Choosing Wisely Week: How are you reducing unnecessary care?

Choosing Wisely Week this year will run from 28 February to 6 March. Choosing Wisely Australia is encouraging medical colleges, healthcare providers and consumer organisations to participate in the week and for Australians to ask ‘Am I getting the right amount of healthcare – not too much and not too little?’

Choosing Wisely Australia is part of a global campaign encouraging a national conversation about reducing unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures. Reducing unnecessary care can improve patient care and reduce harm, while freeing up resources for more high-value care. During Choosing Wisely Week, health organisations across Australia are encouraged to promote Choosing Wisely principles and showcase the ways they are working to reduce low-value care.

Choosing Wisely Champion Health Services have been running a wide range of projects to reduce waste and unnecessary care. Examples on the Choosing Wisely website range from Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District reducing unnecessary pathology testing during their COVID-19 response, to Darling Downs Health supporting staff to have important conversations with patients about their healthcare.

The free downloadable Choosing Wisely Week toolkit offers a range of items health organisations can use as part of their promotional and engagement activities, including 5 Questions a patient can ask their healthcare provider, social media posts and videos to share, and a media release template.