Overdiagnosed

Zusatztext “Very insightful and engaging.”—Dennis Rosen! The Boston Globe “One of the most important books about health care  in the last several years.”—Cato Institute  "One of the big strengths of this relatively small book is that if you are inclined to ponder medicine's larger questions! you get to tour them all. What is health! really?... In the finite endeavor that is life! when is it permissible to stop preventing things? And if the big questions just make you itchy! you can concentrate on the numbers instead: The authors explain most of the important statistical concepts behind evidence-based medicine in about as friendly a way as you are likely to find."—Abigail Zuger! MD! The New York Times " Overdiagnosed —albeit controversial—is a provocative! intellectually stimulating work. As such! all who are involved in health care! including physicians! allied health professionals! and all current or future patients! will be well served by reading and giving serious thought to the material presented."- JAMA “Everyone should read this book before going to the doctor! Welcome evidence that more testing and treatment is not always better.”- Susan Love! MD! author of Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book   “This book makes a compelling case against excessive medical screening and diagnostic testing in asymptomatic people. Its important but underappreciated message is delivered in a highly readable style. I recommend it enthusiastically for everyone.”- Arnold S. Relman! MD! editor-in-chief emeritus! New England Journal of Medicine ! and author of A Second Opinion: Rescuing America’s Health Care   “This stunning book will help you and your loved ones avoid the hazards of too much health care. Within just a few pages! you’ll be recommending it to family and friends! and! hopefully! your local physician. If every medical student read Overdiagnosed! there is little doubt that a safer! healthier world would be the result.”- Ray Moynihan! conjoint lecturer at the University of Newcastle! visiting editor of the British Medical Journal! and author of Selling Sickness   “An ‘overdiagnosis’ is a label no one wants: it is worrisome! it augurs ‘overtreatment!’ and it has no potential for personal benefit. This elegant book forewarns you. It also teaches you how and why to ask! ‘Do I really need to know this?’ before agreeing to any diagnostic or screening test. A close read is good for your health.”- Nortin M. Hadler! MD! professor of medicine and microbiology/immunology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of Worried Sick and The Last Well Person   “We’ve all been made to believe that it is always in people’s best interest to try to detect health problems as early as possible. Dr. Welch explains! with gripping examples and ample evidence! how those who have been overdiagnosed cannot benefit from treatment; they can only be harmed. I hope this book will trigger a paradigm shift in the medical establishment’s thinking.” —Sidney Wolfe! MD! author of Worst Pills! Best Pills and editor of WorstPills.org Informationen zum Autor H. Gilbert Welch Klappentext A complex web of factors has created the phenomenon of overdiagnosis: the popular media promotes fear of disease and perpetuates the myth that early, aggressive treatment is always best; in an attempt to avoid lawsuits, doctors have begun to leave no test undone, no abnormality overlooked; and profits are being made from screenings, medical procedures, and pharmaceuticals. Revealing the social, medical, and economic ramifications of a health-care system that overdiagnoses and overtreats patients, Dr. H. Gilbert Welch makes a reasoned call for change that would save us pain, worry, and money. My first car was a ’65 Ford Fairlane wagon. It was a fairly simple—albeit large—vehicle. I could even d...

List of contents

Table of Contents...

Introduction: Our Enthusiasm for Diagnosis

Chapter 1) Genesis: People Become Patients with High Blood Pressure
Chapter 2) We Change the Rules: How Numbers Get Changed to Give You Diabetes, High Cholesterol, and Osteoporosis
Chapter 3) We Are Able to See More: How Scans Give You Gallstones, Damaged Knee Cartilage, Bulging Discs, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, and Blood Clots
Chapter 4) We Look Harder for Prostate Cancer: How Screening Made It Clear That Overdiagnosis Exists in Cancer
Chapter 5) We Look Harder for Other Cancers
Chapter 6) We Look Harder for Breast Cancer
Chapter 7) We Stumble onto Incidentalomas That Might Be Cancer
Chapter 8) We Look Harder for Everything Else: How Screening Gives You (and Your Baby) Another Set of Problems
Chapter 9) We Confuse DNA with Disease: How Genetic Testing Will Give You Almost Anything
Chapter 10) Get the Facts
Chapter 11) Get the System
Chapter 12) Get the Big Picture

Conclusion: Pursuing Health with Less Diagnosis

Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

Report

Very insightful and engaging. Dennis Rosen, The Boston Globe

One of the most important books about health care  in the last several years. Cato Institute 

"One of the big strengths of this relatively small book is that if you are inclined to ponder medicine's larger questions, you get to tour them all. What is health, really?... In the finite endeavor that is life, when is it permissible to stop preventing things? And if the big questions just make you itchy, you can concentrate on the numbers instead: The authors explain most of the important statistical concepts behind evidence-based medicine in about as friendly a way as you are likely to find." Abigail Zuger, MD, The New York Times

"Overdiagnosed albeit controversial is a provocative, intellectually stimulating work. As such, all who are involved in health care, including physicians, allied health professionals, and all current or future patients, will be well served by reading and giving serious thought to the material presented." JAMA

Everyone should read this book before going to the doctor! Welcome evidence that more testing and treatment is not always better. Susan Love, MD, author of Dr. Susan Love s Breast Book
 
This book makes a compelling case against excessive medical screening and diagnostic testing in asymptomatic people. Its important but underappreciated message is delivered in a highly readable style. I recommend it enthusiastically for everyone. Arnold S. Relman, MD, editor-in-chief emeritus, New England Journal of Medicine, and author of A Second Opinion: Rescuing America s Health Care
 
This stunning book will help you and your loved ones avoid the hazards of too much health care. Within just a few pages, you ll be recommending it to family and friends, and, hopefully, your local physician. If every medical student read Overdiagnosed, there is little doubt that a safer, healthier world would be the result. Ray Moynihan, conjoint lecturer at the University of Newcastle, visiting editor of the British Medical Journal, and author of Selling Sickness
 
An overdiagnosis is a label no one wants: it is worrisome, it augurs overtreatment, and it has no potential for personal benefit. This elegant book forewarns you. It also teaches you how and why to ask, Do I really need to know this? before agreeing to any diagnostic or screening test. A close read is good for your health. Nortin M. Hadler, MD, professor of medicine and microbiology/immunology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of Worried Sick and The Last Well Person
 
We ve all been made to believe that it is always in people s best interest to try to detect health problems as early as possible. Dr. Welch explains, with gripping examples and ample evidence, how those who have been overdiagnosed cannot benefit from treatment; they can only be harmed. I hope this book will trigger a paradigm shift in the medical establishment s thinking. Sidney Wolfe, MD, author of Worst Pills, Best Pills and editor of WorstPills.org

Product details

• Authors: Lisa Schwartz, Lisa M. Schwartz, H Gilbert Welch, H. Gilbert Welch, Steve Woloshin, Steven Woloshin
• Publisher: BEACON PRESS
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 03.01.2012
• EAN: 9780807021996
• ISBN: 978-0-8070-2199-6
• No. of pages: 248
• Dimensions: 153 mm x 230 mm x 18 mm
• Subjects: Guides > Health; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > Clinical medicine