TY - JOUR
T1 - Comprehensive outpatient health assessment
T2 - A case-finding tool in 500 consecutive asymptomatic individuals
AU - Sack, George H.
PY - 2009/9
Y1 - 2009/9
N2 - This study appraises the case-finding efficiency of a single-day outpatient program of a broad-based clinical evaluation and laboratory studies in asymptomatic adults. The same protocol, varied only according to age and sex, was used for 500 individuals encountered consecutively over 15 months, and an unanticipated new diagnosis or important clinical or laboratory finding was established for one-third of them. The diagnoses varied widely, consistent with the breadth of the observations, and most led to specific recommendations for care. These findings confirm the case-finding efficacy of comprehensive clinical assessments supported by basic laboratory studies and counter the notion that specific tests and/or portions of the review of systems and physical examination can be eliminated in establishing a reliable medical database for asymptomatic adults. In addition, such comprehensive data provide essential reference material for later comparisons.
AB - This study appraises the case-finding efficiency of a single-day outpatient program of a broad-based clinical evaluation and laboratory studies in asymptomatic adults. The same protocol, varied only according to age and sex, was used for 500 individuals encountered consecutively over 15 months, and an unanticipated new diagnosis or important clinical or laboratory finding was established for one-third of them. The diagnoses varied widely, consistent with the breadth of the observations, and most led to specific recommendations for care. These findings confirm the case-finding efficacy of comprehensive clinical assessments supported by basic laboratory studies and counter the notion that specific tests and/or portions of the review of systems and physical examination can be eliminated in establishing a reliable medical database for asymptomatic adults. In addition, such comprehensive data provide essential reference material for later comparisons.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70349653531&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=70349653531&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/MD.0b013e3181b9512b
DO - 10.1097/MD.0b013e3181b9512b
M3 - Article
C2 - 19745685
AN - SCOPUS:70349653531
SN - 0025-7974
VL - 88
SP - 268
EP - 278
JO - Medicine
JF - Medicine
IS - 5
ER -