Physician's perceptions of the suit-prone patient.

The medical profession is experiencing tremendous increases in the number of malpractice claims and suits. The individual physician is confronted with the question of whether he has patients who are prone to sue him. This paper examines physicians' tendencies to label certain patients as suit-prone and identifies the social characteristics of those labeled as such. The findings suggest that physicians may be labeling the wrong patients. Further, the characterization of the suit-prone patient appears to be a stereotype that merely reflects the physician's political and social attitudes. The moral, ethical, and practical consequences of labeling and of mislabeling are discussed.