Methods to Reduce Medical Over-Testing of Patients

Abstract

Medical over-testing occurs when a physician utilizes unnecessary lab examination when treating a patient. Over-testing can occur in any medical speciality or level of expertise. Some medical tests have inherent dangers to health, which, in addition to the costs of the tests themselves, can cause more financial burden for patients. If doctors continue to over-test, they run the risk of increasing the cost of healthcare and diminishing the integrity of their medical practice. Therefore, clinicians need to mitigate over-testing. Current research has provided many reasons why doctors over-test their patients. This paper will create a theoretical framework that reorganizes these reasons within the context of the inter- and intrapersonal dynamics that exist in a clinical setting. This model will also serve as a tool to analyze possible solutions to prevent over-testing and effective implementation strategies.