Reducing Overuse

Overuse is a major issue of healthcare quality, safety, and sustainability, and interventions to address it target multiple drivers. Policy-makers should prioritize transparency, be alert to inequalities, and consider how to balance controlling use with enabling clinicians to respond to individual circumstances.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 02 February 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Overuse has emerged as a significant concern in the realm of healthcare quality, safety, and sustainability worldwide. In this Element, the authors delve into the concepts, terminology, and historical background of overuse concerns. They explore how interventions aimed at reducing overuse target various drivers and emphasize the successes and promising approaches achieved. However, they also acknowledge the challenges in generating and utilizing evidence about overuse. Recognizing the diverse perceptions of value held by different stakeholders is crucial. System-level efforts to restrict access to services have sparked tensions among stakeholder groups and initiated politicized debates about rationing. The authors advocate for clear articulation of priorities, precise problem definition, effective intervention mechanisms, and areas of uncertainty. Policy-makers should prioritize transparency, be mindful of inequalities while striving to reduce overuse, and explore how to balance controlling usage with supporting clinicians' ability to respond to individual circumstances. The complexity of the drivers and potential solutions to overuse necessitates the use of diverse research methods, including social science studies. This title is also accessible as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

ISBN-13: 9781009310680