Tancredi L R, Barondess J A
Science. 1978 May 26;200(4344):879-82. doi: 10.1126/science.644329.
Defensive medicine--the use of diagnostic and end-treatment measures explicitly for the purposes of averting malpractice suits--is frequently cited as one of the least desirable effects of the current rise in medical litigation. Many physicians and policy-makers claim that defensive medicine is responsible not only for the increasing costs of health care but the exposing of patients to significant risks of harm from unnecessary procedures. Very little solid information is available about defensive medicine. The studies that have been conducted have been fraught with statistical difficulties and are by no means definitive. Even more important than the issue of defensive medicine is the more basic problem of our system of compensation for medical injuries.
防御性医疗——明确为避免医疗事故诉讼而采取诊断和最终治疗措施——常被视为当前医疗诉讼增加所带来的最不良影响之一。许多医生和政策制定者称，防御性医疗不仅导致医疗保健成本不断上升，还使患者因不必要的医疗程序而面临遭受重大伤害的风险。关于防御性医疗的可靠信息非常少。已开展的研究充满统计难题，远非定论。比防御性医疗问题更重要的是我们医疗伤害赔偿体系这一更基本的问题。
