ABSTRACT
To assess the impact of malpractice litigation on physicians' personal and professional lives, the authors surveyed a random sample of the Chicago Medical Society membership. Although both sued and nonsued physicians reported changes in professional behavior and emotional reactions to both the threat and actuality of litigation, sued physicians reported significantly more symptoms than nonsued physicians. Significantly more of them reported that they were likely to stop seeing certain types of patients, think of retiring early, and discourage their children from entering medicine. Malpractice litigation may affect not only physicians' personal and professional lives but also the delivery of health care.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Malpractice , Physicians/psychology , Career Choice , Chicago , Delivery of Health Care/standards , Depressive Disorder/etiology , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Disease/etiology , Disease/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Parent-Child Relations , Professional Practice , Retirement , Sampling Studies , Societies, Medical , Stress, Psychological/etiology , Stress, Psychological/psychologyABSTRACT
The authors devised a survey as a first step in assessing physicians' perceptions of the impact of medical malpractice litigation on their professional practice and personal lives. Subjects were a sample of physicians in Cook County, Ill., who had been sued during 1977-1981. Many respondents reported changes in how they practiced their profession. Two clusters of self-reported symptoms in reaction to the litigation also emerged. Further studies, including clinical interviews, are needed to clarify the impact of medical malpractice suits on the sociological reality of medical practice.
