Annual health check-ups can be really good for your health

Should annual checkups with your doctor go the mercury thermometer route? Two doctors think so, and their suggestions have caused an uproar in the medical community. But before scrapping this physical exam, it’s important to consider all aspects of the debate that’s underway now.

It began with the October 15 publication of the New England Journal of Medicine , which included an editorial by Dr. Ativ Mehrotra, Associate Professor of Healthcare Medicine and Policy at Harvard Medical School and Hospital at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Dr. Alan Proshazka from the University of Colorado Denver. Dr. Mehrotra and Proshazka write that having an annual physical examination is an old inconvenience. For most healthy people, they said, the scans are a waste of time and money, and can lead to an unnecessary set of tests. They argued that these visits are not effective in preventing disease.

They had no last word. In an opposite view, also published October 15 ^y in the New England Journal of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital’s Dr. Alan Gurull said that by seeing patients regularly, doctors can learn about many aspects of their lives that can affect their health and well-being. . He demanded that the annual visit to the doctor be improved, not abolished.

While both sides present compelling arguments, the controversy can confuse the millions of Americans who set out to see their doctor each year. For cancer patients or those at high risk of developing cancer, preventive and regular checkups are essential. “For women, annual colonoscopy can be said for both men and women, ” says Dr. Murray Markman, chief of medicine and sciences for Cancer Treatment Centers of ^America® (CTCA).

Cancer patients should follow up with their doctor after treatment for several reasons. First, there is always the topic of repetition. “Follow-up visits are important to detect or prevent other types of cancer,” says Dr. Markman. In addition, cancer treatment has many side effects. Some feel immediately, while others may be delayed.”

List other ways regular doctor visits can benefit patients, even those without cancer. “I think these visits do an important job,” he says. Call it the placebo effect. Patients can talk about fatigue, headaches and other health problems. In fact, they can talk about stress, depression, and other health-related issues. It can help for these patients to get a recommendation from a doctor about going to see a therapist or getting advice on how to get more sleep.”

As part of their argument to reduce the number of annual medical examinations, Dr. Mehrotra and Proshazka point out that more than $10 billion is spent on annual examinations each year, roughly the same amount that is paid to treat all cancer patients. lung in the USA. Dr. Markman, who sees many opportunities for cost savings, says the high price is not entirely justified. “There are items for an annual physical examination that are very valuable, but they do not require a doctor. For example, a specialist nurse can control blood pressure,” he says. The result will be freeing up doctors to treat patients with more pressing health problems.

Some of these pressing issues will involve cancer patients. Due to the nature of medical care, many patients may begin treatment with a cancer specialist, but eventually return to their primary care physicians for treatment close to home. “There aren’t enough oncologists,” says Dr. Markman.

In the medical community, the debate is far from over. For patients who have questions about annual exams, consult your doctor. An annual checkup may be exactly what your doctor orders.

Learn about cancer screening tests, who should get them, and the types of cancer.