The Influence of Legal Proceedings on French General Practice: A Qualitative Study

Legal proceedings are becoming increasingly common in our society and especially in medicine. This raises the question as to whether General Practitioners (GPs) are concerned by this phe-nomenon. This study explores the impact of proceedings on the feelings and behaviors of different doctors. A qualitative semi-structured interview with 13 French GPs based on grounded theory was performed. A thematic analysis with major themes was then performed. This survey shows that lawsuits have little impact on the daily practice of GPs. Defensive medicine is practiced in certain specific situations: the treatment given, a patient known or perceived to be litigious. GPs attach importance to information and communicating to the patient. The primary concern of GPs remains their patients. They are not subject to daily anxiety over the risk of lawsuits