overtreatment
Too much medicine
Overtreatment is medical care that exceeds what a patient needs—unnecessary tests, procedures, or medications that provide no benefit and may cause harm.
The term implies that more isn't always better: Overtreatment of minor infections with antibiotics contributes to drug resistance.
It often stems from defensive medicine, patient expectations, or profit motives rather than clinical necessity.
Using numerous drugs concurrently
- overprescriptionExcessive medication ordering
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
- chemotherapyAnti-cancer drug treatment
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
hospitalization · side-effects · fee-for-service · medicalization · pharmaceutical · dosage · therapy · protocol
Hostile and confrontational
- intensiveConcentrated and thorough
- escalationProgressive increase in intensity
- overkillUnnecessary additional effort
- overuseExcessive employment of something
redundancy · disproportionate · overabundance · unnecessary · unwarranted · superfluous · gratuitous · overextension
Evaluative selection process
- biomarkersMeasurable disease indicators
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
- misdiagnosisIncorrect identification of ailment
- pathologizationFraming as illness
medicalization · precautionary · overtesting · imaging · biopsy · workup · referral · staging
Factor that adds difficulty
- toxicityCapacity to cause harm
- dependencyState of needing support
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
- morbidityDisease occurrence rate
mortality · contraindication · hospitalization · infection · burden · deterioration
Independent decision-making capacity
- beneficenceActive desire to help
- futilityLack of purpose
- end-of-lifeNearing death phase
- palliativeOffering relief, not remedy
polypharmacy
Using numerous drugs concurrently
- overprescriptionExcessive medication ordering
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
- chemotherapyAnti-cancer drug treatment
radiation · hospitalization · side-effects · fee-for-service · medicalization · pharmaceutical · dosage · therapy · protocol · specialist
aggressive
Hostile and confrontational
- intensiveConcentrated and thorough
- escalationProgressive increase in intensity
- overkillUnnecessary additional effort
overuse · redundancy · disproportionate · overabundance · unnecessary · unwarranted · superfluous · gratuitous · overextension · inappropriate
screening
Evaluative selection process
- biomarkersMeasurable disease indicators
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
- misdiagnosisIncorrect identification of ailment
pathologization · medicalization · precautionary · overtesting · imaging · biopsy · workup · referral · staging
complication
Factor that adds difficulty
- toxicityCapacity to cause harm
- dependencyState of needing support
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
morbidity · mortality · contraindication · hospitalization · infection · burden · deterioration
autonomy
Independent decision-making capacity
- beneficenceActive desire to help
- futilityLack of purpose
- end-of-lifeNearing death phase
- healthcare problemsmedical errors, misdiagnosis, high costs, long waits, staffing shortages
- overuseoveruse, overconsumption, overexploitation, excess, waste
- medical crimesMedicare fraud, Medicaid fraud, medical malpractice, medical negligence, nursing home abuse
- Overdiagnosisovertesting, overscreening, overprescription, overprescribing, unnecessary tests
- ethicsmorality, deontology, dignity, sanctity of life, utilitarianism
- health studiesmedical ethics, bioethics, health policy, health equity, medical history
overtreatmentundertreatment
Inadequate medical intervention
undertreated · undertreating · medical neglect · neglect · untreated
overtreatmentwatchful waiting
Monitoring before acting
non-intervention · palliative care · comfort care · benign neglect · doing nothing
treat, retreat, treaty, treatment, untreated, treatable, retreating, retreated, treatments