"For decades, clinicians and researchers have been concerned about patients getting treatments, including operations, that don’t work. As well as failing to treat the original health problem, ineffective care exposes patients to complications and side-effects and waste precious health-care resources."
While not about CLL or even cancer, this article by Peter Breadon and Stephen Duckett at Australia's Grattan Institute, show how reporting of treatment by condition can be analysed to identify which treatments may be ineffective. In particular, look at the graph "Some public hospitals give do-not-do treatments far more often than average" and read the accompanying discussion, which shows the value that can be gained from analysing reporting of treatment by condition.
NICE UK also gets a mention for its work in identifying treatments that evidence shows should not be given to certain types of patient.
Neil
Photo: White headed/black winged stilts cruising around a popular skiing lake.