Your doctor prescribes a series of tests that he or she wants you to go through. Do you really need them? Unnecessary tests can waste time, and increase the cost of treatment. It can also lead to false alarms, which can result in harm to the patient.
Do you really need that medical test that your doctor is suggesting? Studies have shown that not every patient needs to undergo each and every medical test that exists. For example, experts say that cancer screenings tend to be overused, and overprescribed, by doctors.
One example of this is with mammograms. Many doctors are prescribing them for women who are younger than recommended age for the test. Or, they are prescribing these tests too frequently. Experts say that overall, doctors are ordering prostate cancer tests too often.
They note that the tests themselves do not save lives, and that every medical test comes with the potential that it will harm the patient. It would be better for doctors to prescribe these screenings for people who are at a higher risk for cancer, or who are showing signs of it, than to systematically make all patients undergo these types of tests.
Other tests that are overprescribed include women’s yearly pap smears (to check for cervical cancer). It is recommended for most women to undergo these invasive exams every three years, instead. The exams are not necessary in order for a woman to receive birth control. There are plenty of other tests that are being ordered too often, as well.
Previously, doctors prescribed every possible test that existed, to every patient, for a few reasons. The theory was that if the patient did end up having cancer, (or other health issues), at least one of those tests would “catch it”. Also, doctors were worried about being sued for malpractice if they chose not to prescribe a specific test, and it later turned out that the patient had developed cancer.
These practices are part of what makes health care, and health insurance, so incredibly expensive in America. Often, doctors are unaware of how their recommendations that a person undergo a bunch of tests will affect the bill that the patient eventually has to pay.
There are other dangers that can come from doctors requiring a patient to undergo an unnecessary test. Sometimes, the test results in a false positive. In other words, the person doesn’t actually have cancer, but, the test results, (for whatever reason), say that the patient does have a form of cancer. This could lead to expensive, and unnecessary, surgery. Every surgery comes with the potential risk that it could harm, or kill, the patient.
We are currently in a time of change. New recommendations encourage doctors to think about the cost-effectiveness of the care that they prescribe. Patients are being asked to become more aware of their own health, and their personal risk factors. Patients are encouraged to ask their doctor questions about how effective a certain test is, and what will happen if they skip it, before the test is ordered.
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