Top POEMs of 2016 Consistent with the Principles of the Choosing Wisely Campaign

A challenge in the Choosing Wisely campaign is to identify low-value clinical actions supported by high-quality evidence. We applied a method based on crowdsourcing the Daily POEM (patient-oriented evidence that matters) to identify low-value clinical actions from research studies consistent with the principles of Choosing Wisely. In 2016, we analyzed an average of 1,382 questionnaires on 265 unique POEMs delivered to physician members of the Canadian Medical Association. From these questionnaires, we identified the POEMs ranking highest on one questionnaire item directly linked to reducing overdiagnosis or overtreatment. The recommendations from these POEMs based on primary research or meta-analyses are presented as actions to consider avoiding in clinical practice. These recommendations fall into the categories of musculoskeletal conditions (e.g., degenerative meniscal tears, chronic low back pain), cardiovascular disease (e.g., chronic stable angina, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction), respiratory disease (e.g., pneumonia, asthma exacerbations), and preventive care (e.g., screening for lung, colorectal, or ovarian cancer). Based on the results of the studies, these recommendations describe interventions whose benefits are not superior to other options, are sometimes more expensive, or put patients at increased risk of harm. Knowing more about these POEMs and their connection with the Choosing Wisely campaign will help clinicians and their patients engage in conversations better informed by high-quality evidence.