RCP: All tests should be evaluated

All medical tests and scans need to be assessed to provide patients and doctors with a clear idea of what is beneficial, the vice president of the Royal College of Pathologists (RCP) has said.

His comments follow a report by Sense About Science and a number of medical groups, including the RCP, which warned that health tests and scans for the 'worried well' may do more harm than good.

Professor Peter Furness reiterated the report's call for policymakers to establish a system to monitor the tests on offer.

"Market forces only work if consumers can judge the quality of what they are getting," he explained.

"But even professionals find it difficult to assess the quality and usefulness of medical tests.

"To base an important decision only on one-sided marketing hype is surely a recipe for disaster. We need an independent system to evaluate all these tests, with its results published and easily available to everyone."