says that routine health checkups as practiced in urban areas in India are harmful as far as the whole society health is concerned.
The research states that the aim of a routine health check-up should be to unearth a latent disease or prevent its manifestation by modifying the risk factors. However, routine health check-ups are typically broad in their approach and assess multiple organ systems simultaneously to ascertain whether an individual is healthy or not.
It further states that Sutton’s law (in which one should look for diseases where they are most likely to be) exposes the contradiction of this generalist approach. This non-specific method may cause more harm than good because of over- diagnosis, over-treatment, distress or injury from invasive follow-up tests, anxiety due to false-positive test results, false reassurance due to false-negative test results and possible continuation of adverse health behaviours due to negative test results.
Some 500 years ago. This indisputable adage has acquired renewed significance and acknowledgement in urban India, with an increasing proportion of people periodically undergoing routine health check-ups; these are often mandated pre-employment, for life insurance and by corporations for their staff. Diagnostic centres and hospitals offer several health check-up ‘packages’ to cater to this need.
Research states that these health check-ups include a battery of investigations, some of which are inappropriate due to their poor diagnostic yield and cost implications.
Meanwhile, healthcare provider institutions in India now offer structured health check-up ‘packages’ for routine screening of common diseases. While some tests included within their ambit are in keeping with international and Indian recommendations, some are entirely unwarranted. Unnecessary and inappropriate screening tests may cause more harm than benefit.
Besides the financial and resource burden, there may be over-diagnosis and over-treatment, psychological distress due to false-positive test results, harm from invasive follow-up tests, and false reassurance due to false-negative test results. Clinicians must ensure a net benefit from tests and interventions in order to efficiently deliver preventive services.
