16 ms·

I'm not trying to totally refute your point, but it's worth noting that the desire for more testing is a common and somewhat naive perception amongst the public

I'm not trying to totally refute your point, but it's worth noting that the desire for more testing is a common and somewhat naive perception amongst the public. Doctors that practice medicine however are aware that it has been shown that in many different contexts, even despite the benefits of early detection of a number of different issues, that the risks of unnecessary tests and screening often outweigh the benefits.

peteradio 5y ago
Wouldn't that depend on whether the test was harmful? Why would a blood test cause me harm? I think its a part of routine physical.
- Enginerrrd 5y ago
  >Wouldn't that depend on whether the test was harmful? This is a huge topic, for which this forum is too small a place to properly expound on it, but the answer to your question here is a resounding NO! The risk of the test procedure itself is typically not actually the main concern. The real risk has to do with inducing additional unnecessary testing, treatments, and side effects, costs, and psychological distress. In addition, you can cause profound nocebo effects, perceptions, and negative behavior changes in the "harmless" test-intervention group. You'd likely be surprised how negative an outcome this can actually be on average. The decision to add a screening test to routine procedures is NOT a light one.