Physical examination of asymptomatic adults for screening.

Abstract

Letters and Corrections1 May 1989Physical Examination of Asymptomatic Adults for ScreeningMark R. Goldstein, MDMark R. Goldstein, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-110-9-743 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the Editor:I read with dismay "The Periodic Physical Examination in Asymptomatic Adults" that appeared in a recent issue (1). I devote two days a week of my internal medicine practice to doing such periodic physical examinations. The day after reading the article, I kept an account of every periodic examination I did—there were nine. I found several abnormalities in organ systems that, according to the article, I was not supposed to examine. They included a hard prostatic nodule in a 45-year-old man, hyperactive deep-tendon reflexes and a tremor in a 30-year-old woman, a 5-cm pulsitile epigastric mass and...Reference1. ObolerLaForce SF. The periodic physical examination in asymptomatic adults. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:214-26. LinkGoogle Scholar1. ObolerLaForce SF. The periodic physical examination in asymptomatic adults. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:214-26. LinkGoogle Scholar1. ObolerLaForce SF. The periodic physical examination in asymptomatic adults. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:214-26. LinkGoogle Scholar1. ObolerLaForce SF. The periodic physical examination in asymptomatic adults. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:214-26. LinkGoogle Scholar2. BloomPalestine JA. The diagnosis of cytomegalovirus retinitis. Ann Intern Med. 1988;109:963-9. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Caplan L. Carotid-artery disease. New Engl J Med. 1986;315:886-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. EichnerWhitfield EC. Splenomegaly: an algorithmic approach to diagnosis. JAMA. 1981;246:2858-61. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar1. ObolerLaForce SF. The periodic physical examination in asymptomatic adults. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:214-26. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Aging America 1985-86. U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging in conjunction with the American Association of Retired Persons, the Federal Council on the Aging and the Administration on Aging. Google Scholar3. LevinsteinOuslanderRunenstein MJL. Yield of routine annual laboratory tests in a skilled nursing home population. JAMA. 1987;258:1909-15. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Wolf-KleinHoltSilverstone GTF. Efficacy of routine annual studies in the care of elderly patients. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1985;33:325-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Wolf-Klein G. Routine annual examination for the elderly patient. Geriatric Medicine Today. 1985;7:75-9. Google Scholar1. ObolerLaForce SF. The periodic physical examination in asymptomatic adults. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:214-26. LinkGoogle Scholar1. ObolerLaForce SF. The periodic health examination in asymptomatic adults. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:214-26. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Fielding J. Smoking: health effects and control. N Engl J Med. 1985;313:491-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Clark W. Alcoholism: blocks to diagnosis and treatment. Am J Med. 1981;71:275-86. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Slap G. The periodic health examination and adolescent pregnancy: 1988 [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 1988;109:693-4. LinkGoogle Scholar1. ObolerLaForce SF. The periodic physical examination in asymptomatic adults. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:214-26. LinkGoogle Scholar2. MargolisRich KE. Open angle glaucoma. Primary Care. 1989;16:197-209. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. PackerDeutschDeWeese HAM. Efficiency of screening tests for glaucoma. JAMA. 1965;192:109-12. CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. GottliebSchwartzPauker LBS. Glaucoma screening: a cost-effectiveness analysis. Surv Ophthalmol. 1983;28:206-26. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. MargolisMoneyKopietzRich KBLE. Effect of an educational program on physician recognition of ophthalmoscopic signs of open angle glaucoma. J Gen Intern Med. 1989;4:[In press]. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Crozer-Chester Medical Center Upland, PA 19013 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByThe focused physical examinationACP guidelines for common diagnostic tests and the practicing internist 1 May 1989Volume 110, Issue 9Page: 743-747KeywordsReflexes Issue Published: 1 May 1989 PDF DownloadLoading ...