RT Journal
A1 Kupersmith J, Eisen S
T1 A new approach to health services research
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2012
FD July 9
VO 172
IS 13
SP 1033
OP 1034
DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2012.2004
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2012.2004
AB 
The article “Overuse of Health Care Services in the United States: An Understudied Problem” by Korenstein et al1 not only demonstrates the need for more research on a critically important topic but also shows why a new approach to health services research (HSR) is needed. Overuse of health care services has been a focal point for many decades, yet the study team's exhaustive literature search of more than 114 000 MEDLINE articles published over 31 years identified only 172 articles addressing this topic. Of those 172, “robust evidence” was found for a handful of services, leading the study team to conclude that