Impact of over diagnosis and over treatment on the patient, the health system and society

Abstract

The medical activity displays a set of skills aimed at improving the health status of people. In this way, diagnoses are made, choices of tests and treatments are made, and decisions are made about what to do and what not to do that affect the lives of patients. In this article, we propose a reflection on over diagnosis and over treatment in relation to the factors that promote it and the impact they have on society, on the functioning of the health system and also directly on patients. Finally, we make some proposals on how to address this overuse considering that primary care is a privileged place to adapt and minimize the impact of the actions of the health system on the health of citizens and reduce the incidents of patient safety linked to the over diagnosis and inappropriate use of tests and treatments that do not add value to the health of patients.