Patient requests sometimes drive overuse. For example, a parent might request antibiotics for his or her child who likely has viral sinusitis, or a patient might request magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for low-back pain. Often patients are unaware of the benefits, side-effects and risks of tests and treatments. Taking time to explore a patient’s concerns, and counseling them about the relative benefits and risks of tests or treatments represents a patient-centered approach to ensuring the appropriate use of resources.
Conditions: Viral sinusitis, low back pain
Diagnostic Tests: MRI
Treatments: Antibiotics
View PDF
Sources
- Brett AS, McCullough LB. Addressing requests by patients for nonbeneficial interventions. JAMA. 2012;307(2):149-150. (PubMed)
- Choosing Wisely Canada. The College of Family Physicians of Canada: Eleven things physicians and patients should question [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2015 Oct 1]. (ChoosingWisely)
- Chou R, Fu R, Carrino JA, Deyo RA. Imaging strategies for low-back pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2009 Feb 7;373(9662):463-72. (PubMed)
- Schumann SA, Hickner J. Patients insist on antibiotics for sinusitis? Here is a good reason to say “no”. J Fam Pract. 2008 Jul;57(7):464-8. (PubMed)
- Smith SR, Montgomery LG, Williams JW Jr. Treatment of mild to moderate sinusitis. Arch Intern Med. 2012 Mar 26;172(6):510-3. (PubMed)
- Williams CM, Maher CG, Hancock MJ, McAuley JH, McLachlan AJ, Britt H, et al. Low back pain and best practice care: A survey of general practice physicians. Arch Intern Med. 2010 Feb 8;170(3):271-7. (PubMed)