Defensive Medicine: Ethical Dilemmas and Healthcare Cost Impacts

Defensive Medicine: Definition and Example

Defensive medicine refers to the actions of health care providers when they order more tests than necessary to protect themselves from malpractice claims. Minimizing this risk requires medical professionals to conduct a large number of tests so that patients can see the efforts of providers (Fremgen, 2019). An example of such a process would be the prescription of many false tests when the therapist has already determined that the patient has a simple and easily curable disease. At the same time, I did not witness protective medicine since it was not used on me or any of my relatives.

The Impact of Defensive Medicine on Taxpayers and Patients

The practice of defensive medicine can have a significant impact on taxpayers and patients. Increasing the number of tests entails significant costs for the healthcare system. This, in turn, affects where citizens’ taxes are sent and how they are redistributed (Fremgen, 2019). Instead of implementing any innovations or improved systems of care, these tools are used by clinics to perform unnecessary tests. In addition, this has a negative impact on the patients themselves, as it takes up extra time from them and can lead to emotional stress.

Ethical Considerations of Defensive Medicine

At the same time, I consider defensive medicine to be entirely ethical since it is a necessary tool in some cases to exclude the possibility of being taken to court (Ozeke et al., 2019). At the same time, the morality of such a mechanism is promoted by the fact that it helps to verify the diagnosis.

Guiding Principles in a Physician’s Treatment Decisions

When a physician makes treatment decisions, the guiding principle should be benefit to the client and non-maleficence. Thus, guided by these aspects, the doctor will be able to understand how they need to act in order for the patient to achieve maximum well-being. Taking these aspects into account can help direct the efforts of specialists in the right direction (Ozeke et al., 2019). Ethical principles can play a major role in determining the correct approach to treatment.

References

Fremgen, B. F. (2019). Medical law and ethics (6th ed.). Pearson Education.

Ozeke, O., Ozeke, V., Coskun, O., & Budakoglu, I. I. (2019). Second victims in health care: current perspectives. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 10, 593-603. Web.

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StudyCorgi. "Defensive Medicine: Ethical Dilemmas and Healthcare Cost Impacts." May 9, 2025. https://studycorgi.com/defensive-medicine-ethical-dilemmas-and-healthcare-cost-impacts/.

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StudyCorgi. 2025. "Defensive Medicine: Ethical Dilemmas and Healthcare Cost Impacts." May 9, 2025. https://studycorgi.com/defensive-medicine-ethical-dilemmas-and-healthcare-cost-impacts/.

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