Third party funded individual grant
Acronym: DIAMANT-SD
Start date : 01.04.2025
End date : 31.03.2028
Around a third of laboratory tests are not carried out in line with guidelines and ultrasound is often used too early in the diagnostic work-up of possible thyroid disorders. The probability of detecting a thyroid nodule is high. Almost all nodules are benign and pose no health problems, but their discovery often leads to unnecessary follow-up examinations and treatment and can cause great uncertainty for those affected. To date, there has been no procedure for correctly assessing the risks involved in diagnostic examinations and communicating this to those affected.
The DIAMANT project aims to contribute to a more reliable appraisal of the benefits and risks of diagnostic tests. A diagnostic toolbox (intervention) will be developed from the perspective of doctors and patients and its feasibility will be tested. The box consists of a number of items, such as educational material on diagnostics, overdiagnosis and risk communication, information material for patients and a risk communication tool for ultrasound examinations. Fifteen GP practices will receive an educational training and then have access to the diagnostics box to test it. For six months, these practices will be encouraged to use the elements in their everyday practice and to document their experiences. Fifteen other control practices will not receive any additional information on thyroid-related diagnostics. After six months, it will be evaluated whether the diagnostics box helps to assess the benefits and risks of diagnostic tests with greater certainty.
The project is being funded for three years with a total of around 1.5 million euros.
If successful, the diagnostics box will be able to prevent unnecessary thyroid examinations. The development of the box can serve as a methodological template for other diagnostic boxes, which can also contribute to better risk communication in other medical fields and help to avoid unnecessary diagnostics.