In an effort to save money on health care costs, a large number of employers have decided to stop routine health checkups. The cited reason is that this activity is time consuming and intrusive for the employees. In addition, many employers find the cost to be unaffordable. They may also fear that some employees who are not sick will use healthcare benefits or receive sick leave without notice. However, these employees typically go home to a more familiar environment, thus, returning to work feeling rested and refreshed.
Health checkups do not mean drawing blood from patients, although this service is widely available. Overall, 4 quarters of people visit their doctors because of health complications or abnormal tests. Among these people, an estimated nine percent choose to undergo further testing or treatments at a specialty clinic. Although a large majority of these tests are not life threatening, they can provide valuable information on ways to prevent certain lifestyle diseases. In addition, these tests can also help detect any health issues related to smoking or weight that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Screening for common diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol, and blood pressure can be done in the doctor’s office or at the pharmacy. These are often referred to as routine health checks or routine blood tests. However, if a health issue is suspected, a patient may be referred to an experienced health care provider, such as a family physician, a gynecologist, a nurse practitioner, or a dentist. The advantage of having these professionals perform these tests is that they are trained in different areas and know how to combine tests into the right diagnosis.
Many diseases result from changes in the body’s chemistry. These include diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, obesity, and other serious conditions. For people who live an unhealthy lifestyle, getting sick often becomes a way of life. To try to prevent getting sick, people should look into changing their lifestyles and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Through medical checkups, they can learn more about their health.
Health care providers perform a variety of general health checks to determine whether a person is at risk for contracting a disease. Some of these screenings are done on a daily basis, while others are performed more frequently. If these screenings fall on the daily schedule, the patient may need to report to a health care provider for guidance in planning a healthier lifestyle. For frequent health checks, patients are advised to get a physical exam and then ask about the results on a yearly basis. Getting screened for some diseases often means getting a prescription for a medication that can help prevent serious illness from recurring.
In addition to regular visits to a doctor for physical and medical checkups, patients should also consider having a full body checkup done as well. This type of checkup can identify certain diseases at an earlier stage and lead to prevention. People who think that they have a health condition, such as diabetes or cancer, should schedule a full body exam with their doctor. By doing so, they can learn if they do indeed have these diseases and if prevention is possible.