Medical school professor: Most malpractice suits arise out of patients' perceptions that their doctors are acting negligently or carelessly  Many doctors now regard medicine as a science rather than an art, and are less compassionate as a result  Harried doctors sometimes treat patients rudely, discourage them from asking questions, or patronize them  Lawsuits could be avoided if doctors learned to listen better to patients
Unfortunately, certain economic incentives encourage doctors to treat patients rudely
Doctors foster, by their actions, the perception that they do not really care about their patients.