(cntd) It brought a certain fear and hesitancy to the practice of medicine. Treatment had to be thought over with the view that it could be judged by hind sight. This lead to un-necessary testing, watching out for litigious patients, second opinions, consulting other specialties, elaborate consent forms imposed by hospitals with much legalese which sometimes neither the doctor or patient understood, and referring away risky patients. A patient became less of a person to care for and heal but a potential adversary. The threat of litigation which engendered fear of bad reputation, shame , self-doubt crept in.
Malpractice companies proliferated , hospitals demanded not only doctors carry liability insurance but dictated how much- for lawyers went for 'deep pockets'. Courses were given how to avoid being sued by a patient. Every interaction, specially surgical, was fraught with uncertainty'. The spontaneous interaction between patient and doctor had to be 'documented' in writing. 'If it was not documented it did not happen' was preached by lawyers who gave seminars on how to avoid being sued. This lead to 'creative documentation'. Some patients caught on to this and joined the fray. A bad result or complication was suspicious and blame had to be assigned. And it was-frequently. Another nail in the coffin of the doctor- patient trust and relationship. This is not to say that there were no deficiencies or bad -eggs in medicine- but this was generalized. Insurance companies raised their rates in response to what went on in the 'market'. Soon some specialists were paying exorbitant amounts, some who could not afford it gave up certain procedures or their specialty altogether. It was not entirely the insurance companies or lawyers fault. Medicine had become 'health care market' and in the market one has to make money- it's a trade. Medicine was partly to blame too. More people who viewed medicine as a profession to became rich came into the field- one of the many factors which generated lack of concern or empathy. A patient had become a diagnosis. A tonsil, gallbladder. heart bypass, cancer pneumonia, high blood pressure or Diabetic - not Tom Jones or Mary. (To be cntd)
