AHRQ Patient Safety Network ► Overkill: An avalanche of unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially. What can we do about it?

AHRQ Patient Safety Network

In The New Yorker, MD-author Atul Gawande discusses how overuse can lead to financial and physical harm for patients.New Yorker. May 11, 2015.

Overkill: An avalanche of unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially. What can we do about it?

Gawande A. New Yorker. May 11, 2015.

The overuse of medical care and its negative impact on personal health and finances is an emerging concern. This magazine article provides insights from a surgeon about how providing unnecessary care can contribute to patient harm and waste. Consequences of unneeded medical care include overtesting,overdiagnosis, and overtreatment. A previous AHRQ WebM&M perspective explored overuse as a patient safety problem.

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