Defining disease: Addressing the problem of overdiagnosis

该项目将调查和定义身体疾病的限制，回答有关何时表现为疾病的问题，以及何时它只是一个风险因素或轻度疾病。随后对疾病的说明将切实有助于国际社会日益关注无症状者因不会造成任何健康问题的情况而被诊断和治疗（“过度诊断”）。这项研究将为评估疾病索赔提供规范依据。研究结果将减少人们接受他们不需要的治疗所造成的伤害，为关于医疗保健范围的辩论做出实际贡献，并产生有助于减少过度诊断相关成本负担的发现。

This project will investigate and define the limits of physical disease, to answer questions about when a presentation is a disease, and when it is simply a risk factor or mild condition. The ensuing account of disease will make a practical contribution to growing international concern about asymptomatic people being diagnosed and treated for conditions that will not cause any health problems ("overdiagnosis"). The research will provide normative grounds for evaluating disease claims. Results will reduce the harm caused by people receiving treatment that they do not require, make a practical contribution to debates about the scope of health care, and yield findings that can help to reduce the cost-burdens associated with overdiagnosis.