Experiences of physicians on defensive medicine: a qualitative study from Türkiye

This study aimed to investigate the experiences of physicians regarding defensive medicine (DM) practices. A qualitative study was developed with a descriptive phenomenological approach and the study was conducted in a university hospital in Türkiye. Data were collected between 1 February 2022 and 15 March 2022 via face-to-face, in-depth interviews from 21 participants. Inductive content analysis, which is very suitable for use in health-related research, was used. The analysis of the interview data resulted in 3 main themes, 9 themes, and 24 sub-themes. Main themes described the experiences of physicians: reasons for DM practices, consequences of DM practices, and measures to prevent DM practices. The findings showed the multidimensional nature of DM practices that must be considered in the strategies to be developed to prevent this behavior.