watchful waiting

A hands-off management philosophy in which certain conditions are closely monitored, but treatment withheld until symptoms either appear or some measurable parameter changes. Active management is begun once the patients become symptomatic

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

watchful waiting

Expectant management, observation, surveillance-only management Clinical decision-making A stance in which a condition is
closely monitored, but treatment withheld until Sx appear or change; WW
is appropriate when there is a short–eg, ≤ 10 yrs–life expectancy, and/or the lesion being watched has minimal aggressiveness. See Benign neglect.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

watchful waiting

(wach'ful)

A strategy that includes frequent observation of a patient's condition rather than immediate intervention with drugs or surgery.

clinical inertia.

Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners