Australian doctors and patients are being asked to "choose wisely" before ordering a range of popular tests which might be ineffective, expensive and unnecessary.
A campaign to reduce over-testing and treatment is being launched in Australia, following the success of the initiative in the United States.
Among the five things doctors and consumers should question are:
- Do not use reflux drugs known as proton pump inhibitors for long periods without trying to reduce doses
- Do not start drugs for high blood pressure or high cholesterol without assessing overall risk for cardiovascular disease
- Do not advocate routine self-monitoring of blood glucose for Type 2 diabetes patients on oral medicines
- Do not screen low risk patients with no symptoms using stress tests and ECG
- Avoid prescribing benzodiazepines to people with a history of substance abuse
The campaign is being spearheaded by NPS MedicineWise.
Read the full article.
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
5 Questions
5 questions to ask your doctor or other healthcare provider to make sure you end up with the right amount of care.