Choosing Wisely Update - December 2018

Sustainable Healthcare Award for Choosing Wisely Australia

The Choosing Wisely Australia initiative has been recognised with a Practice Award, for sustainable health intervention that is being implemented, at the inaugural 2018 Bond University Sustainable Healthcare Awards, held on 22 November.The Sustainable Healthcare Awards raise awareness of best practice in high-value healthcare and recognise the achievements of advocates and pioneers in this area.

Dr Robyn Lindner, NPS MedicineWise Client Relations Manager (pictured), accepted the award and said: “Choosing Wisely Australia is bringing together health professionals, healthcare consumers and other key healthcare influencers to address practices of low-value and unnecessary healthcare.

“This is recognition of the commitment of NPS MedicineWise and our Choosing Wisely members and supporters who are driving a national conversation about what care is truly needed and identifying practices with little or no benefit.”

Read more

Choosing Wisely referenced in latest Healthcare Atlas

Last week, NPS MedicineWise welcomed the release of The Third Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation, which presents national data on variations in healthcare relevant to several Choosing Wisely Australia recommendations.
Key findings from the Atlas related to Choosing Wisely Australia recommendations developed by our member health professional organisations include insights on:

• Appropriate use of antibiotics in children
• Appropriate use of proton pump inhibitors in both adults and children
• Appropriate use of colonoscopy and thyroid function testing
In the NPS MedicineWise media release, Choosing Wisely Australia Advisory Group Chair Dr Matthew Anstey said: “The Third Atlas of Variation provides data on a number of Choosing Wisely recommendations, providing an opportunity for clinicians and consumers to question whether the items highlighted by the report are really needed. Through its clinical leadership and consumer partnerships, Choosing Wisely Australia is starting that next step of tackling unnecessary variation in healthcare identified in the Atlas.”

Register for upcoming events

​2019 Choosing Wisely Australia National Meeting

On behalf of NPS MedicineWise, Choosing Wisely Australia invites you to our 2019 National Meeting to be held in Melbourne on Thursday 30 May with the theme “from consultations to conversations”.

This annual event brings together Choosing Wisely members and supporters, policy makers, consumer advocates and other healthcare influencers for an interactive day of discussion, including highlights, challenges and opportunities as the initiative continues to grow.
Registration and abstract submissions are now open

Preventing Overdiagnosis Conference

Wiser Healthcare will host the 7th international Preventing Overdiagnosis scientific conference in Sydney, 5-7 December 2019. Bringing some of the world’s leading experts on overdiagnosis to Australian shores, the event is promising to be an exciting, mind-stretching exploration of what’s causing overdiagnosis, where and how it’s happening, and what we can do about it.
​Register here

Latest Choosing Wisely recommendations

Last week we published the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s inaugural Choosing Wisely list of six recommendations for Australians to consider around medicines use – this includes prescription, over-the-counter and complementary medicines.
Read the media release
​Read the recommendations

A list of five new recommendations developed by The Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians was released under the RACP Evolve and Choosing Wisely Australia initiatives as part of World Antibiotic Awareness Week from 12-18 November.

Read the recommendations

NPS MedicineWise education program: low back pain

October 2018 saw the release of the NPS MedicineWise low back pain program, which reframes the management of acute non-specific low back pain, offering new approaches for an age-old problem.

The program aims to improve quality of life for people with acute non-specific low back pain through improved assessments and management in primary care and to reduce inappropriate imaging and references several recommendations from Choosing Wisely Australia members, including:

• Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
• ​Australian Physiotherapy Association
• ​Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists

Welcome to our seven newest Choosing Wisely Australia members:

The Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
West Gippsland Healthcare Group (Vic)
Western Health (Vic)
Goulburn Valley Health (Vic)
St Vincent’s Hospital (Vic)
Child and Adolescent Health Service (WA)

2019 wraps up...

There’s no doubt it’s been an exciting year for everyone involved in the Choosing Wisely Australia campaign. To our valued members and supporters, thank you for your outstanding commitment to the initiative and to improving health outcomes for all Australians by reducing low-value and unnecessary healthcare.

Enjoy a safe, happy and healthy holiday season and we look forward to collaborating with you again in the New Year.​