Physicians and Medicine in the Twenty-first Century
Medical Litigation Crisis
The technological revolution in medicine, which has dramatically increased life expectancy, has raised patient expectations, in some cases unrealistically, resulting in an explosion of malpractice litigation. This in turn has caused insurance premiums to rise to such an extent as to motivate some doctors to curtail or even completely give up their practices. Others have taken up “defensive” medicine, which can result in overtesting and consequently contributes to the alarming increase in health care costs.
An unfortunate side effect of “litigation fever” has been a decrease in the production of vaccines because of a fear of lawsuits arising from adverse reactions. Pharmaceutical companies apparently prefer to give up this aspect of their business rather than risk the cost of litigation.
Additional topics
- Physicians and Medicine in the Twenty-first Century - Cybermedicine
- Physicians and Medicine in the Twenty-first Century - Specialists Versus Primary Care Physicians
Job Descriptions and Careers, Career and Job Opportunities, Career Search, and Career Choices and ProfilesGuide to Medical & Dental SchoolsPhysicians and Medicine in the Twenty-first Century - The Challenge, Premedical Education, Admission To Medical School, Medical School Education, Medical Students