Patients not the culprit for unnecessary care

Doctors and nurses often blame patients' demands for the costly habit of providing unnecessary care, but a new study published in JAMA Oncology suggests this theory may not hold water. The study, in which researchers surveyed clinicians at three Philadelphia-area outpatient oncology facilities, found that patients make requests for medically inappropriate care only 1 percent of the time, and these requests were rarely granted by providers.

In an accompanying editorial, Anthony L. Back, M.D., wrote that rather than patient requests, the driving force behind unnecessary care--or at least clinicians' perceptions of it--may be their own "lackluster communication skills." The study authors also called for more research into what may actually be causing clinicians to order unnecessary tests and perform unnecessary procedures.  >>Read the full article at FiercePracticeManagement