Hal C. Lawrence III, MD, ACOG Executive Vice President, speaking during the press briefing.
Open lines of communication are the basis of successful doctor-patient interactions. However, when it comes to medical tests and procedures, doctors and patients alike can easily slide into cruise control without taking the time to discuss what’s truly needed, appropriate, supported by evidence-based research, and in the best interest of the patient’s care.
With this in mind, ACOG has teamed up with the Choosing Wisely campaign—an initiative that aims to spark a conversation about commonly performed tests and exams in different areas of medicine. By taking a critical eye to routine health care practices, we can make better decisions on how to provide thorough and comprehensive care while avoiding unnecessary, redundant, or even risk-increasing procedures.
Today, at a joint press conference with 16 other partnering organizations, ACOG made the following recommendations:
1. Don’t schedule elective, non-medically indicated inductions of labor or cesarean deliveries before 39 weeks 0 days gestational age.
Delivery prior to 39 weeks 0 days has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of learning disabilities and a potential increase in morbidity and mortality. There are clear medical indications for delivery prior to 39 weeks 0 days based on maternal and/or fetal conditions. A mature fetal lung test, in the absence of appropriate clinical criteria, is not an indication for delivery.
2. Don’t schedule elective, non-medically indicated inductions of labor between 39 weeks 0 days and 41 weeks 0 days unless the cervix is deemed favorable.
Ideally, labor should start on its own initiative whenever possible. Higher cesarean delivery rates result from inductions of labor when the cervix is unfavorable. Health care practitioners should discuss the risks and benefits with their patients before considering inductions of labor without medical indications.
3. Don’t perform routine annual cervical cytology screening (Pap tests) in women 30–65 years of age.
In average–risk women, annual cervical cytology screening has been shown to offer no advantage over screening performed at 3-year intervals. However, a well-woman visit should occur annually for patients with their health care practitioner to discuss concerns and problems and to have appropriate screening with consideration of a pelvic examination.
4. Don’t treat patients who have mild dysplasia of less than two years in duration.
Mild dysplasia (Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia [CIN 1]) is associated with the presence of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which does not require treatment in average–risk women. Most women with CIN 1 on biopsy have a transient HPV infection that will usually clear in less than 12 months and, therefore, does not require treatment.
5. Don’t screen for ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women at average risk.
In population studies, there is only fair evidence that screening of asymptomatic women with serum CA-125 level and/or transvaginal ultrasound can detect ovarian cancer at an earlier stage than can be detected in the absence of screening. Because of the low prevalence of ovarian cancer and the invasive nature of the interventions required after a positive screening test, the potential harms of screening outweigh the potential benefits.
