Defensive medicine practices as a result of malpractice claims and workplace physical violence: a cross-sectional study from Egypt.

Autor: Arafa A; Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt. ahmed011172@med.bsu.edu.eg., Negida A; Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.; Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt., Elsheikh M; Department of Health Informatics, Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.; Department of Emergency Medicine and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt., Emadeldin M; Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt., Hegazi H; Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Wirral, UK., Senosy S; Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2023 Dec 16; Vol. 13 (1), pp. 22371. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Dec 16.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47720-6
Abstrakt: Defensive medicine refers to practices motivated mainly by legal rather than medical purposes. Increased healthcare costs, overutilization of medical services, and potential harm to patients from unnecessary procedures are among its drawbacks. We performed this study to assess the prevalence of defensive medicine practices in Egypt and their associations with experiencing malpractice claims and workplace physical violence. We investigated 1797 physicians (68.1% male), with an average age of 36.8 ± 9.1 years, practicing in Egypt between January 14th and February 23rd, 2023. SPSS was used for statistical analysis. The majority reported engaging in defensive medicine practices. Specifically, 89.6% acknowledged avoiding high-risk procedures, 87.8% refrained from treating high-risk patients, 86.8% admitted to making unnecessary referrals, 84.9% acknowledged ordering unnecessary tests, 61.4% reported performing unnecessary procedures, and 56.4% disclosed prescribing unnecessary medications. Obstetricians and surgeons exhibited the highest rates of defensive medicine. Using linear regression analysis adjusted for age and sex, malpractice claims and workplace physical violence were associated with defensive medicine score (zero-100): βs (95% CIs) = 5.05 (3.10, 6.99) and 5.60 (3.50, 7.71), respectively, (p values < 0.001). In conclusion, defensive medicine is deeply ingrained in the clinical routines of Egyptian physicians. Establishing a comprehensive national medical liability framework is required.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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