Stopping doctors from ordering unnecessary diagnostic tests requires a structural fix - Summary - MDSpire

Stopping doctors from ordering unnecessary diagnostic tests requires a structural fix

  • By

  • Daniel Morgan

  • July 6, 2026

  • 0 min

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Objective:

To address the misuse of diagnostic tests in medicine and promote the concept of diagnostic stewardship.

Approach:
  • Research Project in Michigan: A study was conducted in 46 hospitals to implement diagnostic stewardship by changing how tests are ordered and processed.
  • Educational Efforts: Initial educational efforts to train doctors on appropriate test usage were ineffective.
  • Structural Changes: Implemented structural changes required doctors to provide true symptoms to order tests, leading to a significant reduction in unnecessary treatments.
Key Findings:
  • Unnecessary testing contributes to antibiotic resistance and other patient harms.
  • Diagnostic stewardship reduced unnecessary antibiotic treatments from 29% to less than 17%.
  • Structural changes in test ordering can impact large patient populations effectively.
Interpretation:

Limitations:
  • Doctors can bypass changes by contacting labs or providing additional information.
  • The effectiveness of diagnostic stewardship is dependent on system-wide implementation.
Conclusion:

Improving diagnostic testing requires a smarter system rather than new technologies or drugs.

Sources:

Original Source(s)

Stopping doctors from ordering unnecessary diagnostic tests requires a structural fix

  • by Daniel Morgan

  • July 6, 2026

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