Contradicting anterior probe connecting dense ordering of diagnostic exams with fearfulness of malpractice charges—aka “defensive medicine”—a caller survey shows ED referrers much focused connected not harming patients than connected not getting sued.
The findings are presented successful a little probe missive published Nov. 10 successful JAMA Network Open.
Psychologist Linda Isbell, PhD, of the University of Massachusetts and colleagues received survey responses from 1,222 emergency-medicine clinicians (782 physicians and 340 precocious signifier clinicians) moving crossed the Bay State.
The survey asked participants to bespeak their grade of statement connected a standard of 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree) with 2 statements:
- In my day-to-day practice, I americium fearful of making a mistake that results successful 1.) harm to the diligent and 2.) my being sued.
Analyzing the results, Isbell and co-researchers recovered mean Likert people was greater for fearfulness of diligent harm (4.40) than fearfulness of malpractice oregon negligence suit (3.40).
This held careless of clinician subtype, years of acquisition and pistillate vs. male.
The authors enactment the relevance of these findings to discussions of antiaircraft medicine.
Moreover, the squad recovered nary quality successful mean fear-of-suit people earlier vs. aft the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic (3.41 vs. 3.38, respectively).
Isbell and co-authors mention anterior probe identifying fearfulness of lawsuits arsenic a superior operator down excessive ordering of diagnostic tests, including imaging exams.
Although the contiguous survey did not delineate an relation betwixt fearfulness of harm and imaginable overuse of testing, they write, it suggests that “fear of harm should beryllium considered with, and whitethorn beryllium much consequential than, fearfulness of suit successful aesculapian decision-making.”
The authors admit limitations successful their survey design, including a survey illustration from a azygous state.
“Additional probe is needed to elucidate the relation of fearfulness of harm compared with fearfulness of suit successful clinician decision-making,” they write.
The missive is disposable in afloat for free.
English (US)