evidence: Or maybe – we don’t. [...] QOF, and all other guidelines are based on the same principle which I shall call ‘the stitch in time strategy.’ Pick up diseases early, treat them early, and this will prevent downstream illnesses and death. Huzzah. This idea seems to mesmerise both doctors and politicians. [...] 2: https://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j4493.full 3: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-75888-8#:~:text=Hence%2C%20polypharmacy%20was%20associated%20with,cause%20death%20among%20elderly%20individuals.