Definition:
A doctor who practices medicine, either through diagnosis or treatment, not to help the patient, but rather to prevent legal action if a problem occurs, is said to be practicing defensive medicine.
Doctors who practice in high-risk specialties are most apt to practice defensive medicine. In 2005, one survey showed as many as 93% were ordering tests, prescribing drugs, or performing procedures in more of an effort to protect themselves than the patients those measures were taken for.
Examples:
Ordering a test a patient doesn't really need, in an effort simply to have the results show up in her records, is a defensive medicine practice used by many physicians.
