Posted on 07/04/2005 7:08:59 PM PDT by neverdem
Most doctors in a recent survey said that annual physical examinations were effective in detecting illness in apparently healthy patients, even though there is little scientific evidence to support the exams.
The report found that physicians were largely unaware that current federal government guidelines did not recommend annual exams for healthy adults without symptoms.
The study also revealed that in performing annual physicals many physicians routinely ordered screening tests that had not been proved useful for patients with no symptoms.
"The initial idea was, if we bring someone in once a year and do extensive testing, we'd identify disease," said Dr. Allan V. Prochazka, the lead author on the paper, which was published last week in Archives of Internal Medicine. "But the guidelines say that blanket testing is not the way to go. It doesn't identify the things you want to identify, and you get false positives that trigger a chain reaction of further unnecessary testing."
Sixty-five percent of the 783 physicians who completed a questionnaire maintained that an annual physical was necessary, and 55 percent believed that annual physicals for healthy adults were recommended by national organizations.
The researchers found that even many doctors who were aware of published guidelines continued to perform annual physicals, either because patients wanted them, or because they believed the procedure gave them the chance to offer advice about preventive health measures.
Among the physicians, those who are younger, the women, the gynecologists and those in private practice were the most inclined to favor annual exams.
"Patients like tests," said Dr. Prochazka, and the survey showed that physicians order them frequently. According to federal guidelines, the complete blood count, or C.B.C., is a test with no proven value for asymptomatic people. But the survey showed that 39 percent of physicians indicated that they would...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I get a routine physical every year. On my last one, my blood work showed that my thyroid was out of control. I had no symptoms that would indicate anything was wrong.
Put me in the "YES" column for annual exams.
This is so much crap. My asymptomatic sister's cancer was detected early during an annual "well women" vist. Now me, I went 5 years without an annual physical. I went to the dr. for a belly ache and scheduled surgery for lap-choly. On the pre-op CBC I had a hemoglobin of 6.5 gm/dl. Surgery postponed. Chronic blood loss over a long period of time...didn't notice the symptoms... too busy...blah, blah blah...and I got outpatient transfusions. Guess I should have gone to the Dr. sooner, eh? This is a crock of sh..
Did you read the whole article? I linked the federal guidelines in comment# 1.
The article stated: "The federal recommendations are all age and gender specific."
"The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening mammography, with or without clinical breast examination (CBE), every 1-2 years for women aged 40 and older."
Your case is the exception, not the rule. People are crying about the cost of medicine which includes the cost of unnecessary testing. Your CBC was indicated, but you ignored your symptoms. Did your nails change shape, and were you abnormally short of breath as well as having melanotic(black) stools?
There must be a lot of exceptions out there. I'm just an average person who's been healthy most of their life. I think if its happening to me, its happening to others too for whatever reasons. I have seen other articles like this and have read them. I think its irresponsible to encourage people not to see their doctors. Especially coming from places like WebMD. I needed a doctor just to sort out and calm me down about everything I read on WebMD. I was terrified by it. I don't go to WebMD very much anymore.
People can die from not knowing whether they should go to the doctor or not. I think there are a lot of people not going to the Dr who need to either because they can't pay, they don't know or they don't want to know. I don't think this helps. If I had gone to the Dr. more regularly, I may not have needed those transfusions.
You didn't answer me if you had the signs and symptoms I mentioned.
They are not telling people not to go to doctors.
They are saying there's probably no need for certain tests when patients have no complaints, and they are not taking prescription medicine on a daily basis.
My symptoms? I'm female. It was gradual. I thought, well, I'm just getting older. Still, it never occurred to me that I may be building quite an iron deficit. I had a healthy appetite. Lots of iron foods. I was out of breath after exertion. There was chest pain when walking up hill or up stairs. I thought this was because I was out of shape. In fact, I was starting a simple program of diet and exercise to lose weight and lower my pulse; resting 100/min. Nothing too hard; walking daily, low fat food, etc. I even quit smoking. I did not notice being tired or any paleness. I had this general, vague feeling that something was amiss. I'm not blaming anyone. I know now that I ignored things. I got excellent care for these problems. I'm a willful person. Not defiant, just willful. That means I have my own ideas about things, wrong as they sometimes may be, but I am open to advice. I need that counseling from someone who knows and has authority. That would be a doctor.
People are more than just nerves and tissue, just as doctors are more than just technicians.
My symptoms? I'm female. It was gradual. I thought, well, I'm just getting older. Still, it never occurred to me that I may be building quite an iron deficit. I had a healthy appetite. Lots of iron foods. I was out of breath after exertion. There was chest pain when walking up hill or up stairs. I thought this was because I was out of shape. In fact, I was starting a simple program of diet and exercise to lose weight and lower my pulse; resting 100/min. Nothing too hard; walking daily, low fat food, etc. I even quit smoking. I did not notice being tired or any paleness. I had this general, vague feeling that something was amiss. I'm not blaming anyone. I know now that I ignored things. I got excellent care for these problems. I'm a willful person. Not defiant, just willful. That means I have my own ideas about things, wrong as they sometimes may be, but I am open to advice. I need that counseling from someone who knows and has authority. That would be a doctor.
People are more than just nerves and tissue, just as doctors are more than just technicians.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.