Caution About Screening Tests
Dr. John Henning Schumann has written an informative article about screening tests: On the Sordid Sale of Screening Tests, by John Henning Schumann, MD, The Atlantic, October 2012.
If You Feel O.K., Maybe You Are O.K.
H. Gilbert Welch MD is a physician at Dartmouth and the author of “Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health.” We liked his OP-ED piece—If You Feel O.K., Maybe You Are O.K.—published in the New York Times, Feb. 27, 2012
Dr. Welch points out that most Americans used to believe that “catching” diseases early and starting treatment is always beneficial. He points out that, in fact, we don’t have good evidence for screening and early diagnosis of prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, adult-onset diabetes, elevated cholesterol in children, etc., and yet many groups encourage screening for these conditions. Dr. Welch suggests that maybe we should all learn how we can, in some cases, prevent the condition rather than enter the medical system with blind faith that healthcare interventions can do more than the evidence shows.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/opinion/overdiagnosis-as-a-flaw-in-health-care.html