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Summaries for Patients are a service provided by Annals to help patients better understand the complicated and often mystifying language of modern medicine.
SUMMARIES FOR PATIENTS
Public Expectations for Annual Physical Examination and Testing
7 May 2002 | Volume 136 Issue 9 | Page I21
Summaries for Patients are presented for informational purposes only. These summaries are not a substitute for advice from your own medical provider. If you have questions about this material, or need medical advice about your own health or situation, please contact your physician. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine.
The summary below is from the full report titled "Public Expectations and Attitudes for Annual Physical Examinations and Testing." It is in the 7 May 2002 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 136, pages 652-659). The authors are SK Oboler, AV Prochazka, R Gonzales, S Xu, and RJ Anderson.
What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
Guidelines for preventive health care recommend selected medical examinations and laboratory tests for adults at specific time intervals. The guidelines, which are drafted by expert medical panels after review of available research results, do not recommend comprehensive yearly checkups. However, many healthy American adults see doctors for yearly checkups.
Why did the researchers do this particular study?
The researchers wanted to learn what American adults think about yearly physical checkups and what they think should be done during these checkups. They also wanted to know whether these desires for checkups and for the specific things to be done during checkups depend on how much they would have to pay.
Who was studied?
1023 U.S. adults selected by random-digit telephone dialing in Boston, Denver, or San Diego.
How was the study done?
Using a standard set of questions, a telephone interviewer asked patients whether they agreed with the following statement: "In addition to seeing my regular doctor when I am sick or for chronic medical problems, I need an annual physical exam." The survey also asked patients whether the yearly checkup should include specific parts of the physical examinations (for example, listening to the heart), tests (for example, taking a complete blood count), and counseling (for example, advising about alcohol use). The study participants in Boston and San Diego were asked whether they would still want a yearly checkup if they had to pay for it.
What did the researchers find?
Two thirds of the participants said they thought yearly checkups were necessary. They expressed a strong desire for many parts of the examination, tests, and counseling. The adult participants were more interested in many nonrecommended yearly tests (for example, blood counts and tests of kidney function) than they were in many recommended tests (for example, mammography and colon cancer screening tests). Not surprisingly, the more people had to pay for yearly checkups, the less they wanted them.
What were the limitations of the study?
The beliefs of these adults in Denver, Boston, and San Diego may not be similar to beliefs of people living elsewhere in the United States. Moreover, the study included only English-speaking adults.
What are the implications of the study?
Many Americans think that yearly physical checkups are necessary. In addition, they appear to want many nonrecommended tests during yearly checkups more than they want some recommended tests. There is a need to better educate Americans about the proven and unproven benefits of yearly checkups.
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