Don’t routinely prescribe antibiotics for acute upper airway infections. Assess the opportunity in patients at risk of lower respiratory tract infection or in case of clinical worsening after a few days
Upper respiratory tract infections (including acute otitis media) are usually caused by viruses and recover spontaneously in a few days. The routine use of antibiotics raises the risk of bacterial resistance and side effects. Patients at risk of lower respiratory...
Don’t routinely prescribe imaging for low back pain without warning signs or symptoms (Red Flags)
Low back pain is usually benign and self-limiting. The history and physical examination, inclusive of neurological assessment, can exclude serious clinical situations. Imaging in low back pain without Red Flags is in generally inappropriate (at least for the first 6...
Don’t perform HLA genotyping in the presence of established diagnosis of celiac disease or for screening purpose.
HLA-DQ2/DQ8 genotyping is appropriate only in cases of uncertain diagnosis and in subjects with increased risk, like family members of celiac patients (to exclude from subsequent repeated controls the subjects who are negative) and patients with a disease implying an...
Don’t perform screening tests of polymorphisms of factor V (Leiden) and Factor II (G20210A) in unselected patients, like all patients with only one episodes of venous thrombosis, in healthy subjects or in pregnant women with no specific anamnestic signs or before to start a treatment with oral contraceptives.
According to national and international recommendations and guidelines, testing should not be performed outside of specific medical conditions, e.g.: episodes of venous thrombosis at an early age or the presence of strong familial history, with two or more affected...The campaign DOING MORE DOES NOT MEAN DOING BETTER – CHOOSING WISELY ITALY is promoted by Italy’s Slow Medicine
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