Malpractice fears spur overtreatment, according to physicians: 5 insights

PLOS One published a report detailing why physicians believe overtreatment is common throughout the industry, according to Medical Express.

Researchers included 2,106 physicians' responses in their report.

Here are five insights:

1. The most common reason physicians said overtreatment occurred was fear of malpractice (84.7 percent).

2. Following malpractice concerns, 59 percent of physicians said patient pressure or request led to overtreatment.

3. Regarding the most prevalent types of overtreatment, 24.9 percent said medical tests and 11.1 percent said procedures.

4. To eliminate overtreatment, 55.2 percent said medical residents should undergo training on the appropriate criteria for care.

5. Fifty-two percent said providers should have easy access to outside health records to reduce overtreatment.

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