In an effort to address over utilisation and health care spending, ABIM has built a coalition of medical specialty societies and each has contributed a list of things patients should question. http://www.choosingwisely.org/doctor-patient-lists/ has the lists, and includes a range of procedures and tests that should be carefully considered or are believed to be largely inappropriate. The patient-friendly materials are below:
- Allergy tests: When you need them and when you don’t
- Bone-density tests: When you need them…
- Chest X-rays before surgery: When you need them…
- Choosing pain relievers with kidney disease/heart problems
- Chronic kidney disease: Making hard choices
- Colonoscopy: When you need it…
- EKGs and exercise stress tests: When you need them…
- Hard decisions about cancer
- Heart tests before surgery : When you need an imaging test…*
- IgG replacement therapy: When you need it…
- Imaging stress tests: When you need them…
- Imaging tests for a headache: When you need them…
- Imaging tests for lower-back pain: When you need them…
- Imaging tests for ovarian cysts: When you need them…
- Pap tests: When you need them…
- Spirometry for asthma: When you need it…
- Stress tests for chest pain: When you need an imaging test…*
- Testing after heart procedures: When you need a nuclear stress test…*
- Treating heartburn and GERD
- Treating sinusitus: Don’t rush to antibiotics