Medicine keeps evolving, yet many long-standing clinical habits and healthcare structures remain unchanged. Some practices once considered standard are now questioned for their limited effectiveness or potential harm. Identifying and re-evaluating these outdated approaches is crucial to ensure patient safety and evidence-based care.
Many hospitals focus on treating illnesses after they appear instead of preventing them. A 2022 study in Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing found that old healthcare structures and strict hierarchies make it harder for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers to work together and follow the latest evidence.[1]
In simple terms, even if new research shows better treatments, the way hospitals are run may slow progress.
Despite medical progress, tools like the Body Mass Index (BMI)—developed nearly two centuries ago—are still used as a primary measure of obesity. However, BMI does not differentiate between fat and muscle or assess metabolic health, leading to misclassification in many individuals.
According to Jupiter Family Practice, more accurate parameters such as body-fat percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, and metabolic biomarkers provide a clearer picture of overall health.[2]
Continuing to rely solely on BMI can result in inappropriate treatment strategies and reinforce misleading health narratives.
Certain therapies, though once groundbreaking, have not kept pace with advances in precision medicine. Traditional chemotherapy, for example, targets both healthy and cancerous cells, causing significant side effects. Similarly, the widespread prescription of opioids for chronic pain management has raised concerns over dependence and long-term harm.[2]
Emerging approaches—such as immunotherapy, targeted drug delivery, and multimodal pain management—demonstrate that medical care can be both effective and safer when it embraces specificity and patient-centred design.
Even the way care is organised and communicated can be outdated. Out-of-date terms and rigid hospital hierarchies can make patients passive and staff less likely to work as a team.[1]
Modern healthcare encourages teamwork, shared decision-making, and involving patients in their care. This helps treatments match both the latest research and what patients really need.
Many outdated practices continue because they have become routine. Examples include overprescribing antibiotics, giving sleep medications unnecessarily, or ignoring updated guidelines.
In a commentary published in Canadian Family Physician, Dr. David White highlighted that clinicians often struggle to abandon outdated habits even when new evidence contradicts them.[3] This inertia underscores the need for structured de-implementation strategies—systematic processes that help replace ineffective practices with evidence-based alternatives.
Recent discussions on MedBound Hub reflect similar concerns. Doctors, medical students, and allied professionals debated which practices may need reconsideration.
In neonatal resuscitation, using too much oxygen aggressively is not considered a wise step. Resuscitation can be started with as much as room air (FiO2 of 0.21) in term babies. No need to thrust oxygen on the baby out of panic and our lack of understanding of science.
Dr Munish Raizada, Neonatologist
Using silver amalgam filling in dental restoration. It’s still prevalent in India, but banned in many other countries.
Dr Theresa Lily, Dentist
One outdated medical practice I believe needs a major rethink is the overuse of antibiotics for viral infections—it’s ineffective, promotes resistance, and demands more responsible prescribing.
Aniket Bhakre, MBBS student
These exchanges highlight that the persistence of outdated practices is not due to ignorance but often due to systemic and cultural inertia within healthcare.
Modernising healthcare requires more than scientific breakthroughs—it demands rethinking the systems, tools, and attitudes that support them. Transitioning from a reactive to a preventive care model, updating clinical metrics, and fostering collaborative care are essential steps. As medical knowledge continues to grow, staying current means not only learning what’s new but also unlearning what no longer serves patients effectively.
While medicine continues to advance, some old habits and practices remain, slowing down progress and sometimes affecting patient safety. From over-reliance on measures like BMI to the continued use of treatments with broad side effects, outdated practices often persist simply because they are familiar.
Improving healthcare is not just about discovering new treatments—it also means changing the way care is delivered and decisions are made. Encouraging teamwork among healthcare professionals, involving patients in their own care, and replacing outdated practices with evidence-based methods are essential steps toward better outcomes.
In the end, progress in medicine relies equally on adopting what is proven to work and letting go of what no longer serves patients, ensuring care is safer, more effective, and guided by the latest evidence.
1. Tucker S, Melnyk BM, McNett M. Outdated healthcare structures, sick care paradigm, and medical terms: Barriers to evidence-based, patient-centered and interprofessional care. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2022 Jun;19(3):172-174. doi: 10.1111/wvn.12592. Epub 2022 Jun 5. PMID: 35662404.
2. “5 Outdated Medical Practices We Need to Replace.” Jupiter Family Practice. Accessed October 2025.
3. White D. Medical errors, old habits, bad practice. Can Fam Physician. 2017 Feb;63(2):173. PMID: 28209687; PMCID: PMC5395393.
Edited by M Subha Maheswari
