THE PERIODIC HEALTH EXAMINATION: EVALUATION OF ROUTINE TESTS AND PROCEDURES

Abstract

Eleven tests and procedures routinely used in the periodic health examinations of 1500 persons were studied to determine their contribution to the final diagnoses made on these people. Five of these, namely the sigmoido-scopic examination, the test for sugar in the urine, the 2-hour post prandial blood glucose determination, the ecg and the chest X-ray, contributed sufficiently to be regarded as the more useful routine procedures. The examiners disregarded over 50% of the abnormal findings except in the case of the sigmoidoscopic examinations.