Some Things are Better Left Unsaid

It’s been on the news, but thankfully not too much. The US Preventive Health Services Task Force just issued a statement saying there was “no evidence of value for celiac disease screening.” Taken out of context, without a careful reading of the statement, an understanding of the distinction between “screening,” “diagnosis,” and “case finding,” without sufficient background about the role of the Task Force, and in the midst of today’s controversies about “going gluten free,” this statement might easily lead to misinterpretation by patients, families, clinicians and insurers. Even with my years of experience and knowledge of all the issues involved, it happened to me last week and so I want to set the record straight. First, “no evidence of value” is not the same as “no value.” It just means there is “no evidence.” There is “no evidence” because, though celiac is the most common autoimmune disease, has not been studied well, and certainly not in population-based studies that produce the data that the Task Force would need to assess value. Second, the Task Force statement applies to “screening” the entire US population. It does not apply to “testing to diagnose” an individual patient with symptoms or “case-finding by testing” their genetically at-risk family members. Third, the Task Force statement is not intended to advise physicians about clinical decision-making for individual patients and families with symptoms or risk fa...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs