The medical community is divided on whether patients need to see their physicians every year for an annual checkup, according to USA Today.
Here are a list of pros of routine checkups:
1. They facilitate an enhanced provider/patient relationship.
2. Patients receive tests including colon scanner tests and cholesterol tests. Physicians can also screen patients for depression and alcohol abuse.
3. Annual check-ups give patients a reason to see their doctor, which decreases gaps in care and prevention.
A list of cons include:
1. There is a lack of evidence showing annual check-ups decrease deaths and illnesses.
2. Annual checkups take away a physician's time for patients who are sick.
3. Patients waste money. With nearly one-third of U.S. adults getting checkup a year, annual check-ups costs a total of $10 billion annually.
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