Defensive medicine is a major issue of contemporary relevance to the US health care system today. The saying “better safe than sorry” is not always relevant especially in the case of putting patients health at risk. Physicians participate in this unlawful practice for two major reasons. One is to prevent themselves from the possibility of being involved in a lawsuit where they would be sued for undertreating a patients condition and the other major reason is to make profit. In order fully understand what defensive medicine is, background information will be provided, statistics will be shown to prove the relevance of the topic and additional effects and ways to try and prevent the practice of defensive medicine will be stated. A proper way to define defensive medicine is the action of a physician recommending a diagnostic test or treatment that is not necessarily the best option for the patient, but instead an option that may potentially prevent the physician from being sued for medical malpractice (Tuers, 2013). This type of treatment has began as early as the 1800s but not until the 1960’s was it seen as an issue. It wasn’t until that time period that defensive medicine was recognized as an issue. Before then, physicians were self employed and their motives were rarely questioned by patients (Tuers 2013). Surprisingly, the United States is the only major country that holds the physicians personally and financially liable for their own medical errors. This could be one of the main reasons for the prevalence of this malpractice. Defensive medicine as an unlawful act all began with the increasing number of medical malpractice lawsuits. Medical malpractice is similar to defensive medicine in the sense that it is the combination of... ... middle of paper ... ...ensive medicine was given. It is an issue that can be easily fixed compared to how much of an impact it is having on the economy and health of the nation. Defensive Medicine Works Cited Healey, B. J., Kopen, D., & Smith, J. (2011). PHYSICIANS, DEFENSIVE MEDICINE AND ETHICS. Academy Of Health Care Management Journal, 7(1), 59-78. LEWIS JR., M. (2013). Payers could curb defensive medicine with data, standardization. Managed Healthcare Executive, 23(12), 46-47. Sage, W. M. (2012). Both Symptom and Disease: Relating Medical Malpractice to Health-Care Costs. Forum For Health Economics & Policy, 15(3), 83-106. doi:10.1515/fhep-2012-0010 Tuers, D. (2013). Defensive medicine in the emergency department: increasing health care costs without increasing quality?.Original Articles. 37(2), 160-164. doi:10.1097/NAQ.0b013e318286de06 Works Cited
"In the past two decades or so, health care has been commercialized as never before, and professionalism in medicine seems to be giving way to entrepreneurialism," commented Arnold S. Relman, professor of medicine and social medicine at Harvard Medical School (Wekesser 66). This statement may have a great deal of bearing on reality. The tangled knot of insurers, physicians, drug companies, and hospitals that we call our health system is not as unselfish and focused on the patients' needs as people would like to think. Pharmaceutical companies are particularly ruthless, many of them spending millions of dollars per year to convince doctors to prescribe their drugs and to convince consumers that their specific brand of drug is needed in order to cure their ailments. For instance, they may present symptoms that are perfectly harmless, and lead potential citizens to believe that, because of these symptoms, they are "sick" and in need of medication.
Medical malpractice has become a controversial social issue. From a doctor’s standpoint, decisions and preventative actions can alter the medical malpractice lawsuits filed against them. In order to protect their career and professional life medical malpractice insurance is available. Medical professional liability insurance, sometimes known as medical malpractice insurance, is one type of professional liability insurance. “Professional liability refers to liability that arises from a failure to use due care and the standard of care expected from a person in a particular profession, in this case a doctor, dentist, nurse, hospital or other health-related organization” (Brandenburg, 2014).
Providers must act in the best interest of the patient and their basic obligation is to do no harm and work for the public’s wellbeing. A physician shall always keep in mind the obligation of preserving human life. Providers must communicate full, accurate and unbiased information so patients can make informed decisions about their health care. As a result of their recommendations, providers are responsible for generating costs in health care but do not generate the need for those expenses. Every hospital has both an ethical as well as a legal responsibility to provide care, even if the care may be uncompensated.
Rome 's action towards Carthage throughout the Punic Wars cannot be considered defensive imperialism, due to the strong military culture, expansionist aims and profit based attitudes of Roman society. Rome demonstrated traditional imperialism by extending their power and influence through means of colonisation and military force. Rome 's objective in the Punic Wars was to strategically subordinate Carthage, to increase their level of influence and improve their position on the world stage. The economic and material gain of war during the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC, was a motivating incentive for warfare for the aristocracy. This eagerness was further propelled by the desire
Military Sexual Trauma, also known as MST. What is it and why is it important? MST refers to psychological trauma resulting from a sexual assault or repeated, threatening harassment experienced during military service (pg. 3). Now, let us take a moment and think about the relevance of this subject? When we think of our women in combat, what do we see? We see strong and courteous females. But have we ever thought about what could be lurking underneath all that armor?
Trzeciak, S. & Rivers, E. (2003). Emergency department overcrowding in the United States: An emerging threat to patient safety and public health. Emergency Medicine Journal, 20, 402−405. doi: 10.1136/emj.20.5.402
As of late, self-defense has been a very controversial topic thanks to the trial and acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin. This case gave American’s the cause to question Stand Your Ground Laws, the President of the United States Barak Obama even showed his concern for our nation. Many people felt that Zimmerman was acquitted due to a racial bias, but in accordance with Stand Your Ground laws and other self-defense statutes it is clear that this is not a racial issue. George Zimmerman is a 33-year-oldHispanic man running a neighborhood watch in his affluent gated community in Sanford, Florida. On the evening of February 26, 2012 Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old
Coffin, Bill. "Bad Medicine." National Underwriter / Life & Health Financial Services 115.4 (2011): 16. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
Medical malpractice cases are difficult for the families who have lost their loved one or have suffered from severe injuries. No one truly wins in complicated court hearings that consist of a team of litigation attorneys for both the defendant and plaintiff(s). During the trial, evidence supporting malpractice allegations have to be presented so that the court can make a decision if the physician was negligent resulting in malpractice, or if the injury was unavoidable due to the circumstances. In these types of tort cases, the physician is usually a defendant on trial trying to prove that he or she is innocent of the medical error, delay of treatment or procedure that caused the injury. The perfect example of being at fault for medical malpractice as a result of delaying a procedure is the case of Waverly family versus John Hopkins Health System Corporation. The victims were not compensated enough for the loss of their child’s normal life. Pozgar (2012) explained….
Throughout history disease has run rampant taking many lives with every passing day. Finding a cure or even just a tool in the battle has been the main focus of scientist throughout time. This focus is what brought us the discovery of antibiotics. Over the years antibiotics have been misused by patients, over prescribed by physicians and have led to resistant strains of bacteria.
ANTIBIOTICS :- Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacteria. Antibiotics can save lives, if used properly. Antibiotics either kill bacteria or keep them from multiplying. Antibiotics do not fight virus infections. For example: Cold Flu ANTIBIOTICS: Most coughs Sore throats (Exception: strep throats).
. Many doctors and patients are unaware that antibiotics are designed to treat bacterial infections, not viral infections (Antibiotic resistance, N.D.). Many bacteria within our bodies are not harmful at all, and some of them actually provide health benefits. The bacteria that are harmful are disease-causing bacteria, which generate sicknesses such as strep throat, the common cold, and ear infections (Get, 2013). Viruses are smaller than bacteria and require hosts, such as plants or animals, in order to proliferate (What, N.D.). Doctors play a vital role in administering antibiotics, for patients rely on their knowledge and expertise in order to receive proper medication for ailments throughout their lives. According to www.acponline.org, 190 million doses of antibiotics are administered every day. Among patients that do not reside in hospitals, doctors prescribe more than 133 million antibiotic programs every year. Of those 133 million programs, it is estimated that over 50 percent of them are unnecessarily prescribed because the doctor is prescribing them for viral infections such as common colds or simple coughs (Antibiotic resistance, N.D.). However, doctors are not the only ones to blame in regard to misuse of antibiotics because their patients are just as guilty when it comes to ignorance in respect to antibiotic usage. Many preventable factors have emerged because of irresponsibility of patients, including self-medication practices and the temptations of cheap, counterfeit drugs, all of which have aggravated drug resistance in the last 20 years (What, N.D.). Also, many patients are unaware of the dangers that can result from leaving medication behind because they don’t use it. It is extremely ill-advised to leave behind eve...
For many years we have become increasingly dependant on antibiotics to fight off the bacteria that cause diseases in our bodies. Many of the diseases these bacteria and microbes cause are infectious. For these reasons, it has been noticed that bacteria and other microbes are becoming increasingly resistant to the antibiotics prescribed to sick people. Many doctors prescribe antibiotics for common illnesses, yet other medicines such as home remedies and homeopathy could be used instead. As a result, we are using antibiotics too often, as many sources claim we should only be using them once every three years.”Bacteria have shown a remarkable ability to endure and adapt to their environment including the development of different mechanisms of resistance to most old and new antimicrobial agents”. Because of the frequent prescription, the bacteria and microbes that cause these illnesses are exposed to the same type of antibiotics frequently, thus they are able to adapt and build up resilience against these antibiotics. “Bacteria have developed resistance to all different classes of antibiotics discovered to date” . This is a major problem as we rely so heavily on antibiotics to treat serious illnesses that we are running out of options to treat them with. The prescribing of antibiotics for illnesses that are not life-threatening are now resulting in fewer solutions to cure people affected by diseases that can be fatal.
Defensive medicine could be defined as tests and treatments that are not always in the best interest for the patient but force the physician not to miss anything. Defensive medicine rules the world of medicine, patients are always sent for tests they truly do not need. It poses potential health risks to the patient and actually increases the cost of healthcare. As Dr. Sandeep Jauhar says “We want to practice medicine the right way, but too many forces today are propelling us away from the bench or the bedside. No one ever goes into medicine to do unnecessary testing but this sort of behavior is rampant”. Medicine was considered a very noble profession; no one imagines themselves as a doctor sending people for useless tests, they always picture themselves saving someone’s life “Many chose medicine because it is thought to be noble and worthwhile...”; but the profession has been changed by the game. Dr. Sandeep Jauhar, author of Doctored: The disillusionment of an American Physician, said “I have become the kind of doctor I never thought I’d be: impatient, occasionally indifferent, at times dismissive or paternalistic...”, this is a reality that many doctors will face throughout their careers. Dr. Sandeep Jauhar is not the only one to express his opinion regarding the medical profession, another doctor said “ I would not do it again, and it has nothing to do with the money… Working up patients in the ER these
Health care fraud cases continue to be problematic for health care systems and providers across the United States. According to Pozgar (2012), these cases not only pose financial burdens on the accused, but may also lead to unnecessary risks to patients. A violation against the Federal False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-33, is one example of health care fraud that often enters into a settlement agreement. It is important to mention violations against the Federal False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-33, often allude to physician kickbacks as well (a violation against the Anti-Kickback Statute).