Society for Less Investigative Medicine (SLIM) to stop practice of unwanted tests

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 19, 2015: Many medical doctors from across specialities all over  are joining hands to fight against the menace of unnecessary tests and investigations. The ’Society for Less Investigative Medicine’ (SLIM), which was initiated last year by a few cardiologists in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, is now becoming a national society.

SLIM will start off by putting together a list of what investigations ought not to be done in normal circumstances in different fields of medicine accompanied by a detailed explanation of how ’mirage’ diagnosis from such tests could lead to unnecessary treatment that would not only be a waste of resources but could also harm patients.

Such lists have been produced by doctors in several countries hoping to cut down on over-investigation and consequent over-diagnosis. SLIM’s objectives are similar to the Choosing Wisely movement in the US launched in 2012, which currently has 70 specialty society partners who have released recommendations for their respective specialties.