iatrogenic

American  

[ahy-a-truh-jen-ik, ee-a-] / aɪˌæ trəˈdʒɛn ɪk, iˌæ- /

adjective

1. (of a medical disorder) caused by the diagnosis, manner, or treatment of a physician.

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iatrogenic British  

/ aɪˌætrəʊdʒɪˈnɪsɪtɪ, aɪˌætrəʊˈdʒɛnɪk /

adjective

1. med (of an illness or symptoms) induced in a patient as the result of a physician's words or actions, esp as a consequence of taking a drug prescribed by the physician

2. social welfare (of a problem) induced by the means of treating a problem but ascribed to the continuing natural development of the problem being treated

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Usage

What does iatrogenic mean? Iatrogenic is an adjective used to describe a medical disorder, illness, or injury caused in the process of medical treatment. Iatrogenic conditions are typically caused inadvertently, such as through an incorrect diagnosis or the prescription of medicine that ends up doing harm. Less commonly, iatrogenic is used in the context of social welfare to describe a problem that has been caused by the actions intended to address another problem. Example: Iatrogenic conditions are the basis of most medical malpractice lawsuits.

Other Word Forms

• iatrogenicity
  noun

Etymology

Origin of iatrogenic

First recorded in 1920–25; iatro- + -genic

Example Sentences

If Whitaker is right, modern psychiatry, together with the pharmaceutical industry, has inflicted iatrogenic harm on millions of people.

From Scientific American • Oct. 17, 2020

A number of procedures have been known to transmit iatrogenic CJD.

From The Guardian • Sep. 9, 2015

These findings should also prompt investigation of whether other known iatrogenic routes of prion transmission may also be relevant to Aβ and other proteopathic seeds associated with neurodegenerative and other human diseases.

From Nature • Sep. 8, 2015

There has been what he called “iatrogenic government,” an iatrogenic ailment being one caused by a physician or medicine: Some welfare policies provided perverse incentives for absent fathers.

From Washington Post • Mar. 13, 2015

Doctors’ families do tend to complain that they receive less medical attention than their friends and neighbors, but they seem a normal, generally healthy lot, with a remarkably low incidence of iatrogenic illness.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas