[tsotha]

>That way patients can ask the doctors if the tests are actually needed.

How does this work? If a doctor prescribes a blood test, he's already said it's needed. Put yourself in a doctor's shoes for a minute. You told the patient he needs a blood test. Then he asks you whether it's actually needed.

How can you possibly say "Nah, just kidding. We don't need that one"?

[DanBC]

One of the most important questions you can ask of a doctor is "what happens if we do nothing?"

[tsotha]

That works for treatment, but not so much for tests. If you don't know what's going on you don't know what happens if you don't do anything.

[wfunction]

Doctors order tests to help them choose the right treatments.

If they have absolutely no idea what the possibilities are then they wouldn't be ordering tests anyway.

[tsotha]

>Doctors order tests to help them choose the right treatments.

No they don't, except in very rare cases. Doctors order tests to make a diagnosis. The treatment follows from that.

>If they have absolutely no idea what the possibilities are then they wouldn't be ordering tests anyway.

I'm not sure a doctor would have "no idea what the possibilities are" unless you don't have any symptoms. If you don't have any symptoms, why are you at the doctor's office?

[wfunction]

> > Doctors order tests to help them choose the right treatments. > No they don't, except in very rare cases. Doctors order tests to make a diagnosis. The treatment follows from that.

What I said didn't contract what you said. If test => diagnosis => treatment then test => treatment.

[tsotha]

Without a diagnosis, how could a doctor possibly know the answer to the question "what happens if we do nothing"?

[anonymoushn]

Overtesting is more or less a thing in the U.S. Many tests are not harmless, so even a person who carries an infinite amount of money around would do well to question the necessity of tests.

[tsotha]

>Overtesting is more or less a thing in the U.S.

I don't believe that. Over the years I've had to fight to get tests that turned out to be important, and I'm suspicious of government studies showing "overtesting" right when the government is in the process of taking over health care.

You can certainly eliminate a lot of testing without affecting mortality rates significantly. But that's because in absolute terms a lot of extra people have to die before mortality rates are affected significantly.

[wfunction]

need it != it would be useful