In Defense of the Annual Checkup

By Dennis Thompson

Arguments against the time-honored practice are flawed, new research paper says

Arguments urging doctors to abandon routine physical exams are based on insufficient evidence, a new research paper maintains.

The case against the regular checkup has been largely based on a review of 14 trials that concluded that annual visits do not reduce either illness or risk of death, according to the paper released online Jan. 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

But the trials included in that review did not focus specifically on the value of the annual physical exam, and their results are being distorted, said paper lead author Dr. David Himmelstein, a professor at the City University of New York School of Public Health at Hunter College in New York City.

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