Overscreening
Overscreening
Overscreening (pronunciation: /ˌoʊvərˈskriːnɪŋ/) refers to the medical practice of conducting excessive diagnostic tests or health screenings on patients who are unlikely to benefit from them.
Etymology
The term "overscreening" is a compound word derived from the English words "over," meaning excessive or too much, and "screening," referring to the process of testing for disease or disorder in people who do not yet have symptoms.
Definition
Overscreening is a phenomenon in healthcare where patients are subjected to unnecessary diagnostic tests or screenings. This can lead to overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and increased healthcare costs. It can also cause unnecessary stress and anxiety for patients.
Related Terms
- Overdiagnosis: The diagnosis of a "disease" that will never cause symptoms or death during a patient's lifetime. Overdiagnosis can result from overscreening.
- Overtreatment: The treatment of a disease or condition that would not necessarily benefit the patient. Overtreatment can be a consequence of overscreening and overdiagnosis.
- Preventive healthcare: Measures taken to prevent diseases or injuries rather than curing them or treating their symptoms. Overscreening can be a misguided attempt at preventive healthcare.
- Medical test: A kind of medical procedure performed to detect, diagnose, or monitor diseases, disease processes, susceptibility, or to determine a course of treatment. Overscreening involves excessive use of medical tests.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Overscreening
- Wikipedia's article - Overscreening
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