Roebuck D J
Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA.
Med J Aust. 1996 Jun 17;164(12):743-7. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1996.tb122275.x.
Every diagnostic test in medicine has costs and potential benefits. Doctors must ensure that the benefits of each test performed outweigh the costs, which include financial considerations and risks to the health of the patient. The possible adverse effects of some invasive tests such as biopsies may be well understood, but for others the risks are not so obvious or immediate. Seemingly "non-invasive" tests involve the use of ionising radiation and carry the risk of causing malignant tumours. This risk is widely underestimated in medical practice in Australia, and it is the responsibility of the radiological community to demonstrate that commonly performed investigations result in a net benefit to patients.
医学中的每项诊断测试都有成本和潜在益处。医生必须确保所进行的每项测试的益处超过成本，成本包括财务考量以及对患者健康的风险。一些侵入性测试（如活检）可能产生的不良影响或许广为人知，但其他测试的风险却不那么明显或直接。看似“非侵入性”的测试涉及电离辐射的使用，并存在引发恶性肿瘤的风险。在澳大利亚的医疗实践中，这种风险被广泛低估，放射学界有责任证明常规进行的检查能给患者带来净益处。
