Choosing Wisely

Although clinicians have a vast arsenal of tests and procedures that can be used to diagnose and treat disease, some should be used sparingly. The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) foundation recently released a report as part of the Choosing Wisely campaign; this is an initiative involving leading medical specialty groups and Consumer Reports that lists many commonly used tests and procedures which are not always necessary, and could actually be harmful. Among their recommendations:

• Don't use feeding tubes in patients with advanced dementia
• Don't perform routine annual Pap tests in women 30 to 65
• Don't automatically use CT scans to evaluate children's minor head injuries
• Avoid attempting to achieve tight glycemic control in patients > age 65 with type 2 diabetes

The full list can be found here.