Column by Dr. David Lipschitz on Annual Physicals

[Villages PL]

Column heading: "Annual physical may be of little value"

He stated the following: ".....in a review published in the prestigious Cochrane Library, researchers from Denmark found that annual physical examinations prevented nothing. They did not reduce the risk of death from heart attacks or cancer, as compared to patients who did not have annual physicals. Furthermore, there was no difference in life expectancy between the two groups."

As a matter of fact, the researchers suggested that getting an annual physical may cause more harm than good. For one thing, there were too many false positives requiring needless tests, biopsies and surgery.

This was the result of a large long-term study involving 182,880 people who were followed for nine years on average.

The quality of life was judged to be the same for both groups (one group had an annual physical and the other did not).

Those who had an annual physical ended up taking more drugs but taking more drugs had no effect on health outcomes.

My comment/opinion: Doctors know this but promote the once or even twice a year physical anyway. In most cases it's done for their benefit not the patient's benefit because they need the steady income. For example, I'm in good drug-free health but I follow my doctor's orders to go for a twice yearly check-up. We may even be made to feel fearful if we miss a year. And if you voice your opinion to the doctor about this, the chances are you will not continue to be on good terms. This means you doubt your doctor's judgement and it will not be taken kindly.

What do you think?

[perrjojo]

What do I think?
I think most doctors would find this offensive. If you are on Medicare it is the recommend standard of practice recommended by Medicare.

[BarryRX]

The physical exam of a healthy, asymptomatic adult is unlikely to reveal any significant abnormality (1) that would not have been detected eventually when symptoms developed and (2) whose earlier detection and treatment would reduce morbidity and mortality in the long run.

A directed physical exam is sometimes indicated in patients with risk factors for specific conditions. A Pap smear is indicated in most women, but not every year, and the accompanying pelvic exam is likely a waste of time.

For healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 65, The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommends only these components of the traditional physical exam:

For men, a blood pressure measurement.
For women, a blood pressure measurement and a periodic Pap smear.
They have other recommendations including vaccinations, counseling, and screening tests; but none of those require a physical exam.
And most of us can check our own blood pressure at Walmart or CVS. Healthcare, being science based, is constantly evolving as new treatments are developed and studied. Since the study the OP references is fairly recent, and the only other study I could find was a 1979 study in Canada (I admit I haven't put in hours looking for other studies) I expect that over time the "annual physical" will become less frequent as government and insurance companies use these studies to reduce or deny payment for something that may be proven to be unnecessary. I suspect that the physical may become more targeted towards those with risk factors rather than otherwise healthy people.