Unwarranted variation (or geographic variation) in health care service delivery, first so termed by Dr. John Wennberg, refers to differences that cannot be explained by illness, medical need, or the dictates of evidence-based medicine. It can be caused by shortfalls in three areas:
- Effective care and patient safety, which includes services of proven clinical effectiveness, such as using lipid lowering agents in patients with coronary artery disease.
- Preference-sensitive care, treatment for conditions that have significant trade-offs in terms of risks and benefits for the patient. But the choice of care is, or should be, driven by the patient’s own preferences.
- Supply-sensitive care, care which is strongly correlated with healthcare system resource capacity and is generally provided in the absence of medical evidence and clinical theory.
Read more about Unwarranted Variation: History, Extent, See Also
Famous quotes containing the word unwarranted:
“In the larger view the major forces of the depression now lie outside of the United States, and our recuperation has been retarded by the unwarranted degree of fear and apprehension created by these outside forces.”
—Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)