The Influence of Some Factors upon the Attitude of Physicians and their Practice of Defensive Medicine A Cross Sectional Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Forensic medicine Ain shams university Faculty of medicine

2 Forensic Medicine & clinical toxicology Department Faculty of Medicine Ain Shams University

3 Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Defensive Medicine (DM) could be defined as a deviation from good, accepted medical practice, induced primarily by a threat or fear of professional legal liability. Aim of the Work is to assess the association and the impact of some factors upon attitude, practice and ethical considerations of DM among a sample of Egyptian physicians. subjects and Methods: A cross sectional study was done by using a 40-point detailed self-administered questionnaire to fulfill the aim of the study on 130 physicians with different four specialties working in different hospitals in Cairo. Results: Out of 130 respondent physicians; 60.8% of them were knowledgeable about DM, and 68.4% of the participants agreed that DM is good for patients. Seventy physicians always recorded the treatment details and each patient's specific statement in their files. Sixty-six physicians (50.8%) sometimes gave extra details about medicine intake. Sixty-two physicians (47.7%) and 36 physicians (27.7%) respectively sometimes asked for unnecessary specialist consultation or arranged for unnecessary hospitalization. 96.2% of them knew the meaning of malpractice. Ninty physicians (69.2%) had not faced any of these lawsuits or legal settlements in their career while 87 physicians (66.9%) had some colleagues who faced lawsuits or legal settlements. A great percentage of the participants agreed that defensive medicine would impair physician-patient relationships and induce new conflicts (53.1%) and that defensive medicine would restrict physicians’ creativity and medical progress (46.9%). Conclusion: The majority of physicians knew the concept of DM, and most of them agreed that DM is good for patients; female physicians practiced positive DM more than male physicians did.

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Ain Shams Journal of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology
Volume 44, Issue 1
January 2025
Pages 65-78

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