Up to 30% of tests, treatments, and procedures in Canada are potentially unnecessary.
Unnecessary tests, treatments, and procedures
- do not add value for patients
- potentially expose patients to harm
- lead to more testing to investigate false positives
- contribute to unwarranted stress for patients and their families
- consume precious time and resources.
For example, Canadian and international guidelines note that seniors should not be on long-term prescriptions of benzodiazepines (sleeping pills). These powerful drugs can increase their risks for car accidents, falls, and hip fractures. Yet, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (2017) revealed that the rate of long-term benzodiazepine use among seniors ranged from 5% in Saskatchewan to 25% in New Brunswick. [can we replace this with a peds example?]
So why do these unnecessary activities occur? Well, there are many possible drivers of unnecessary tests, treatments, and procedures, including:
- Practice habits are traditionally difficult to change, even in the face of new evidence
- Patients might request tests and treatments without having all the information about the risks and benefits
- Lack of time for shared decision-making between clinicians and patients
- Outdated decision-support systems encourage over-ordering
- Defensive medicine and fear of malpractice lawsuits drive over-investigations
- Payment systems reward doing more
To learn more visit Choosing Wisely Canada or view all Choosing Wisely Canada Recommendations (by specialty).