The Effect of Defensive Medicine on the Clinical Practices of Emergency Medicine Physicians

INTRODUCTION: Our aim is to determine the perspectives of emergency medicine physicians on defensive medicine practices under the influence of malpractice thought, the frequency of these practices, relation with crowded emergency departments, and to reveal the factors affecting physicians to this practice.
METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of questions including positive and negative defensive medicine practices was prepared and delivered to emergency medicine physicians who are in a patient-physician relationship by hand or e-mail.
RESULTS: Physicians answers were; protecting themselves from possible medical errors, keeping more detailed records (87.4%), requesting additional examinations when not necessary (56.8%), keeping the patient under observation for long hours (47.2%), asking for additional consultations (32.7%), avoiding treatments with high complications (17.3%), referring patients (17%), trying to avoid invasive procedures (11%) and prescribing extra medications (10.6%).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Emergency medicine physicians preferred positive defensive medicine practices more than negative defensive medicine practices. It has been observed that the pressure of the relatives of the patients, and the threat of lawsuits were the main factors for the defensive medicine practices.