overtesting
Too many diagnostics
Overtesting is the practice of conducting more tests, examinations, or diagnostic procedures than necessary or beneficial.
In medicine, overtesting leads to unnecessary costs, patient anxiety, and false positives that trigger further interventions: Critics argue that annual physicals encourage overtesting.
In education, overtesting crowds out instruction time: Students spend weeks preparing for standardized tests instead of learning new material.
Finding harmless conditions unnecessarily
- false positivesIncorrect affirmative test results
- screeningEvaluative selection process
- diagnosticTest to identify problems
- bloodworkMedical fluid analysis
imaging · biopsies · checkups · overtreatment · defensive medicine · health screening
Formal evaluation of worth
- examsFormal academic tests
- SATCollege admissions exam
- ACTCollege readiness assessment
- curriculumEducational program's content plan
accountability · No Child Left Behind · Common Core · benchmarks · metrics · proficiency · achievement · evaluations
State of utter depletion
- fatigueWeariness from prolonged exertion
- overwhelmDefeat by excess
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- crammingIntensive last-minute study
overwork · strain · pressure · drained · depleted · weariness · mental fatigue · cognitive overload
Needless duplication
- wasteUnwanted discarded material
- inefficiencySuboptimal use of resources
- excessiveSurpassing reasonable bounds
- unnecessaryNot essential or required
counterproductive · harmful · criticism · reform · overassessed
Fear of public execution
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- worryTroubled mental state
fear · panic · hypervigilance · overwhelm · trepidation · unease · angst · jitters
overdiagnosis
Finding harmless conditions unnecessarily
- false positivesIncorrect affirmative test results
- screeningEvaluative selection process
- diagnosticTest to identify problems
bloodwork · imaging · biopsies · checkups · overtreatment · defensive medicine · health screening
assessment
Formal evaluation of worth
curriculum · accountability · No Child Left Behind · Common Core · benchmarks · metrics · proficiency · achievement · evaluations · performance metrics
exhaustion
State of utter depletion
cramming · overwork · strain · pressure · drained · depleted · weariness · mental fatigue · cognitive overload · diminishing returns
redundancy
Needless duplication
- wasteUnwanted discarded material
- inefficiencySuboptimal use of resources
- excessiveSurpassing reasonable bounds
unnecessary · counterproductive · harmful · criticism · reform · overassessed
performance anxiety
Fear of public execution
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
worry · fear · panic · hypervigilance · overwhelm · trepidation · unease · angst · jitters · phobia
- healthcare problemsmedical errors, misdiagnosis, high costs, long waits, staffing shortages
- Overdiagnosisovertreatment, overscreening, overprescription, overprescribing, false positive
- overuseoveruse, overconsumption, overexploitation, excess, waste