Although several of our previous posts here have commented about medical malpractice and how it affects the lives of victims, a recent news article addressed a topic that some people may not be thinking about: overtreatment. In short, overtreatment is, basically, the efforts of doctors to do everything they can to treat a patient – all in the name fear of medical malpractice lawsuits.
The recent article noted that over 2,000 physicians throughout America were surveyed about their opinions about medical treatment being given to patients that might not be necessary. The survey reportedly revealed that physicians believe that about one-fifth of all medical care in the country is unnecessary, including tests, procedures and prescriptions. However, perhaps even more disturbing is the fact that, of the surveyed physicians, 71 percent cited that they believe that physicians are motivated to perform unnecessary procedures if they will gain a profit from doing so.
Fear of medical malpractice and personal profit – these are not the reasons that Connecticut residents seek out the best healthcare they can find. Medical patients need and deserve better than this.
Inevitably, overtreatment can lead to errors or omissions, thereby resulting in injuries or illnesses for patients. Despite the efforts of overtreating doctors to avoid medical malpractice claims, when errors occur in a case involving overtreatment Connecticut residents may be able to successfully pursue such a claim. But, each case is different, so victims of medical malpractice would be smart to get an evaluation of their own unique case involving potential medical errors.
Source: healthline.com, “Doctors’ Fear of Malpractice Causes a Lot of Unnecessary Care,” Shawn Radcliffe, Sept. 18, 2017
