I was struck by the recurring themes in this week’s health news and planned to blog about it today. But Lindsey Tanner of AP beat me to it with her story, “Experts say US doctors overtesting, overtreating.” She begins: “Too much cancer screening, too many heart tests, too many cesarean sections. A spate of recent reports suggest that too many Americans – maybe even President Barack Obama – are being overtre…
…ergo a mammogram every three years. The current invitation letters and accompanying leaflets have been heavily criticised for failing to mention potential harms of breast screening, in particular the risk of overdiagnosis and overtreatment (http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b86). In response to this criticism, Sir Michael Richards, National Cancer Director for the NHS, asked eminent epidemiologist Sir Michael Marmot to chair an independent commi…
…Minnesotans’ bad backs. Snowbeck artfully captures the predictable rationalization and defensive responses coming from locals who don’t like what the data suggest. Because what they suggest is overuse leading to overtreatment. So here’s one attempt a provider makes to deflect the data: “The Medicare billing/claims data, which this report is generated from, would not capture conversations between a patient and provider t…
…ghter stained many a page, marking quotes such as: Dr. Nortin Hadler on “risk factor fetish.” Muir Gray and Angela Raffle on “the popularity paradox” – “The greater the harm through overdiagnosis and overtreatment from screening, the more people there are who believe they owe their health, or even their life, to the programme.” Dr. Cornelia Baines: “I remain convinced that the current enthusiasm for screening is …
…e false-positive results, false-positive biopsy results, radiation exposure, false-negative results and false reassurance, pain related to the procedure, overdiagnosis (that is, diagnosis of tumors that are of no threat), and overtreatment. False-positive results are the most common and easily quantifiable harm. On the basis of statistics specific to U.S. practice patterns, about half of women getting an annual mammogram for 10 years starting at …
…ation oncologist would change Dr. Seigel’s artistic temperament is unclear. The segment never addresses an important issue underlying any treatment decision for prostate cancer–the substantial risks of overdiagnosis and overtreatment. An estimated 23% to 42% of prostate cancers detected by screening would never cause problems during a man’s lifetime. Providing any treatment, however artfully delivered, for men with these low-risk cancers …
The documentary, Money & Medicine, aired on PBS last night. The announcement on the PBS website states: Money & Medicine investigates the dangers the nation faces from runaway health care spending as well as the dangers patients face from over-diagnosis and over-treatment. In addition to illuminating the waste and overtreatment that pervade our medical system, Money & Medicine explores promising ways to reduce health care expenditur…
… consumers should consider when they hear technologies such as robotic surgery promoted Unbalanced stories or media messages about various screening tests may be our most common theme Numerous articles on overdiagnosis and on overtreatment Shared decision-making is one of our most common themes In addition, we provide brief primers to help journalists and the general public understand what they read in medical studies. Topics include: Surrogat…
…bout first-person health care journalism: “When it’s done right, and in the right context, first person treatment stories can be gold. Laurence Stains did a great piece called ‘I Want My Prostate Back‘ about overtreatment of prostate cancer.” In Boston, WBUR’s Martha Bebinger has reported several pieces recently about her search for a quality colonoscopy. Her latest, “Ask About The Quality Of Your Colonoscopy…
… breast cancer at 35? It turns out I did.” But a few paragraphs later, she updates readers: “Sixteen years later, my thinking has changed. As study after study revealed the limits of screening — and the dangers of overtreatment — a thought niggled at my consciousness. How much had my mammogram really mattered? Would the outcome have been the same had I bumped into the cancer on my own years later? It’s hard to argue with a good result…
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