Choosing Wisely Canada Releases New Five-Year Report

Choosing Wisely Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association, launched on April 2, 2014, to help clinicians and patients engage in conversations about unnecessary tests and treatments. The campaign is part of a global movement that began in the United States in 2012, which now spans more than 20 countries across 5 continents.

Over the past five years, Choosing Wisely Canada has led large-scale mobilization efforts to inspire and engage health care professionals and patients to take leadership in reducing unnecessary tests and treatments. It does so by developing evidence-based tools and resources that make it easier to choose wisely in practice.

Central to the campaign, Choosing Wisely Canada partners with professional societies representing different clinical specialties to develop lists of tests and treatments that clinicians and patients should question. These lists of recommendations identify tests and treatments commonly used in each specialty that are not supported by evidence and do not add value to patient care.

Choosing Wisely Canada partners with a wide range of medical associations, health systems as well as patient organizations to educate patients and the public about overuse and to help put campaign recommendations into practice. It has also partnered with medical students across all 17 Canadian medical schools to embed campaign principles into undergraduate teaching.

In the past five years, Choosing Wisely Canada has evolved from a conversation between clinician and patients to the national voice for reducing unnecessary tests and treatments. This has been possible thanks to the ongoing efforts and leadership of engaged clinicians and patients across Canada and key Canadian health care organizations that have partnered closely with the campaign.

April 2, 2019 marks five years since the Choosing Wisely Canada campaign officially launched. The campaign was established to raise awareness about the harms of unnecessary tests and treatments in health care by encouraging conversations between clinicians and patients. Five years later, Choosing Wisely Canada has grown considerably thanks to dedicated clinicians, patients, and partners from coast-to-coast.
To celebrate this year’s anniversary, Choosing Wisely Canada has released a report on the campaign’s efforts to reduce overuse in health care. This report highlights what the campaign has accomplished to date, and how we can continue this momentum in the future.

Report coming soon!