How defensive medicine is defined and understood in European medical literature: protocol for a systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The term defensive medicine, referring to actions motivated primarily by litigious concerns, originates from the USA and has been used in medical research literature since the late 1960s. Differences in medical legal systems between the US and most European countries with no tort legislation raise the question whether the US definition of defensive medicine holds true in Europe.

Aim

To present the protocol of a systematic review investigating variations in definitions and understandings of the term 'defensive medicine' in European research articles.

Methods and analysis

In concordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic review of all medical research literature that investigate defensive med

SUBMITTER: Baungaard N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7050374 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature