Too much Archives - Wiser Healthcare

Call to improve transparent communication in direct-to-consumer test marketing – Emma Grundtvig Gram et al.

Lucia Marcello2024-08-06T11:23:30+10:00HPV, Imaging, Low-value care, Overdiagnosis, Overtesting, Overuse, Publications, Screening, Tests, Too much|

All tests ‘(…) do harm; some do good as well, and, of these, some do more good than harm at reasonable cost.’ - Muir Gray and Angela Raffle. Medical tests are widely and increasingly marketed directly to consumers via traditional and social media. Such tests may [...]

Diagnostic imaging scans for back pain: three things they can do, three things they can’t

Thomas Dakin2020-12-03T10:30:47+11:00Too much|

It’s time for patients and clinicians to have frank discussions about what diagnostic imaging scans can do for low back pain, and what they cannot, according to research published recently in BMJ Open. Three of the authors, Adrian Traeger, Swee Sharma and Chris Maher, all from the Institute [...]

Weighing up the potential benefits and harms of comprehensive full body health checks

Thomas Dakin2020-08-28T14:26:33+10:00Screening, Tests, Too much|

Most people are familiar with the concept of undergoing general health checks. This might mean that your doctor talks to you about your medical history and lifestyle including diet, physical activity, alcohol intake and smoking history. This is part of providing holistic care to identify [...]

TOO MUCH of a good thing: should the Queen go for breast screening?

Thomas Dakin2020-08-28T14:25:07+10:00Breast cancer, Screening, Too much|

In the article below, University of Sydney Public Health Professor Alexandra Barratt explores the contention around the AgeX trial, the biggest randomised trial ever, which is considering how long should older women continue to be screened for breast cancer. It is published as part of [...]

Too Much of Good Thing: Tackling medical excess remains a huge priority

Thomas Dakin2020-05-20T15:42:35+10:00Too much|

In the article below, Dr Ray Moynihan explores some of the reasons why tackling the complex problem of too much medicine remains a big priority in the COVID era. This article is published as part of the TOO MUCH of a Good Thing series, which is investigating how to reduce [...]

‘Cancer’: what is really in a name?

Thomas Dakin2020-05-20T14:55:08+10:00Too much|

We hear increasingly about the importance of tackling overtreatment, but less often about how overtreatment plays out in the lives of patients and their families. In the article below, Brooke Nickel describes how the use of the word ‘cancer’ can lead to so many issues [...]

Raising the bar for surgery

Thomas Dakin2020-03-23T21:24:11+11:00Too much|

We all understand the role of clinical trials in testing new medicines but many people would be surprised to find out that there are different regulatory processes in place for the introduction of new medical devices and surgical techniques and procedures. This can mean that [...]

Can ‘audit and feedback’ reduce low value care? Promises and challenges

Thomas Dakin2020-02-17T11:13:42+11:00Too much|

Many GPs who in 2018 received Health Department letters regarding their opioid prescribing criticised the strategy to stem over-prescribing, saying it unfairly targeted doctors who had legitimate reasons to prescribe opioids, such as those working in palliative care. The appropriateness of these letters is now being looked [...]

Tackling overtreatment near the end of life

Thomas Dakin2020-01-23T10:35:19+11:00Too much|

We hear increasingly about the importance of tackling overtreatment, but less often about how overtreatment plays out in the lives of patients and their families. In the article below, Associate Professor Magnolia Cardona introduces us to “Walter”, a fictitious character whose story is typical of many older [...]

The ‘Catch it Early’ bandwagon: do the media overhype medical testing for healthy people?

Thomas Dakin2019-11-26T09:03:51+11:00Too much|

A groundbreaking new study is examining how the media globally report on the benefits and harms of tests for healthy people. Dr Mary O’Keeffe, from the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, writes below that the findings are likely to shed new light on [...]

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