Should UK based Physiotherapists Choose Wisely?

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Medical Ethics
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• The Choose Wisely campaign, initiated in the US in 2012, addresses concerns about medicalization, overdiagnosis, and consumerism in healthcare.
• The campaign has expanded globally, engaging multiple countries in promoting critical evaluation of medical practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide background on the Choose Wisely campaign.
• To review concepts of medicalization, overdiagnosis, and medical consumerism.
• To consider the campaign's utility in the UK, including its relationship with NICE guidelines and distributive justice.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of medicalization, overdiagnosis, and medical consumerism.
• Analysis of the Choose Wisely campaign's international spread and aims.
• Examination of the campaign's ethical implications, particularly distributive justice.

Main Results:

• The campaign's core strategy involves professional organizations identifying low-benefit interventions.
• Medicalization, overdiagnosis, and consumerism are key issues driving the campaign.
• Distributive justice emerges as a primary ethical consideration.

Conclusions:

• The paper explores the potential application and ethical considerations of the Choose Wisely campaign within the UK context.
• It specifically questions the relevance and adoption of the Choose Wisely principles for UK-based physiotherapists.
• The study prompts a discussion on evidence-based practice and resource allocation in physiotherapy.