Authors' objectives: Diagnostic testing can produce medical findings that are unrelated to the individual's primary reason for approaching the health service (or to the symptoms that prompted a patient to consult a physician) and which were not targeted by the testing in question. How can physicians ensure that incidental findings do not undermine their efforts to provide their patients with appropriate care? At the request of the President of the Health Council, this issue has been addressed by a committee specially created for the purpose. In the course of its work, the Committee adopted a broad definition of incidental findings, including both clinically relevant incidental findings and incidental findings whose significance for the patient is unclear.

Authors' recommendations: The Committee takes the view that a responsible approach to incidental findings in clinical practice primarily requires the use of an ethical-legal framework. It presents an outline view of just such a framework. Consideration is also given to the issues that physicians should be aware of during diagnostic testing, what findings a physician should communicate to the patient, and details of patients' positions and rights. Thus one aspect of good quality care provision is that, in general, diagnostic techniques with a lower risk of incidental findings are to be preferred over otherwise equivalent alternatives.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2014

URL for published report: http://www.gr.nl/sites/default/files/Summary_Nevenbevindingen_bij_diagnostiek_in_de_patientenzorg.pdf

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Netherlands

Organisation Name: Health Council of the Netherlands Gezondheidsraad

Contact Address: Postbus 16052, 2500 BB Den Haag, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 70 340 7520;Fax: +31 70 340 7523

Contact Name: info@gr.nl

Contact Email: info@gr.nl

Copyright: Health Council of the Netherlands