In a survey published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, it was discovered that 90% of doctors over-test or over-treat patients due to the fear of being sued for medical malpractice for not doing enough for their patients.
This survey's results echo a story in "the Associated press" which said that the fear of personal injury or other lawsuits is what causes doctors to over-treat patients.
1,231 doctors were questioned for the survey and were asked two questions: "Do physicians order more tests and procedures than patients need to protect themselves from malpractice suits?” and, “Are protections against unwarranted malpractice lawsuits needed to decrease the unnecessary use of diagnostic tests?”
91% of the surveys participants agreed with both statements.
93% of male physicians said doctors order unnecessary tests because of malpractice concerns, compared to 87% of female physicians. Equal numbers of men and women physicians said protection from unwarranted lawsuits is needed to decrease over-testing.
Paul Perantinides, a medical malpractice attorney based in Akron, Ohio said most of his cases involve doctors failing to test — a point that Bishop said emphasizes why doctors sometimes order so many tests, in order to avoid facing medical malpractice lawsuits.
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