By Murray Sherriffs
Doctors often order a test or treatment and then continue them for the rest of the patient’s life, whether they really need them or not.
And often, for no good reason, even potentially risky for some patients.
The Journal of the American Medical Association is reporting important research that questions the benefits two common interventions for older adults: routine screening colonoscopies and the drug levothyroxine (Synthroid) can increase low thyroid hormones.
The new research concludes they may be inappropriate for physicians to continue them without carefully reassessing their risks and benefits for seniors.
