Featured Stories

Our members and supporters network is comprised of health professional colleges, societies and associations, champion health services and consumer organisations. These featured stories showcase how Choosing Wisely principles are implemented by our members and supporters to improve the safety and quality of healthcare for Australians.

17 May 2022

Choosing Wisely’s 5 Questions helping couples navigate fertility treatments

Fertility treatment, including IVF, can take months or even years, and it doesn’t always work. It can be difficult for people to make decisions about which tests, treatments and add-ons will improve the chance of a baby. There are many options available that have little or no evidence to support them. The Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA) has adopted Choosing Wisely’s 5 Questions to help people make informed choices about the most effective treatments.

08 Feb 2022

Choosing Wisely 5 Questions giving confidence to clinicians

Darling Downs Health used the Choosing Wisely 5 Questions to help their rural patients ask questions of their healthcare teams, however, feedback made it clear that local doctors wanted support to help respond. The program was broadened to include medical staff and a printable resource was created to support health professionals have these discussions with their patients. Early evidence suggests this has led to an even stronger program with increased benefits for both patients and doctors.

01 Feb 2022

Choosing Wisely and COVID-19 pathology retesting intervals

In July 2021, during the COVID-19 response at the Wollongong Hospital A5 ward, we noted pathology testing for COVID-19 patients was far greater than the average patient, and unnecessary in many cases. A Choosing Wisely program of guideline development, education and support saw an 81% reduction in tests ordered, increasing patient safety and comfort with no adverse impact on patient care.

18 Jan 2022

Using Choosing Wisely in ICU to reduce unnecessary testing

In the Intensive Care Unit, blood tests and chest radiographs are usually requested on a routine, time-scheduled basis, and many may be unnecessary. The Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth has developed a replacement protocol to reduce unnecessary tests and will evaluate and optimise this protocol in a large clinical study.

11 Jan 2022

Choosing Preoperative Pathology Wisely

An audit at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital found that 41% of all pre-operative pathology tests ordered before elective surgery were unnecessary. A Choosing Wisely program introduced at the hospital to address this issue started with urology procedures, and has seen significant improvements.

Stewardship toolkit for clinical educators

The Health Resource Stewardship for Clinical educators contains educational material about the Choosing Wisely initiative for use in universities, hospitals and health professional colleges

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5 Questions

5 questions to ask your doctor or other healthcare provider to make sure you end up with the right amount of care.

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