In with acute bronchitis; out with duodenal perforation: the potentially harmful cascade of over-testing. A case report

Abstract

Overutilization of diagnostic imaging can lead to unnecessary interventions and subsequently can jeopardize patient safety. When ordered, the results of these images should always be interpreted in the appropriate clinical context taking into consideration the patient clinical presentation and the natural history of the diseases which are being investigated. We presented a case that demonstrates for the practicing physicians how violating these two notions can lead ultimately to patient harm.

Keywords

• Over-testing in medicine
• unnecessary images
• duodenal perforation
• defensive medicine