A case where defensive medicine harmed a patient

This NY Times story details a case where a patient wanted antibiotics for lyme disease, against the advice of her doctor: “A week after starting the treatment, she developed inflammation at the insertion site. The intravenous catheter had to be removed. As we discussed the next step, she told me she didn’t want additional antibiotics. I confess to a longish moment of satisfaction: doing nothing had been the best thing to do.”

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