Choosing Wisely: An International Campaign to Combat Overuse
<p>The overuse of low-value or unnecessary health care can harm people and waste limited health system resources. In a new post on <em>To the Point,</em> the University of Toronto’s Karen Born and Wendy Levinson, M.D., explain how Choosing Wisely, a clinician-led campaign, is addressing overuse in more than 20 countries. </p><p>Measuring the impact of this effort is especially important, the authors say. Toward that end, leaders from Choosing Wisely campaigns in the United States, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland, and Australia have prioritized 10 recommendations for limiting overuse internationally. To help countries implement and measure progress on reducing overuse, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has created three corresponding indicators, for use of antibiotics for viral infection, imaging for lower-back pain, and long-term use of benzodiazepines for patients over age 65.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2017/aug/choosing-wisely Read the post