Title |
Medical malpractice, defensive medicine and role of the “media” in Italy
|
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Published in |
Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine, March 2015
|
DOI | 10.1186/s40248-015-0006-3 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Domenico M Toraldo, Ughetta Vergari, Marta Toraldo |
Abstract |
For many years until now, Italy has been subjected to an inconsistent and contradictory media campaign. On one hand the "media" present us with bold and reassuring messages about the progress of medical science; on the other hand they are prone to kneejerk criticism every time medical treatment does not have the desired effect, routinely describing such cases as glaring examples of "malasanità", an Italian word of recent coinage used to denote medical malpractice. Newspaper reports of legal proceedings involving health treatment are frequently full of errors and lack any scientific basis. The published data confirm the unsustainably high number of lawsuits against doctors and medical structures, accompanied by demands for compensation arising from true or alleged medical errors or mistakes blamed on the work of health structures. Currently Italian citizens have a greater awareness of their right to health than in the past, and patients' expectations have risen. A discrepancy is emerging between the current state of medical science and the capacities of individual doctors and health structures. Lastly, there is a need for greater monitoring of the quality of health care services and a greater emphasis on health risk prevention. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 48 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 8 | 17% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 6 | 13% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 5 | 10% |
Researcher | 4 | 8% |
Lecturer | 2 | 4% |
Other | 7 | 15% |
Unknown | 16 | 33% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 16 | 33% |
Social Sciences | 3 | 6% |
Arts and Humanities | 2 | 4% |
Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 2 | 4% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 1 | 2% |
Other | 6 | 13% |
Unknown | 18 | 38% |