Overtesting

Health benefits and harms of mammography screening in older women (75+ years)—a systematic review – Erin Mathieu et al.

2024-04-07T15:40:26+10:00Ageing, Breast cancer, Cancer, Overdiagnosis, Overtesting, Publications, Screening, Women's health|

There is little evidence on the balance between potential benefits and harms of mammography screening in women 75 years and older. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise the evidence on the outcomes of mammography screening in women aged 75 years and older.

Evidence for overdiagnosis in noncancer conditions was assessed: a metaepidemiological study using the ‘Fair Umpire’ framework – Sharon Sanders et al.

2024-04-07T15:30:38+10:00Overdiagnosis, Overtesting, Overuse, Publications, Research, Tests|

To our knowledge, this is the first methodological review of studies concerned with overdiagnosis in noncancer conditions. We identified 132 studies identifying or quantifying overdiagnosis of a wide range of noncancer conditions. We applied a novel framework that uses the concept of ‘‘Fair Umpires’’ to [...]

ABC News – Feminism ‘co-opted’ to market non-evidence-based women’s health interventions like AMH ‘egg timer’ tests, researchers argue

2024-02-19T12:42:18+11:00News, Overdiagnosis, Overtesting, Overtreatment, Women's health|

At 38, Carla Loughnane was told she had so few eggs she was near menopause and didn't need birth control. Within six months, she was pregnant. Her twin girls were not yet two years old. This "miracle" baby was a joy, but made her doubt years [...]

The Conversation – Feminist narratives are being hijacked to market medical tests not backed by evidence

2024-02-19T11:14:08+11:00News, Overdiagnosis, Overtesting, Overtreatment, Women's health|

Corporations have used feminist language to promote their products for decades. In the 1980s, companies co-opted messaging about female autonomy to encourage women’s consumption of unhealthy commodities, such as tobacco and alcohol. Today, feminist narratives around empowerment and women’s rights are being co-opted to market interventions [...]

Marketing empowerment: how corporations co-opt feminist narratives to promote non-evidence based health interventions – Copp et al.

2024-02-16T10:55:01+11:00Overdiagnosis, Overtesting, Overtreatment, Publications, Women's health|

Promotion of non-evidence based tests and treatments using empowerment messages risks women being overdiagnosed and overtreated, argue Tessa Copp and colleagues. Commercial organisations have an extraordinary influence on population health through how they engage with and shape social movements to market their products.1 Corporations have historically exploited [...]

Direct-to-consumer tests advertised online in Australia and their implications for medical overuse: systematic online review and a typology of clinical utility – Patti Shih et al.

2024-02-11T14:15:02+11:00Genetic testing, Low-value care, Overdiagnosis, Overtesting, Overtreatment, Overuse, Publications|

The growing number of Direct To Consumer (DTC) tests available for direct purchase online in Australia purport to empower consumers with choice and convenience of access. The categorisation of clinical utility developed in this study shows the majority of currently available products lack clear benefits [...]

The Conversation: You can now order all kinds of medical tests online. Our research shows this is (mostly) a bad idea

2024-02-16T10:48:52+11:00Low-value care, Media, News, Overdiagnosis, Overtesting|

Many of us have done countless rapid antigen tests (RATs) over the course of the pandemic. Testing ourselves at home has become second nature. But there’s also a growing worldwide market in medical tests sold online directly to the public. These are “direct-to-consumer” tests, and [...]

Use of CT, ED presentation and hospitalisations 12 months before and after a diagnosis of cancer in Western Australia: a population-based retrospective cohort study – Ninh Thi Ha et al.

2023-12-01T14:21:39+11:00Cancer, Imaging, Overdiagnosis, Overtesting, Publications, Risk, Screening, Treatment|

The present study examines the patterns of hospital and emergency department services in conjunction with both pre and post diagnostic periods of CT use, which has not been evaluated to date in adult patients with cancer. The cohort makes use of whole of population data [...]

Benefits and harms of prostate specific antigen testing according to Australian guidelines – Michael Caruana et al.

2023-12-01T13:20:42+11:00Cancer, Overdiagnosis, Overtesting, Prostate cancer, Publications, Screening, Tests|

Guidelines for prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing in Australia recommend that men at average risk of prostate cancer who have been informed of the benefits and harms, and who decide to undergo regular testing, should be offered testing every 2 years from 50 to 69 years. This [...]

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