Investigating the defensive medical practices of the physicians working in the city center of Malatya

Abstract

Abstract:With this study, we aimed to determine the defensive medical practices of the physicians of different academic title and seniority, who are performing their duty in MalatyaAfter the approval from the ethical committee had been received, our study was conducted by performing surveys and face-to-face interviews with the practitioners, specialists, family practitioners and academicians working in the State and University hospitals as well as Private Hospitals in the city of Malatya. 234 physicians were asked to answer 19 questions regarding the defensive medical practices within the survey. 87% of the research sampling was reached. 176 (75,2%) of these physicians are male, whereas 58 (24,8%) of them are female. The mean age of the women who participated in the research is 38,9. It turned out that the physicians working in the state hospitals as well as private hospitals had referred to defensive medical practices more than those working in the university hospitals (P=0.026), and that the professors and associate professors had avoided the patients with the risk of filing a suit in temrs of medical malpractice less than the specialists and medical practitioners (p=0,003). In conclusion, it was determined that as the degree of professional experience, academic title and seniority in the physicians increased, the rate of defensive medical practices seemed to decrease