Findings from a survey published online in the journal PLOS One suggest that many physicians believe overtreatment to be common and often driven by fear of medical liability. 

The research team surveyed 2,106 American Medical Association physicians and determined that an interpolated median of 20.6 percent of overall medical care may be unnecessary, including 22.0 percent of prescription medications, 24.9 percent of tests, and 11.1 percent of procedures. Most commonly cited reasons for overtreatment included:

• Fear of medical liability (84.7 percent)
• Patient pressure/request (59.0 percent)
• Difficulty accessing medical records (38.2 percent)

In addition, 70.8 percent of respondents stated that they believe physicians are more likely to perform unnecessary procedures when they profit from them. Learn more...