New Zealand’s over-reliance on tests and treatments subject of symposium

Health professionals have a chance to hear from an international leader on preventing unnecessary tests and treatment at the first Choosing Wisely symposium to be held in New Zealand.

The symposium, at Te Papa in Wellington on Thursday 30 March, will feature Choosing Wisely International chair Professor Wendy Levinson as a keynote speaker.

Choosing Wisely focuses on areas where evidence shows that a test, treatment or procedure provides little or no benefit to a patient and could even cause harm.

Prof Levinson is also the chair and co-founder of Choosing Wisely Canada, as well as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

The campaign launched in New Zealand in December 2016, and is being facilitated by the Council of Medical Colleges in partnership with the Health Quality & Safety Commission and Consumer.

A recent survey of New Zealand doctors found half of all respondents thought the provision of unnecessary tests, procedures or treatments was a serious or somewhat serious issue.

A consumer-focused survey by the Council of Medical Colleges and Consumer also found that when they visited a doctor, 56 percent of respondents generally expected the doctor to provide a prescription or send them for a test and 41 percent of these agreed some tests or treatments which are carried out do not benefit the patient in any meaningful way. Nearly one in five felt their doctor had recommended a test or treatment to them which wasn’t necessary.

Many medical colleges and specialist societies working in New Zealand are engaged in Choosing Wisely and have developed a list of recommendations in relation to unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures for their area of practice. Several more are developing recommendations.

Registration is open for the event here: https://choosing-wisely-implementation-symposium.lilregie.com/step1

For more information contact catherine@limeandsoda.co.nz or visit www.choosingwisely.org.nz