About three-quarters of doctors would likely advise against a patient having a medical test they did not need and would probably not provide it if asked, a recent survey shows.
The research, conducted by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists and the NZ Medical Association, was part of the Choose Wisely campaign — a new initiative facilitated by the Council of Medical Colleges in partnership with the Health Quality and Safety Commission.
Choose Wisely is an international movement which aims to reduce low-value and inappropriate medical treatment.
New Zealand recently joined the likes of Australia, US, Canada and Britain in promoting Choose Wisely.The surveys questioned both hospital doctors and GPs.
When asked if they would carry out an unnecessary test or treatment, 81.6% of hospital doctors said no, as did 66.7% of non-hospital doctors, for a combined figure of 77.1%. However, researchers warned that figure was not as clear-cut as it sounds, with many doctors commenting that it would depend on the circumstances.
"Factors that needed to be considered included the cost of the tests, procedures and treatments, the extent to which they might be harmful, whether the patient was paying for them, the nature of the doctor-patient relationship, and the level of patient anxiety associated with not having the test," the research said.
"Many highlighted that there was a process of shared decision-making and negotiation between doctor and patient."
Almost half of all doctors who responded to the survey considered providing unnecessary tests or procedures as a serious or very serious issue in their current area of practice — a figure which rose to 61.6% when asked if it was a nationwide problem. A predominant theme was that many of those requests for additional tests were made by other clinicians, the researchers found.
"Respondents also expressed concern that reliance on testing was emerging at the expense of clinical judgement."
Choosing Wisely chairman Derek Sherwood said it was encouraging to see the high levels of understanding among clinicians about the need to consider whether a test, procedure or treatment was really necessary.
"The key is to have a really good discussion with consumers about the pros and cons of interventions, so a decision about going ahead can be made together."
