My name is Sudhir Polisetty and I am a Dermatologist practicing with The Dermatology Center in New Albany, Indiana. Patients frequently ask about procedures and treatments they learn about online or on television, but many of these procedures are not always necessary for effective care. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recently released a list of five procedures with the greatest potential for overuse or misuse. These recommendations actually came from a group of board-certified dermatologists during the ABIM Foundation’s “Choosing Wisely” initiative. The group’s recommendations were:
As incoming AAD president Brett M. Coldiron explained in the group’s press release, “The American Academy of Dermatology is strongly committed to dermatologists serving as effective stewards of limited health care resources by assisting patients in making informed health care decisions.” He added that the Choosing Wisely initiative benefits patients and their dermatologists alike, as patients save money and time by avoiding medical tests and treatments that are not actually required for improving their conditions.
The final list was approved by AAD’s Council on Science and Research, as well as by its board of directors. You can view the organization’s full news release here: http://www.aad.org/stories-and-news/news-releases/dermatologists-identify-five-skin-health-treatments-and-procedures-that-consumers-may-not-need
Thanks for reading,
Sudhir Polisetty
For more information about dermatology, ask me a question on Quora.
To read reviews by my patients, click here: http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Sudhir_Polisetty.html
- Don’t prescribe oral antifungal therapy for suspected nail fungus without confirming that a fungal infection exists
- Don’t perform a sentinel lymph node biopsy, or other diagnostic tests designed to evaluate early thin melanoma, as these tests do not improve chances of survival
- Don’t use Mohs micrographic surgery for the treatment of uncomplicated, nonmelanoma skin cancer when the trunk and extremities are less than 1 cm in size
- Don’t use oral antibiotics for treating atopic dermatitis (a type of relapsing, non-contagious eczema) unless there is clinical evidence of an infection
- Don’t routinely use topical antibiotics on a surgical wound.
As incoming AAD president Brett M. Coldiron explained in the group’s press release, “The American Academy of Dermatology is strongly committed to dermatologists serving as effective stewards of limited health care resources by assisting patients in making informed health care decisions.” He added that the Choosing Wisely initiative benefits patients and their dermatologists alike, as patients save money and time by avoiding medical tests and treatments that are not actually required for improving their conditions.
The final list was approved by AAD’s Council on Science and Research, as well as by its board of directors. You can view the organization’s full news release here: http://www.aad.org/stories-and-news/news-releases/dermatologists-identify-five-skin-health-treatments-and-procedures-that-consumers-may-not-need
Thanks for reading,
Sudhir Polisetty
For more information about dermatology, ask me a question on Quora.
To read reviews by my patients, click here: http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Sudhir_Polisetty.html