Události

St 05.04.2017

Sebastian Panthöfer (Job Talk) “Do Doctors Prescribe Antibiotics Out of Fear of Malpractice?”

Sebastian Panthöfer

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain

Author: Sebastian Panthöfer

Abstract: This paper investigates whether doctors prescribe antibiotics to protect themselves against potential malpractice claims. Using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey on more than half a million outpatient visits between 1993 and 2011, I find that doctors are 6% less likely to prescribe antibiotics after the introduction of a cap on noneconomic damages. Over 140 million discharge records from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample do not reveal a corresponding change in hospital stays for conditions that can potentially be avoided through antibiotic use in the outpatient setting. These findings, as well as a stylized model of antibiotic prescribing under the threat of malpractice, suggest that liability-reducing tort reforms can decrease the amount of antibiotics that are inappropriately prescribed for defensive reasons.

Keywords: Antibiotic misuse; Antibiotic resistance; Liability pressure; Defensive medicine

JEL Classification: I11, I18, K13

Full Text:  “Do Doctors Prescribe Antibiotics Out of Fear of Malpractice?”