Experts say there is little medical evidence of benefits from annual physicals for healthy patients experiencing no symptoms, according to the New York Times. This suggests that they are an unnecessary medical expense that adds to the cost of health care and exposes patients to unnecessary risks.
Checkups for people with no medical complaint still remain the single most common reason for visiting a doctor:
An expert committee sponsored by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found little benefit in many of the tests commonly included in a typical physical exam for symptomless people:
Many doctors do a careful physical exam on a patient’s first visit to serve as a baseline. But on subsequent visits, say groups like the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, patients would be better off if doctors spent their time counseling them on such things as stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet and drinking moderately, using seat belts and having working smoke alarms in their houses.
Source: Gina Kolata, Annual Physical Checkup May Be an Empty Ritual, New York Times, August 12, 2003.
For text http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/12/health/12PHYS.html
For more on Preventive Medicine Health Issues http://www.ncpa.org/iss/hea/
FMF Policy Bulletin\19 August 2003
