REPEATED TESTING - AN OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS

Physicians often obtain the same test over and over again. This articl e first considers screening tests, such as mammographic screening for breast cancer, and describes several proposals for finding the interva l that best balances cost, harms, and benefits. The same principles ap ply to monitoring a patient for recurrence of a disease, such as bladd er cancer. The article closes with a theoretical consideration of the circumstances for repeating a test once to check a surprising value.