethics: The discipline of ethical principles and moral issues in the field of medicine.
- Patient Safety: The prevention of errors and adverse effects to patients associated with health care.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Defensive medicine
- Wikipedia's article - Defensive medicine
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