Iatrogenic Effects

Iatrogenic, according to several standard dictionaries, means induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures. (The first root of iatrogenic is iatros, which is Greek for “physician.”) The patient or the service provider recognizes that there was an inadvertent and adverse effect or complication resulting from a treatment or advice. This includes all health care providers as well as those who are licensed to practice in the areas of mental health, drug abuse counseling, physical therapy, and marital and family therapy.

Iatrogenic effects, therefore, apply to most service providers, regardless of their credentials. Those professionals who are especially at risk of iatrogenic effects of their services are those who do not follow a standard of care recognized by the relevant ...