An executive check-up or general check-up is a periodic health screening that everyone who cares about his or her health should undergo. In the past, doctors believed that executive check-ups should be done on a yearly basis but recently, they began advising patients to have the medical check-up once every five years for those aged 18-40, while those aged 41 and above are told to undergo the check-up every three years.
Today, you could enter a trusted London diagnostic centre to have a physician run certain tests on you to gauge your general health condition. These tests normally involve modern machines that can diagnose ailments that can’t be seen via typical physical examinations.
Here are four things that you must know about executive check-ups:
You’re not obligated to undergo a yearly medical check-up
While there are employers and doctors who still insist that executive check-ups or medical check-ups be done every year, the truth is that the individual shouldn’t be obligated to have it with that frequency.
In fact, contrary to expectations, sticking to a yearly executive check-up can do more harm than good. It was found out that perfectly healthy people who underwent annual medical check-ups are statistically more prone to what doctors call ‘false positives’ that happens when the test results showed that something is wrong with the patient when the truth is otherwise.
Not only is this potentially stress-inducing, but also impractical and financially-draining.
The executive check-up is meant for primary and secondary prevention
The periodic executive check-up is meant for primary and secondary prevention for a variety of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and many others.
Primary prevention (such as getting immunization) is a proactive medical intervention that seeks to curb a disease before it actually begins. Secondary prevention, on the other hand, are actions that help in diagnosing an ailment at its early stage and using that knowledge to treat it outright. Examples are testing for blood sugar level or doing physical examination to detect breast cancer or testicular cancer.
Things to expect in an executive check-up
There are several things that you must expect to do or be done to you during your executive check-up. These include the following:
- Updating of your medical records
- Biometrics – Includes blood pressure, weight, height, and pulse rate
- Eyesight and hearing tests
- Diagnostic tests using machines (age-specific) – May include blood chemistry, ECG, cancer screening (gender-specific), and urinalysis
- Physical examination (age-specific)
You may or may not undergo certain tests
While there are certain tests that your doctor would recommend you undergo, you may politely ask not to have any test that you’re uncomfortable with. But before you do say no to any test, be sure to first listen to your doctor on why a test is important because if it is, then you may want to give the test a go. However, if the test is something that is not really critical, then you can say no.
They say health really is wealth. Medical examinations such as executive check-ups are there for a reason, so be sure to have one done periodically. This way, you’ll always be on top of your health conditions and your doctor, too.
