Generally, medico-legal conflicts which occur in surgical and medical practice are a source of worry for both the medical profession and the society as a whole, because on one hand, they could cause high emotional stress for doctors, and on the other hand, patients could be rejected. Once consolidated, defensive medicine increases treatment costs and the doctor-patient relationship could transf...

While computed tomography (CT) certainly can be beneficial when used appropriately, CT examinations are sometimes performed without sound medical justification. There are many reasons for overutilization: A clinician may order scans because he or she lacks knowledge or support regarding the appropriate application of diagnostic imaging, because of patient demand, or due to intolerance of diagno...

The late 19th-century discovery of X-rays befuddled not only the scientific world but also the medical and legal worlds. The possibility of looking into the human body as if through an open window challenged the time-honored medical monopoly over the inner cavities of the human body. Likewise, the possibility of visualizing objects unavailable to the naked eye challenged the established legal t...

THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF RESPONSIBILITIES THAT ARISE ON THE BASIS OF MEDICAL ERRORS: a) Disciplinary (Punishment of the competent Association for restriction or revocation of the license); b) Civil liability (compensation); c) Criminal responsibility (protection of individual interests to protect the interests of the society); d) Violation (fine for minor damage) To increase the number of crimin...

As a result of rapidly rising medical malpractice insurance premiums, reduced availability of coverage, and financially distressed liability insurers, many states have passed tort reforms. This synthesis examines the medical malpractice ""crisis"" and the effect of state tort reforms. Evidence shows that caps on non-economic damages reduce the average size of malpractice awards by 20 to 30 perc...

In Italy in recent years, an exponential increase in the frequency of medical malpractice claims relating to the issue of informed consent has substantially altered not only medical ethics, but medical practice as well. Total or partial lack of consent has become the cornerstone of many malpractice lawsuits, and continues to be one of the primary cudgels against defendant physicians in Italian ...

Malpractice insurance premiums for physicians have increased at an average rate of over 30 percent per year. This rate is significantly higher than health care cost inflation and the increase in physician costs. Trends indicate that malpractice related costs, both liability insurance and defensive medicine costs, will continue to increase for the near future. Pressures to limit physician costs ...

Despite widespread reports of defensive medicine in surveys of physicians, empirical investigations have produced conflicting evidence. This paper models the interactions in a health insurance market, predicting that rises in medical malpractice pressure have non-monotonic effects on health care spending. Spending rises with malpractice pressure until reaching a threshold, and decreases thereaf...

Background and Objectives: This study aims to contribute the definition of defensive medicine phenomenon between obstetricians gynecologists, as well possible effects on frequency deliveries performed by cesarean sections (CS). Materials Methods: a digital questionnaire was administered through mail-list including 600 gynecological specialists (of these 168 doctors completed test), both in publ...

Concerns about reducing the rate of growth of health expenditures have reignited interest in medical liability reforms and their potential to save money by reducing the practice of defensive medicine. It is not easy to estimate the costs of the medical liability system, however. This article identifies the various components of liability system costs, generates national estimates for each compo...