US doctors identify top five activities that can be reduced

Doctors in the US could cut back on many common medical activities, such as imaging and routine antibiotics, without adversely affecting patient care to save substantial costs, says a survey by the National Physicians Alliance. The group now plans to educate doctors and patients on why this constitutes good medical practice.

The alliance, whose aim is to achieve high quality affordable healthcare for all, set up working groups in family, internal, and paediatric medicine to evaluate common medical activities. The groups looked at the frequency with which they engaged in a particular activity in their practice, the potential impact of that activity on quality and cost of care, the evidence supporting use of the activity, …