Most of the medical school information that I learned 25 years ago is now known to be false. I recently read a quote that medical “tradition is no longer the bedrock of (good) practice.” Oh, that is so true.
We physicians perform wasteful and unnecessary medical tests, treatment and procedures and we physicians have a choice to stay current with the research and choose accordingly.
Every aspect of patient care carries the possibility of harm as well as benefit. If your physician eliminates a test (like getting a pap smear under age 21) it may be perceived as a way to decrease wasteful testing, but it may also offer the potential benefit of performing a test that is not helpful.
Change is inevitable.
Dr. Leslie Greenberg's Blog 