Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
Catherine Livingston
School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
Victoria Kaestner
Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
Michael Hayes
Division of Internal Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
Dan Morgan
Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
Adam S Cifu
Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chigcago, United States
Vinay Prasad
Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States; Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States; Center for Health Care Ethics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States; Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
The ability to identify medical reversals and other low-value medical practices is an essential prerequisite for efforts to reduce spending on such practices. Through an analysis of more than 3000 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in three leading medical journals (the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine), we have identified 396 medical reversals. Most of the studies (92%) were conducted on populations in high-income countries, cardiovascular disease was the most common medical category (20%), and medication was the most common type of intervention (33%).
