How to prevent and treat “overdiagnosis”

Experts from all corners of medicine have converged on Dartmouth College in New Hampshire this week in an effort to come to grips with “overdiagnosis” — a costly and risky trend toward seeing disease where there is none and providing unneeded tests and treatments. The three-day conference is an international partnership among Bond University in Australia, the…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Choosing Wisely for Women

If you’ve been following us on Twitter this week, you will have picked up on a trend: Many of the Choosing Wisely topics address things that women commonly experience in the health care system: overused Pap tests and ovarian ultrasound exams, for instance. Of particular concern among procedures is the needlessly high rate of early childbirth. We’ve asked Dr. Jose Luis Mosquera, a…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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A grandson’s quest for the best care

Why do we do what we do? Because people like Zvi Frankel have to work so hard, just to find safe, effective medical treatments. His account of his quest — to help his grandfather find the right heart-valve operation — first was published in JAMA Internal Medicine. It reminds us of the value in making data…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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How to keep antibiotics around a little longer

Antibiotics matter. But the way that patients, doctors and the meat industry use them, they are at risk of being rendered useless. That’s why Consumer Reports has launched an in-depth, publicly available hub on antibiotics, on this site. We urge you to share these materials with your friends and family and think about them the next time…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Choosing Wisely is nearly 2. What have we done?

Consumer Reports, the world’s largest independent product-testing organization, is proud to be leading the consumer communication efforts of the Choosing Wisely campaign. That campaign kicked off in April, 2012, and continues to grow in influence. To amplify key campaign messages, Consumer Reports has collaborated with almost 100 Choosing Wisely partners, grantees, and medical specialty societies to…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Choosing Wisely goes north to multiply

Two years after the launch of the groundbreaking Choosing Wisely campaign, its influence has formally gone international. The Canadian Medical Association and nine of the country’s physician specialty societies have launched Choosing Wisely Canada, with the unveiling of those societies’ own lists of five tests, treatments or procedures for which there is strong evidence of overuse, waste,…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Some Americans take risks with needed drugs due to high costs

Our national poll of more than 1,000 Americans shows many skeptical about generics Ginger Skinner, Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs Americans take a lot of medicine. More than 4 in 10 (44 percent) regularly take a prescription drug, and among those, the average number they take is 4.5 medicines— 16 percent take 7 or more, according…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Choosing Wisely near the end of life

Serious illness, especially in an older person, demands tough choices from patients, their families and their health-care providers. What’s more, it’s often difficult for people to find solid information and advice about those choices and their implications. Thankfully, increased attention to end-of-life care is generating new resources to help patients and their caregivers make better-informed decisions. Here…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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New grant supports next phase of Choosing Wisely campaign

The Choosing Wisely campaign, which focuses on reducing the use of unnecessary medical tests and treatments, will extend its reach among health-care providers and regional health organizations, thanks to a new $4.2-million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the ABIM Foundation. Launched nearly three years ago, Choosing Wisely encourages physicians and patients to discuss which medical…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Consumer Reports targets superbugs

Unrestrained use of antibiotics, in humans and animals, has bred “superbugs” that are resistant to antibiotics and has triggered infections that sicken at least 2.25 million Americans each year and kill 37,000. To combat that problem, Consumer Reports has announced its commitment to help rein in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The initiative kicked off with Consumer Reports President and CEO…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments