Discussion: I am a patient who often visits doctors. Instead of trying to figure out my situation, I am being sent for countless tests, most of which are completely unnecessary. Is this a familiar phenomenon?

In my estimation, a high percentage of the tests are useless! The system is designed to calm the patient and give the doctor peace of mind. Obtaining data regarding this phenomenon is complex.

Intuitively, I thought this was indeed an existing phenomenon. In a Google search, I came up with an article from The New Yorker from 2015 about the widespread phenomenon of unnecessary idle tests! With health and economic consequences. Has the situation improved since 2015? I doubt it enough; The burden on doctors following the coronavirus crisis has increased dramatically. What are the dimensions of the phenomenon? It's hard to say for sure, but they are probably significant - a possible topic for empirical research. (I estimate that private and state health insurance companies would have been happy to accept the study findings.)

Link: "An avalanche of unnecessary medical care harms patients physically and financially. What can we do about it?"
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/11/overkill-atul-gawande (Copy & Paste)