iatrogenic

adjective

iat·​ro·​gen·​ic (ˌ)ī-ˌa-trə-ˈje-nik 

: induced unintentionally by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures

iatrogenic illness

iatrogenic injury to a nerve

… obtaining blood from humans is an invasive procedure with inherent risks to the patient such as pain at the needle site and the increased likelihood of acquiring an iatrogenic infection.

—Tony K. L. Kiang and Mary H. H. Ensom

iatrogenically

(ˌ)ī-ˌa-trə-ˈje-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

iatrogenically induced illness

Examples of iatrogenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Illinois broadened eligibility in 2026, and Florida now requires certain state group plans to cover preservation for iatrogenic infertility. —Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026

Preservation before cancer treatment or for conditions causing iatrogenic infertility is far more likely to be covered. —Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026

Florida added fertility preservation requirements for state plans tied to iatrogenic infertility. —Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026

Her cause of death was confirmed as an iatrogenic artery dissection during a percutaneous coronary intervention. —Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Ongoing disasters in health care are uncontrolled, including iatrogenic disorders, unnecessary surgeries, prescription drug abuse, and vaccine failures and injuries. —David Marks, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025

In the past, such iatrogenic botulism clusters have been linked to counterfeit toxin products, as was the case in an outbreak in Egypt in 2017. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 16 Mar. 2023

There are four types of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 9 June 2022

Injury or illness caused by the healer is called iatrogenic harm. —Stephan Landsman, STAT, 6 Aug. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Greek iātro-, combining form of iātrós "physician, healer" + -genic — more at -iatry

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for iatrogenic

• allergenic
• androgenic
• antigenic
• authigenic
• autogenic
• biogenic
• bronchogenic
• chromogenic
• cryogenic
• echogenic
• estrogenic
• isogenic

Medical Definition

iatrogenic

adjective

iat·​ro·​gen·​ic (ˌ)ī-ˌa-trə-ˈjen-ik also (ˌ)ē- 

: induced unintentionally by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures

iatrogenic nosocomial infection

iatrogenic nerve injury

"Iatrogenic events" were defined using standard criteria as an illness resulting from a diagnostic procedure or therapeutic intervention or any harmful occurrence that was not a natural consequence of the patient's underlying illness (and not present at hospital admission).

—Sharon K. Inouye et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association

iatrogenically

-ˈjen-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

iatrogenically induced complications

iatrogenicity

-jə-ˈnis-ət-ē 

noun

plural iatrogenicities