New drugs are rapidly being developed and marketed, and more prescriptions are being written than ever before. The population as a whole is aging, and elderly patients account for about one-third of all drugs consumed. The practice of pharmacy itself has radically changed over the last decade. Whereas most pharmacies used to be part of family owed drug stores, they are now frequently owned and operated by national corporations and supermarket chains to allow the consumer to pick up his or her medicine at the same time as groceries and other supplies. The convenience of these superstores can be overshadowed by reckless mistakes made when pharmacists are required to fill a high number of prescriptions. Pharmacy experts conclude that a large part of the problem is a shortage of pharmacists.
Unnecessary Surgery
Psychotherapy is the treatment of mental and emotional disorders using psychological methods. This form of treatment does not include physiological interventions, such as drug therapy or electrotherapy, although it may be used in combination with such methods. Psychotherapists, like all other medical practitioners, are required to treat their patients with a certain standard of care. If they fail, and if the patient is injured, they may be held financially responsible for those injuries.
When a patient is afflicted with a serious kidney disease, he or she often undergoes dialysis. During this procedure, the dialysis machine acts as an artificial kidney, and the procedure carries with it the inherent possibility of danger to the patient. Therefore, it is both a life-saving and a life-threatening procedure. It is frequently performed at private, for-profit dialysis centers. Some studies indicate that dialysis patients who have the procedure performed at a private, for-profit center face a statistically significant higher risk of death than those treated at a non-profit center.
Placebo Therapy and Malpractice
