Reducing harmful health screenings and overtreatment in older adults medicalxpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicalxpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When a doctor ordered a routine prostate screening for an 80-year-old man -; as doctors often do -; a dramatic yellow alert popped up on the electronic health record with dire warnings.
<p>Doctors routinely orderunnecessary screening tests for older adults including PSA for men and urinary tract infections for women that can result in unnecessary care and serious health problems. Researchers tested a yellow alert on electronoic health records to discourage doctors from ordering these tests. It worked. The approach significantly reduced unnecessary and potentially harmful screeiings. </p>