Medical groups produce list of overused tests in ‘Choosing Wisely’ campaign

TORONTO – A new campaign is aiming to give Canadians all the medical care they need, but no more care than they need.

Nine national medical organizations have drawn up lists of overused tests and treatments and are urging doctors and their patients to think carefully about ordering or undergoing these procedures.

The campaign is called Choosing Wisely Canada, and it mirrors a U.S. campaign launched two years ago.

The idea is that some tests are ordered more often than they ought to be, such as imaging for lower back pain of less than six weeks duration or cardiac stress tests for people who don’t have the right risk factors.

The chairwoman of the campaign, Dr. Wendy Levinson, says getting doctors to order these types of tests only when they are really needed will take culture change.

More Canadian medical groups are working on their own additions to the list, but the nine groups involved in this first phase have identified 40 tests and procedures they say should be ordered on a more discriminating basis.