Medical negligence is a major cause of fear and anxiety for doctors. The threat of malpractice consists of 3 factors, the risk of a claim, the probability of a claim leading to a payment, and the size of the payment. The Clinical Indemnity Scheme (CIS) insures against indemnity payments but it cannot protect the doctor against the indirect consequences of litigation including stress, the long hours mounting a defence against the allegation, and the damage to one’s reputation. The adversarial tort system focuses on punishment, blame and compensation. The emotional anguish and potential damage to the doctor’s reputation can be considerable. Doctors subjected to malpractice suits regardless of the outcome may experience depression, anger, frustration and excessive use of alcohol

peer-review

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Leinster