CHOOSING WISELY INTERNATIONAL
After the launch of the Choosing Wisely campaign by the ABIM Foundation in the United States in April 2012, other similar campaigns have been conducted around the world.
During the International Roundtable on Choosing Wisely in Amsterdam on 11 and 12 June 2014, attended by representatives from the USA, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, the UK and Wales, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, the Choosing Wisely International movement was established.
The Italian campaign “DOING MORE DOES NOT MEAN DOING BETTER – CHOOSING WISELY ITALY” is part of the International movement.
The fundamental principles of the International campaign were shared in the Amsterdam meeting.
Subsequent meetings were held annually in London (2015), Rome (2016), Amsterdam (2017), Zurich (2018), Berlin (2019). Online meetings were held in 2020 and in 2021. Meetings again in person in Lisbon (2022) and Oslo (2023)
To date, 35 countries have joined the movement, including Canada (which coordinates the organization) Australia, Brazil, Wales, Germany, Japan, England, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States.
CHOOSING WISELY INTERNATIONAL
During the International Roundtable on Choosing Wisely in Amsterdam on 11 and 12 June 2014, attended by representatives from the USA, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, the UK and Wales, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, the Choosing Wisely International movement was established.
The Italian campaign “DOING MORE DOES NOT MEAN DOING BETTER – CHOOSING WISELY ITALY” is part of the International movement.
The fundamental principles of the International campaign were shared in the Amsterdam meeting.
Subsequent meetings were held annually in London (2015), Rome (2016), Amsterdam (2017), Zurich (2018), Berlin (2019). Online meetings were held in 2020 and in 2021. Meetings again in person in Lisbon (2022) and Oslo (2023)
To date, 25 countries have joined the movement, including Canada (which coordinates the organization) Australia, Brazil, Wales, Germany, Japan, England, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States.
The International movement is structured as a network of independent organisations, within which experiences, strategies, methodological indications and information material are shared, in support of the various national campaigns referring to the principles of Choosing Wisely.
To this regard, despite the different cultural and social contexts in which they develop, the national campaigns explicitly share the following core principles:
- PHYSICIAN LED. The campaign must be physician led (as opposed to payer/ government led). This is important to building and sustaining the trust of clinicians and patients, It emphasizes that campaigns are focused on quality of care and harm reduction, rather than cost reduction;
- PATIENT FOCUSED. The campaign must be patient focused and involve efforts to engage patients in the development and implementation process. Communication between clinicians and patients is central to Choosing Wisely;
- MULTI-PROFESSIONAL. Where possible, the campaign should include physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals;
- EVIDENCE-BASED. The recommendations issued by the campaign must be evidence based, and must be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure credibility;
- TRANSPARENT. Processes used to create the recommendations must be public and any conflicts of interest must be declared.
These principles are found in the document Starter kit for your Choosing Wisely Campaign.
A representative of the OECD also attends the International meetings with the aim of developing a system of indicators for assessing the impact of the campaigns undertaken by the various countries.
Numerous recommendations have been published by the Choosing Wisely campaigns of the different countries. The main goals of the International movement are now:
- the implementation of the recommendations,
- the measurement and evaluation of their impact
- the involvement of patients and citizens in their definition and implementation.
The International collaboration is coordinated by Choosing Wisely Canada
The main national campaigns, in addition to Choosing Wisely USA
and the Italian one, are represented by:
- Choosing Wisely Australia
- Choosing Wisely Brasil
- Choosing Wisely Israel
- Choosing Wisely Japan
- Choosing Wisely New Zealand
- Choosing Wisely UK
- Choosing Wisely Wales
What are the reasons for the rapid growth of the movement worldwide? According to Drs. Wendy Levinson, leader of Choosing Wisely Canada and International, it is because the campaigns are conducted by clinicians, with the aim of improving the quality and safety of care.
MAIN PAPERS
December 2014
‘Choosing Wisely’: a growing international campaign
Article published in the British Medical Journal about Choosing Wisely programs in 12 countries
June 2017
Engaging patients and the public in Choosing Wisely
Article published in the British Medical Journal on the involvement of patients and citizens
April 2018
Choosing Wisely Campaigns A Work in Progress
Article published in JAMA magazine about Choosing Wisely campaigns
July 2019
Choosing Wisely – An International Movement Toward Appropriate Medical Care
Article on the international movement Choosing Wisely (Shanoor Seervai. Choosing Wisely – An International Movement Toward Appropriate Medical Care), with the characteristics and development in the various countries of the world.
October 2019
Diving Into Overuse in Hospitals
A starter kit that provides practical advice and guidance for reducing unnecessary tests and treatments in the hospital setting, developed by Choosing Wisely Canada together with Hospitals in Canada.
April 2020
De-implementing wisely: developing the evidence base to reduce low-value care
Paper published in BMJ Quality & Safety, by Jeremy M Grimshaw describing the Choosing Wisely De-Implementation Framework.
October 2023
Choosing Wisely International newsletters – the first newsletter
At the Choosing Wisely International Roundtable in Oslo on 11 and 12 September it was decided to produce a 2-monthly newsletter to communicate Choosing Wisely’s activities and publications around the world. The first Choosing Wisely International newsletter was sent to all representatives.
April 2024
Choosing Wisely International newsletter
June 2015
Measuring the effect of Choosing Wisely: an integrated framework to assess campaign impact on low-value care
Article published in the British Medical Journal on the possibilities to assess the impact of Choosing Wisely campaigns
December 2018
Choosing Wisely campaigns globally: A shared approach to tackling the problem of overuse in healthcare
Article by Karen Born and Wendy Levinson on the development of Choosing Wisely in the world and the top 10 shared recommendations
May 2019
Choosing Wisely International Publications and Reports
Articles published in Choosing Wisely from 2015 to 2018
July 2019
Patient and Public Engagement in Choosing Wisely Toolkit
Within the Choosing Wisely International network, a document was drawn up, entitled Patient & Public Engagement in Choosing Wisely. The theme is the involvement of patients and the public. Experiences from different countries are reported, including Italy.
April 2020
COVID-19: the recommendations of Choosing Wisely
From the collaboration between Choosing Wisely Canada and members of the Choosing Wisely international community, which also includes Choosing Wisely Italy, a list of nine recommendations for the public and clinicians was developed.
August 2023
How to reduce overuse in Healthcare: A Practical Guide
published by Choosing Wisely international colleagues Drs. Tijn Kool, Andrea Patey, Simone van Dulmen, and Jeremy Grimshaw and presented in Oslo Roundtable. The book provides a 5-step evidence- and theory-based framework for developing an evaluation program to reduce low-value care. How to reduce overuse in Healthcare: A Practical Guide is designed to provide practical guidance and tools for healthcare providers, their professional societies and policy makers developing programs to de-implement low-value or unnecessary care and improve patient.
December 2023