SPOTLIGHT Healthcare: Choosing Wisely

Medical overuse is a major problem in many countries. Although overuse demonstrably harms patients, reducing it is not easy. Choosing Wisely, an initiative started in the United States in 2012, follows a new approach, and has quickly garnered international popularity. The Bertelsmann Stiftung has examined the source of this success, as well as what distinguishes the initiative. A study by British healthcare researcher Angela Coulter brings together information on what makes the Choosing Wisely movement so successful, how the initiative has been implemented differently in various countries, and what can be inferred from this for Germany. The Spotlight Healthcare “Choosing Wisely” gives a brief overview of the Choosing Wisely movement in different countries, presents an interview with Wendy Levinson, Chair of Choosing Wisely Canada, and publishes recommendations for similar initiatives in Germany.