Am J Clin Pathol. 2015 Dec;144(6):828-9. doi: 10.1309/AJCP7R6XVXOEPFAH.

Pathologists and Liability: An Old Medical Story Needing a New Ending.

Allen TC1, Liang BA2.

Reisch and colleagues’ study2 provides information that pathologists are like other physicians: they have great concerns over medical malpractice. The high percentage of pathologists matches general physician surveys on concerns regarding liability suits.

Of interest here is that pathologists, as the authors note, are low-frequency, high-severity defendants compared with other specialties traditionally associated with concerns of tort liability, such as neurosurgeons. So an important question is, do pathologists exhibit assurance behaviors that lead to defensive medicine?