Unnecessary screenings may lead to unwarranted stress, false positives, and harmful exposure—here’s why you might want to reconsider them.
Are routine medical screenings always beneficial? Each year, millions of Americans willingly participate in these tests with the intent of safeguarding their health. Yet, emerging evidence indicates that certain screenings may be unnecessary and potentially jeopardize one’s well-being.
The High Price of Excessive Medical Screening
The United States spends twice as much on health care per person compared to other industrialized nations, yet the returns in terms of life expectancy are dishearteningly meager. Despite the high expenditures, the United States lags behind twelve high-income countries in numerous health indicators.
While America tops the charts in screening rates for breast and colorectal cancer, second only to Sweden and the Netherlands respectively, the efficacy of such frequent screenings is debatable.
“Over-testing is at the root of many of our problems,” report Dr. Jerome Greenberg and Dr. Jonas B. Green in an American Journal of Medicine commentary. They highlight that when tests are unnecessary, “time can be more appropriately spent counseling patients, listening to them, and redoubling efforts to follow well-supported preventive guidelines.”
A recent JAMA review reveals that up to $935 billion in annual health care spending is wasted, a substantial portion resulting from unnecessary tests or procedures. Drs. Greenberg and Green highlight that over-testing often stems from the “belief that ordering many tests will help detect subclinical disease, defensive medicine, lack of knowledge, patient expectations, and profit” motives.
Over-screening carries a significant economic burden, but its human cost is even more profound. Unwarranted tests can result in anxiety, false alarms, and harmful exposures. Drs. Greenberg and Green emphasize that the drawbacks—low diagnostic yield, high costs, and the emotional strain of false positives—are often overlooked when prescribing screenings for asymptomatic individuals.
7 Tests You May Not Need, and That May Even Cause Harm
- Cardiac Stress Test
- Coronary Calcium Scan
- CT Scan or MRI
- Bone Density Scans
- Colonoscopies
- Prostate Screening Test (PSA)
- Pap Smears
By Sheramy Tsai
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