Why American doctors keep doing expensive procedures that don’t work

The proportion of medical procedures unsupported by evidence may be nearly half. The evidence-based medicine problem: US doctors cling to procedures that don’t work

"The recent news that stents inserted in patients with heart disease to keep arteries open work no better than a placebo ought to be shocking. Each year, hundreds of thousands of American patients receive stents for the relief of chest pain, and the cost of the procedure ranges from $11,000 to $41,000 in US hospitals.

But in fact, American doctors routinely prescribe medical treatments that are not based on sound science...

The proportion of medical procedures unsupported by evidence may be nearly half. The evidence-based medicine problem: US doctors cling to procedures that don’t work

"The recent news that stents inserted in patients with heart disease to keep arteries open work no better than a placebo ought to be shocking. Each year, hundreds of thousands of American patients receive stents for the relief of chest pain, and the cost of the procedure ranges from $11,000 to $41,000 in US hospitals.

But in fact, American doctors routinely prescribe medical treatments that are not based on sound science...