Public excitement for whole-body MRI scans as a proactive health check collides with clear expert pushback, as radiologists note that incidental findings rarely catch aggressive cancers in time to change outcomes while frequently triggering biopsies, anxiety, and procedures that provide no proven survival benefit for average-risk adults.
Looks like I need to re-up this
Every criticism over whole-body MRIs and other preventative screening seems to assume that we will basically drop these technologies into existing protocols without looking at the process holistically or adjusting the protocol.
E.g., assuming WB-MRI → “taking all lumps out”!
Major organizations including the American College of Radiology continue to withhold endorsement for routine whole-body screening in people without symptoms or elevated risk, citing cumulative harms that likely exceed any upside.
Studies show roughly 95 percent of asymptomatic patients have at least one abnormal result, yet most prove insignificant, leaving open how often these scans simply add cost and worry without measurable gains.
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@jasoncrawford One of the challenges is that current protocols are tough to update. Not just due to lack of holistic thinking or top-down bureaucracy, but that organisations like health care resist changes in "how things are done" in terms of everyday practice very thoroughly.
Looks like I need to re-up this
@jasoncrawford My standard examples are the one generation delay of lithotripsy in France and laparoscopic surgery nearly everywhere (had to change workflows), while the pulse oximeter (same workflow) just breezed through ICUs everywhere.
@jasoncrawford One of the challenges is that current protocols are tough to update. Not just due to lack of holistic thinking or top-down bureaucracy, but that organisations like health care resist changes in "how things are done" in terms of everyday practice very thoroughly.
@jasoncrawford This is exactly how current protocols work
Excellent, this.
Every criticism over whole-body MRIs and other preventative screening seems to assume that we will basically drop these technologies into existing protocols without looking at the process holistically or adjusting the protocol.
E.g., assuming WB-MRI → “taking all lumps out”!
@jasoncrawford You can't go around being reasonable on the everything app, http://X.com