[Thoughts on "defensive" medicine].

"Defensive" medicine is called medical behaviour characterized by deformation of diagnostic and therapeutic activities due to fears endangering existence and work, thus some interventions are omitted or, on the contrary, superfluous examinations are proposed on account of internal uncertainty, the patient's distrust or hostile social environment. Trust relation between patient and physician is the most gravely damaged because of aggravation and distortion of some conscienceless physicians' abuses by the media; patient-physician relations may not be degraded to contractual legal relations. Young physicians must get acquainted with the joy of success in diagnostics that enriches the personality. They shall have healthy self-esteem and be ready to take diagnostic and therapeutic challenges on themselves. All of us have to fight against social atmosphere hostile to physicians, against causes inducing and augmenting practice of defensive medicine.