Research Needed on Preventive Health Services
Authors: SUZANNE W. FLETCHER
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1981)

Editorials1 October 1981Research Needed on Preventive Health ServicesSUZANNE W. FLETCHER, M.D., M. ANDREW GREGANTI, M.D., JOHN ROBBINS, M.D.SUZANNE W. FLETCHER, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, M. ANDREW GREGANTI, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, JOHN ROBBINS, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-95-4-509 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptAlthough internists think of themselves as diagnosing and treating disease, they actually spend substantial practice time working to prevent disease and preserve health, largely through the routine physical examination (or periodic health examination) and preoperative evaluation for elective surgery on basically healthy persons. Data from the 1975 National Ambulatory Care Survey (1) show that general physical examinations were the most frequent reason patients visited internists, accounting for almost 3.5 million visits. The amount of internists' time involved in preoperative evaluation of patients undergoing elective surgery is less clear, but they probably evaluated many of the 20 million patients who had...References1. . Office Visits to Internists. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, United States, 1975. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics, 1978. (DHEW Publication no. (PHS) 79-1787). Google Scholar2. SEEGER R. Selected data on hospitals and use of services. In: HAUG JN, KUNTZMAN K, eds. Socio-economic Factbook for Surgery, 1977-. Chicago: American College of Surgeons; 1980. Google Scholar3. ROBBINSMUSHLIN JA. Preoperative evaluation of the healthy patient. Med Clin Am 1979;63:1145-56. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. SPITZER W Chairman. Report of the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination. Can Med Assoc J. 1979;121:1193-254. MedlineGoogle Scholar5. TAYLORDELBANCO WT. Looking for early cancer. Ann Intern Med. 1980;93:773-5. Editorial. LinkGoogle Scholar6. ROMMFLETCHERHULKA FSB. The periodic health examination: comparison of recommendations and internists' performance. South Med J. 1981;74:265-71. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. SPITZERSACKETT WD. Research priorities on prevention of chronic diseases. J Chronic Dis. 1980;33:459-63. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. RUSSELLWILSONTAYLORBAKER MCCC. Effect of general practitioners' advice against smoking. Br Med J. 1979;2:231-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. WILSONWILLIAMSBASKETTBENNETTSKENE MNPJA. Assessment of fitness for surgical procedures and the variability of anesthetists' judgments. Br Med J. 1980;280:509-12. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. BONEBRAKENOLLERLOEHNENMUHMFISH CKCJC. Routine chest roentenography in pregnancy. JAMA. 1978;240:2747-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. RABKINHORNE SJ. Preoperative electrocardiography: its cost-effectiveness in detecting abnormalities when a previous tracing exists. Can Med Assoc J. 1979;121:301-6. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Department of Medicine The University of North Carolina School of Medicine Chapel Hill, North Carolina Department of Internal Medicine University of California School of Medicine Davis, California PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 October 1981Volume 95, Issue 4Page: 509-511KeywordsMedical servicesSurgery Issue Published: 1 October 1981 PDF downloadLoading ...