ABSTRACT
Should we practice ‘defensive medicine’? This is an extremely difficult question to answer. The general conception among the public, and even among some healthcare providers, is that defensive medicine is utilization of ‘every test and consultant available’ in order to ‘not miss something.’ The term ‘CYA’ – ‘cover your ass’ – has sometimes become synonymous with defensive medicine. In fact, some may even believe that defensive medicine restricts the ‘thinking process’ and is ‘bad medicine.’ In this sense, defensive medicine raises the cost burden of healthcare and should not be practiced.
