Perspectives

A Systematic Evaluation of Factors Contributing to Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment

Authors: Malvinder S. Parmar, MB, MS

Abstract

Overdiagnosis, in a true sense, is a type of misdiagnosis and occurs when an individual is told that he or she has a disease that he or she actually does not; it does not cause the person to experience symptoms or early death and may do more harm than benefit that could be physical, psychological, social, or financial. Overdiagnosis often is influenced by a multitude of factors such as advances in technology (eg, online access for patients and diagnostic technologies), specialization, payment models, marketing, and supply-and-demand issues.

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