The Benefits Of Defensive Medicine

The first safe and effective medicine created was aspirin, introduced in 1899 (Buzzeo). The creation of the first pain-killer was the first step to becoming a drug-obsessed society. Everyone saw how well it worked; consequently, throughout the 1900’s several new drugs were created and introduced, promising to be safe and effective, just like the original aspirin. As more and more pills were created, people were convinced every problem they had was one pill away from being non-existent. Well, these people were right: the pills did work most of the time and had a great benefit on our society. The creation and advancement of medicine has helped humans feel better and live longer. "Life expectancy has been increasing pretty steadily for the last …show more content…
We could blame doctors and the pharmaceutical companies. Doctors have a tendency to over prescribe. One of these reasons could be the pressure doctors are feeling from the fear of lawsuits. If a doctor does one little thing wrong when caring for a patient, they could be sued for millions. A large number of physicians believe that being sued will adversely affect their professional, financial, and emotional status (Manner). Doctors have began practicing defensive medicine because they are scared of being liable for a small mistake they may make. Defensive medicine occurs when doctors order tests, procedures, or avoid certain high-risk patients or procedures, primarily (but not necessarily solely) because of concern about malpractice liability (Manner). Over prescribing by doctors is also a form of defensive medicine; 41% said they had prescribed more medications, such as antibiotics, than they would have based only on their professional judgment, and 73% had noticed other doctors prescribing medications similarly (Manner). Over prescribing is not a way to avoid lawsuits, anyway; over prescribing can result in lawsuits just as often as under prescribing can. When a doctor administers too many prescriptions, patients can sue due to severe side effects or dangerous interactions between two drugs. Doctors also feel pressure to prescribe from pharmaceutical companies: the companies give gifts or even pay money to …show more content…
Part of the blame can be put on the individual. We live in a country revolved around doing everything “the fastest” or “the easiest” way. Many people in the U.S. could identify with the demands of life for one individual: working a full time job, taking care of their children, volunteering, cooking supper, and getting sleep at night. We do not want to take time off--actually, we do not have the time to take a day off. This is why people turn to prescription drugs for a “quick fix” to their problems. An individual takes a couple tylenol for their headache, so they can still go to work; they have mild heartburn, so they get a prescription drug to ensure they feel well every day. What these people don’t realize is it’s not necessarily better to just pop some pills for a “quick fix”; there can be serious complications. People also tend to over medicate because it is the “easy” way out. There are some prescription drugs that truly save people’s lives; however, there are also several prescriptions that can be prevented by living a healthy lifestyle. If people would take the time to exercise daily and eat healthy, many medications could be prevented. Conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can often be prevented by a healthy lifestyle, but many people are too lazy and would rather just go on prescription drugs. I guess it is easier to just take your pills each day than it is to exercise for