Reducing Unnecessary Testing and Treatment is a Mainpro+ certified Continuing Professional Development program.

This initiative of the Ontario College of Family Physicians aligns closely with the Choosing Wisely Canada (CWC) campaign to implement good healthcare stewardship and avoid over-medicalization. This hands-on, interactive program is comprised of four modules, each with a different area of focus. Participants will identify opportunities on how to “practise wisely”, with a focus on reducing over-prescribing, over-imaging, over-screening and over-monitoring using the latest evidence and tools from diverse sources.


We examine the harms and drivers of too much medicine and introduce a four-step approach to applying evidence to patient care with a focus on low back pain and ovarian cysts.

Reliable, renewing online resources are put to work to support practice change. Cases centering on proton pump inhibitors and statins for primary prevention are the focus.

Cancer screening is the topic here as participants differentiate risks and integrate relevant evidence into individual patient-care supported by shared decision-making.

Evolving the annual physical exam to become a periodic health review personalized for each patient is a key element of this module. Poly pharmacy in the elderly and over-monitoring for diabetes are addressed as well.

Avoid the Diagnostic Cascade

The OCFP’s Practising Wisely program was featured in a recent article in the CPSO’s Dialogue magazine. The article describes the program’s use of real-life scenarios and support for shared decision-making, and highlighted perspectives from Dr. Peter Kuling and Dr. Jobin Varughese, co-chairs of the Practising Wisely Planning Committee, and Dr. Jennifer Young, who was the first course director.