More than a dozen medical groups have issued new lists of tests and procedures that they say are often unnecessary and overused and should be questioned by both physicians and patients.
The lists – issued by 17 physician organizations on Feb. 21 – comprise the second iteration of the Choosing Wisely campaign, launched by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation in April 2012. The lists, compiled by each group as "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question," are evidence-based recommendations to help physicians and patients make decisions together.
"Patient empowerment and appropriate care is what Choosing Wisely is all about," ABIM Foundation President and CEO Christine Cassel said at a press conference held by the ABIM. The groups aim to change the perception that "more is always better," she said.
Groups such as AARP, the National Business Group on Health, labor unions, and even Wikipedia have been brought into the campaign. Patient outreach is spearheaded by Consumer Reports, which is producing patient-friendly brochures based on the lists.
The first lists were issued in April 2012 and covered procedures and tests deemed overused by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians.
Each "Five Things" list is the result of a long process within the organization, which is explained at the end of the list. And each recommendation is accompanied by the reasoning and evidence for its selection.
Later this year, several groups will add to their lists and a new cohort of physician organizations will join the effort, ABIM’s Dr. Cassell noted.
"I don’t think we can overcommunicate on this issue – to patients, to providers, to employers," Dr. David L. Longworth, chairman of the Medicine Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, said at the briefing. "We need to reframe expectations and educate people about what is and is not appropriate."
All of the lists can be found at the Choosing Wisely website.
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