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When less can mean more

Ray N Moynihan
Med J Aust 2012; 196 (9): . || doi: 10.5694/mja12.10703
Published online: 21 May 2012

Ray Moynihan hears a new professional–consumer alliance ringing the alarm on overused interventions

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. In the United States a few weeks ago, nine leading doctors’ groups published lists of the top five overused tests and treatments within their specialty areas.1 What’s more, they did it with enormous fanfare and in partnership with one of the world’s most powerful health consumer groups, the US Consumer Reports.


  • Byron Bay, NSW.



Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

  • 1. Cassel C, Guest J. Choosing wisely: helping physicians and patients make smart decisions about their care. JAMA 2012; 307: 1801-1802.
  • 2. Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, et al. The implications of regional variations in medicare spending. Part 2: health outcomes and satisfaction with care. Ann Intern Med 2003; 138: 288-298.
  • 3. Doukas P, Flaherty J, Foster L, et al. Antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections in the Australian Capital Territory and south-eastern New South Wales. Med Student J Aust [internet] 2009: 1. http://msja.anu.edu.au/archive/issue/01/antibiotic.php (accessed May 2012).
  • 4. Professional Services Review. Report to the professions 2008–2009. Canberra: PSR. http://www.psr.gov.au/docs/publications/PSR_Report%20to%20the%20professionals_FINAL_WEB.PDF (accessed May 2012).
  • 5. Smith J. Appropriate primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: does this mean more or less statin use? Aust Prescr 2011; 34: 169-172.
  • 6. Brody, H. Medicine’s ethical responsibility for health care reform — the Top Five list. N Engl J Med 2010; 362: 283-285.

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