Many clinicians may recall the Choosing Wisely campaign launched a year and a half ago by the American Board of Internal Medicine in conjunction with Consumer Reports magazine. The product of 42 medical professional societies, Choosing Wisely presented lists of commonly-ordered tests and medications that were not supported by medical evidence. The lists were presented by specialty area, so neurologists, pediatricians, surgeons, family physicians, internists, ob-gyns, etc., could view the lists most relevant to them.

In February 2013, a revised set of lists was released, based on developments since the original Choosing Wisely campaign started. You can access the updated information at: http://www.choosingwisely.org/doctor-patient-lists/.

Choosing Wisely includes far too many recommendations to review in this posting, but I encourage you to go to the website and check out the lists. They are easy to read and access, and you will likely find some tips that will change your practice. I know my ordering patterns have changed after reviewing the lists.

By working with Consumer Reports, the Choosing Wisely campaign aims to educate not just clinicians but also the general public about which tests and treatments are truly effective. And which are not. When patients are better informed, it certainly makes our job easier. We have all had the experience of patients insisting on an antibiotic for a URI or a head CT for a typical muscle tension headache. Explaining why these measures are inappropriate can be time consuming, frustrating, and our patients may think we’re just trying to withhold expensive care. Pointing to Consumer Reports’ participation in this effort may be helpful, since they are seen as a reliable, unbiased source of consumer information.

Unfortunately, when the revised lists were published last month, I saw no mention of them in the public media. When the Choosing Wisely campaign was first launched, there were quite a few newspaper articles and TV commentaries about it. But with the February 2013 revisions, I saw nothing. I have to confess I spend little time on social media, so if Twitter and Facebook were abuzz with information about the new Choosing Wisely recommendations, I will withdraw my concern. I keep hearing that social media is where most people get their news nowadays. Me, I still consider twitter to be that pleasant chirping sound birds make in the morning.

Richard Fleming, MD