Are annual medical physicals really necessary?
Visiting a doctor for a yearly check-up is a tradition in American healthcare. The ‘annual physical’ is a specific visit designed to detect and treat health problems early on. While only 62% of people actually get an annual physical, the majority of people think that they’re important.
Annual physicals can be a good chance for your doctor to perform regular tests and discuss your general health. Testing your heart rate, blood pressure, and other indicators can help your doctor establish a baseline for your general health, so it’s easier to tell if something goes wrong.
But is a yearly visit really necessary for everyone? Several studies suggest that annual physicals don’t actually make a difference in health outcomes. In fact, they can lead to unnecessary testing, false positives, and stress for patients. And that’s before you get to the money wasted on healthy people visiting the doctor. For most people, it’s better to focus on keeping up with recommended health screenings, and see the doctor only when something goes wrong.
Tests, checks, and advice
During an annual physical, your doctor will usually take your blood pressure, listen to your heart and chest, and check your head and neck for pain or abnormality. Proponents of the yearly check-up say that checking these functions while you’re healthy gives doctors a baseline level to work from, so they can tell if something changes in the future.
Another positive? The annual exam can be a good chance to discuss any minor, ongoing health concerns that don’t seem serious enough to warrant a separate visit – that ache in your neck or frequent heartburn. You can also keep on top of regular testing – pap smears, blood tests, and other tests are often performed, or at least scheduled, during the annual physical. Without that annual reminder, people may be less likely to remember these tests.
Finally, some doctors use annual physical as an opportunity to offer advice about health and lifestyle issues like weight loss and diet. Without that regular chance to see the patient, they argue, that information wouldn’t be delivered.
Time, money, and needless stress
Although the annual physical has its upsides, they may not outweigh the negatives. That’s why many doctors are moving away from the yearly check-up as a standard part of care.
One argument against the annual physical is cost – one study estimated that preventative health visits cost Americans around $7.8 billion every year. If that cost led to improved health outcomes and prevented serious illness, that might be fine, but the evidence shows that it doesn’t. At least one study has shown that annual physicals make no difference to mortality or rates of disease.
Extra tests scheduled during annual check-ups can also be problematic. They may be uncomfortable or painful, cause worry and stress for patients, cost money and time, and even lead to false positives and unnecessary treatment.
Although the annual physical can be a good chance to discuss general health concerns and lifestyle issues, some doctors argue that this can be done just as well during visits about other issues.
Staying on top of health tests
If you’re generally healthy and aware, it’s probably fine to skip the annual physical. But that doesn’t mean you have license to ignore your health altogether. It’s still important to see your doctor when health concerns arise.
It’s also essential to keep up with regular screening for cancer and other conditions. The CDC recommends that women from 50-74 get mammograms every two years, pap smears to test for cervical cancer can be done every three years for most women, and all adults should be screened for colorectal cancer after the age of 50.
Eye health, which is frequently neglected, is also important. Many people rely on vision screenings to assess their eye health, but a full eye exam can detect issues far earlier. Your eyes can also be indicators for other health problems such as diabetes and even cancer, so it’s essential to have a comprehensive eye test regularly. The CDC recommends that everyone over the age of 60 should be tested every two years, those with diabetes should be tested annually, and children should be tested at least once between the ages of 3 and 5.
Annual alternatives
If you’re so healthy that you rarely visit the doctor, it’s smart to schedule a check-up every so often just to make sure you’re not missing anything – but once every two or three years is plenty. People with chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure generally have regular visits with their doctor to monitor symptoms and medication, so there’s usually no need for an extra visit.
Of course, if you’re generally worried about your health, even if you don’t have specific symptoms, it might be worth scheduling an annual physical to give you peace of mind. But most people don’t need to feel guilty about skipping their annual check-up – it’s about trusting yourself to know your body and monitor your own health.
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