National campaign aims to reduce unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures

OAKVILLE, ON /CNW/ - The Ontario Association of Radiologists (OAR) strongly supports the Choosing Wisely Canada (CWC) campaign, launched today by the Canadian Medical Association. CWC is a campaign that encourages physicians and patients to engage in healthy conversations ensuring access to medically necessary tests, treatments and procedures, and to help them make smart and effective choices to ensure high-quality patient care. The campaign is modelled after the Choosing Wisely® campaign in the United States, which was launched in April 2012.

"The OAR has long recognized the critical role of patient and physician dialogue when it comes to making smart decisions to ensure high quality care," says OAR President, Dr. Mark Prieditis. "It is imperative to evaluate the criteria for choosing the appropriateness and effectiveness of all diagnostic imaging tests."
The CWC is led by eight national medical societies, including the Canadian Association of Radiology (CAR), to develop lists of "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question." These lists identify tests, treatments or procedures that are not supported by evidence, and/or could unnecessarily cause patients to be exposed to radiation.

The five areas that were addressed by CAR include:

Criteria for lower back pain
Minor head trauma
Uncomplicated headache
CT for appendicitis in children
Ankle x-rays in adults

The lists are meant to remind referring physician colleagues and patients to determine an appropriate treatment plan together. A complete list of recommendations is available at choosingwiselycanada.org.

"While we are supportive of the CWC and its recommendations, the OAR continues to work to ensure high quality patient care and to advocate for improved patient access to a broad range of imaging technologies," adds Dr. Prieditis. "We remain deeply concerned that the Ontario Ministry of Health has chronically underfunded the purchase and operation of full-field digital mammography (FFDM) equipment, which is the best diagnostic equipment to detect breast cancer."

Ontario still lags behind the rest of Canada in its adoption of digital mammography services, an issue that the OAR first addressed in 2010. FFDM equipment, with its capability of adding breast tomosynthesis (a method for performing higher resolution imaging) has proven to detect up to 30 per cent more cancers when used to screen women for breast cancer. The OAR recommends that all women consult with their physicians regarding regular breast screening, at the age of 40.

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