Liability for medical errors and liability insurance: A research to determine physician's awareness level and the effect of insurance

Incorrect medical practices of physicians, who play a leading role in the provision of health services, may come to the fore in the treatment processes of patients. Physicians, who may have to pay compensation as a result of lawsuits filed by patients who suffered damage due to these practices, take out professional liability insurance in order to share the negative consequences of the risk that may occur. However, the awareness of the physicians about the insurance and the effect of the insurance on the health service are important. From this point of view, in this study, the opinions and suggestions of surgical and internal medicine and emergency physicians working in various health institutions in Ankara, about their professional obligations and responsibilities, malpractice, defensive behavior and professional liability insurance were examined. In this study, inductive analysis method based on interviews, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used. Using the maximum diversity method, one of the purposeful sampling methods from the study population, a total of 30 physicians, 15 from surgical branches, 13 from internal branches, and two from emergency services, were determined and the study group was formed. The professional experience of the participating physicians, of which 18 were male, 12 were female, with an average age of 42, ranged from 3 years to 33 years. In order to collect data, an interview form consisting of 11 questions created as a result of the literature review, the opinions of experts and the pilot application was used. When the results were examined, it was seen that both surgeons and doctors of internal medicine and emergency departments tended to act defensively from time to time. On the other hand, the defensive behavior of physicians also leads to some negative consequences in terms of profession. Surgery and internal medicine physicians mentioned the negative effects of professional liability ınsurance as well as its positive effects on both themselves and health institutions. It has been concluded that the positive effects are mostly shaped around the decrease in inpatient transfers and referrals, and the strengthening of the sense of security in physicians, while the negative effects focus on the fact that the guarantees for physicians are not sufficient and moreover, the professional liability ınsurance can be abused by the patients or their relatives, with the guidance of lawyers. As a result of the results obtained, some suggestions have been made accordingly.