There never has been any data to support its use. The latest attack comes from the Archives of Internal Medicine:
The discussion about whether an adult needs an annual physical has been ongoing for nearly a century, Mehrotra tells WebMD. Currently, no major North American health-related organizations recommend the routine annual exams, he says.Still, many patients as well as many doctors believe the annual visits are a medical necessity. “The vast majority of people think they are being good patients if they go in to see their doctor every year,” says Mehrotra. “Most doctors actually believe the same thing.”
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{ 4 comments }
And if something inconsequential, like benign chest pain, gets mentioned on the chart on one of these visits, you can forget ever being able to buy insurance on the individual market.
The problem with physicals is not frequency, but the fact that they check only symptoms of chronic disease: weight, and blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar. The poor-lifestyle causes of ultimately 80% of all health costs- inactivity, processed food, and chronic stress, are not even on our charts. By spending 2 cents for ink, we could reverse the health crisis, by ading 3 sentences to medical charts: hours per week of lifelong vigorous exercise, eating only unprocessed food, and thrift with time and money (to eliminate chronic stress). Then Doctors could detect chronic disease causes 20 or 30 years before symptoms appear, giving plenty of time to prescribe exercise, whole food, and thrift. Patients not complying, as indicated by weight, blood pressure, etc., would need to attend a class prior to future appointments. The Symptom Diagnosis model of health care delivery is a relic of the Industrial Age. If a mechanic didn’t even check for the causes of 80% of engine failure, he would be out of business. The Information Age model is Lifestyle Diagnosis.
uI personally do not do an every year physical but as i grow older there are needs for regular testing. I am a diabetic and see my doctor twice a year and do a complete blood work up. Some have told me I need more but as a diabetic who has never had 1Ac above 6.0 I have earned that right. Now that I am approaching 60 I feel a physical every 3 years is normal and if i should reach 70 I will do one on a yearly basis. Common sense and a knowledge of family history and eating habits dictate more than a regiment. My part of this whole equasion is to keep informed on my ailments and take care of my health and use the system as little as possible so that others can avail healthcare. From the latest poll I voted in physicians are in a large part of the movement for universal healthcare….and I do not blame them as Anonymous has pointed out…we need health care for all so none suffer.
Timray
You go to the dentist whether your teeth hurt or not, why not check-in with the Dr?
When you are sick and need them you’d like to still be on their rolls.
For the $1,300 a month my family pays in premiums I think I can be seen now and then for a healthy visit without bankrupting the nation!
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