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

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 defe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2023-12, Vol.13 (1), p.22371-22371, Article 22371
Main Authors: Arafa, Ahmed, Negida, Ahmed, Elsheikh, Mohamed, Emadeldin, Mohamed, Hegazi, Hesham, Senosy, Shaimaa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Aggression
Authorizations
Health services
Humanities and Social Sciences
Medical personnel
Medicine
multidisciplinary
Patients
Regression analysis
Risk groups
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Statistical analysis
Violence
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Summary: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 
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-47720-6