Effect of Defensive Medicine on Clinical Practices of Emergency Medicine Physicians

Abstract

Objective: To determine the perspectives of emergency medicine physicians on defensive medicine practices under the influence of malpractice thought, the frequency of these practices, and their relationship with crowded emergency departments, and to reveal the factors affecting physicians in this practice. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of questions including positive and negative defensive medicine practices was prepared and delivered to emergency medicine physicians who were in a patient-physician relationship by hand or e-mail. Results: Physicians answered the following questions: protecting themselves from possible medical errors, keeping more detailed records (87.4%), requesting additional examinations when not necessary (56.8%), keeping the patient under observation for long hours (47.2%), asking for additional consultations (32.7%), avoiding treatments with high complications (17.3%), referring patients (17%), trying to avoid invasive procedures (11%) and prescribing extra medications (10.6%). Conclusion: Emergency medicine physicians preferred positive defensive medicine practices over negative defensive medicine practices. It has been observed that the pressure of the relatives of the patients and the threat of lawsuits were the main factors influencing defensive medicine practices.