Endocrine Society, AACE release list of tests to avoid

Issue: November 2013

The Endocrine Society and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists have released a list of tests or procedures commonly ordered but are not always necessary in clinical practice, according to a press release. The announcement was released as a result of an initiative of the ABIM Foundation, known as the Choosing Wisely campaign.

“These recommendations give endocrinologists a platform to engage patients in important discussions about their health and the benefits of various treatment options,” Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, president of The Endocrine Society, said in a press release. “We are pleased to be empowering patients and physicians to be true partners in determining the wisest course of care for each individual.”

The groups have listed five targeted, evidence-based recommendations that support conversation between patients and clinicians about what type of care is needed, according to the press release:

Avoid routine multiple daily self-glucose monitoring in adults with stable type 2 diabetes on agents that do not cause hypoglycemia.
Do not routinely measure 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D unless the patient has hypercalcemia or decreased kidney function.
Do not routinely order a thyroid ultrasound in patients with abnormal thyroid function tests if there is no palpable abnormality of the thyroid gland.
Do not order a total or free triiodothyronine level when assessing levothyroxine dose in hypothyroid patients.
Do not prescribe testosterone therapy unless there is biochemical evidence of testosterone deficiency.

“Each patient and encounter is unique, and there are many exceptions to each of the recommendations. Furthermore, the recommendations are likely to evolve over time as more is learned,” Daniel Einhorn, MD, FACP, FACE, president of the American College of Endocrinology, said in the press release.

For more information:

The Choosing Wisely Initiative of the ABIM Foundation. Accessed Oct. 16, 2013.