TY - JOUR T1 - Trends in negative defensive medicine within general practice. JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 565 LP - 566 VL - 50 IS - 456 AU - N Summerton Y1 - 2000/07/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/50/456/565.abstract N2 - Negative defensive medical practice has adverse consequences both for individual patients and for public health. This paper reports the results from a survey conducted in 1999 in which certain features indicative of negative defensive practice were compared with an identical survey conducted five years previously. Responding general practitioners stated that they are now significantly more likely to undertake diagnostic testing, refer patients, and avoid the treatment of certain conditions. ER -