'Choosing Wisely’ when it comes to appropriate care

Some medical practices that are commonly recommended by health care professionals or requested by patients may provide no or limited benefits, cause unnecessary trauma and stress and, in some cases, can be harmful.

Healthdirect Australia has joined forces with NPS MedicineWise to promote the Choosing Wisely Australia initiative. This initiative will provide people with the information they need to confidently ask their health care providers questions regarding medical procedures recommended to them.

Facilitated by NPS MedicineWise, the initiative aims to identify which practices are helpful and which are not.

This process is drawn from the expertise of Australian medical colleges, professional societies and associations to produce a list of recommendations about particular tests, treatments and procedures.

Healthdirect Australia and NPS MedicineWise are both committed to ensuring that all Australians have access to trusted health information and advice. By working in collaboration, hundreds of links to the Choosing Wisely recommendations have been added to the healthdirect website on a range of topics such as:

• allergies
• back pain
• children's medicines
• palliative care
• diabetes.

Making these recommendations available on the healthdirect website ensures that people have access to high-quality, evidence-based advice, and can make more informed decisions about their health.

For more information on Choosing Wisely Australia, visit www.choosingwisely.org.au.