Skip Navigation
Menu
Editorials |7 May 2002

The Annual Physical Examination: Needless Ritual or Necessary Routine?

Christine Laine, MD, MPH, Senior Deputy Editor

Article, Author, and Disclosure Information
Author, Article, and Disclosure Information

  • Current Author Address: Christine Laine, MD, MPH, American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106; e-mail, claine@acponline.org.

×
FULL TEXT
Imagine that a 45-year-old married, premenopausal woman with no chronic or acute medical problems, unremarkable family history, normal cholesterol level 2 years ago, and no tobacco use presents to you requesting an “annual physical.” You ask whether she drinks alcohol, feels depressed, or has HIV risk factors. She does not. Your assistant has recorded the patient's blood pressure (normal) and weight (10 lbs over ideal). You examine the patient's breasts and pelvis while counseling her to lose 10 lbs, wear seatbelts, take calcium, and visit a dentist regularly. As you leave the room, you tell her to come back in 3 years unless the Papanicolaou smear is abnormal or she experiences new symptoms of concern.
Would this patient feel well cared for? Probably not. More likely, she would feel like a virtual stranger had just pried into her private life and into her body. Yet, you would have completed a periodic health examination that fully adheres to preventive health guidelines (1). Unfortunately, this patient has not read the guidelines. She expected you to listen to her heart and lungs, but you did not. She expected “blood work,” but you did none. She expects to see you yearly, but you told her not to come back for 3 years.
In this issue, Oboler and colleagues (2) present evidence showing that many Americans are unfamiliar with prevention guidelines. Of 1203 surveyed adults, 66% believed in the necessity of annual physical examination. Furthermore, when Oboler and colleagues compared the desired services with...
FULL TEXT
PDF
Not Available
Citations
Citation

Laine C. The Annual Physical Examination: Needless Ritual or Necessary Routine?. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:701–703. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-136-9-200205070-00013

Download citation file:

© 2020

×
Permissions

Published: Ann Intern Med. 2002;136(9):701-703.

DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-136-9-200205070-00013

©
2002 American College of Physicians
33 Citations

Related Articles
Behavioral Counseling to Prevent Skin Cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement
Annals of Internal Medicine; 157 (1): 59-65
Counseling to Prevent Skin Cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation
Annals of Internal Medicine; 157 (1): I-36
Behavioral Counseling to Prevent Skin Cancer: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Annals of Internal Medicine; 154 (3): 190-201
Counseling and Interventions to Prevent Tobacco Use and Tobacco-Caused Disease in Adults and Pregnant Women: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Reaffirmation Recommendation Statement
Annals of Internal Medicine; 150 (8): 551-555
View MoreView Less

Journal Club
Review: In patients with ureteric lithiasis, α-blockers increase stone expulsion
Annals of Internal Medicine; 166 (8): JC42
ACC/AHA guidelines determining statin eligibility better predicted CVD than ATP-III guidelines
Annals of Internal Medicine; 163 (10): JC11
Self-monitored, home-based pulmonary rehab was noninferior to outpatient, hospital-based rehab for COPD
Annals of Internal Medicine; 150 (8): JC4-7
Telling smokers their “lung age” promoted successful smoking cessation
Annals of Internal Medicine; 149 (2): JC1-5
View MoreView Less

Related Point of Care
Nephrolithiasis
Annals of Internal Medicine; 151 (3): ITC2-1
View MoreView Less

Related Topics
Cancer Screening/Prevention
Hematology/Oncology
Prevention/Screening

Cancer Screening/Prevention, Hematology/Oncology, Prevention/Screening.

PubMed Articles
Using data from an online health community to examine the impact of prostate cancer on sleep.
BJU Int 2020.
Updated DEGUM Quality Requirements for the Basic Prenatal Screening Ultrasound Examination (DEGUM Level I) between 18 + 0 and 21 + 6 weeks of gestation.
Ultraschall Med 2020.
View More

Results provided by: PubMed

CONTINUE WITH LIMITED ACCESS
Annals of Internal Medicine
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
acp link acp
silverchair link silverchair

Copyright © 2020 American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.

Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Privacy Policy

|

Conditions of Use

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our privacy policy. | Accept
×

You need a subscription to this content to use this feature.

×
PDF Downloads Require Access to the Full Article.
Annals of Internal Medicine
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
Access to this Free Content Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In. Please Choose One of the Following Options
Annals of Internal Medicine
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×