In tEWn

A recent discussion on LinkedIn’s Wellness as a Business Strategy forum saw a lot of support for requiring annual physical exams, despite the medical community’s skepticism about whether annual physicals for apparently healthy, low-risk people are consistent with best practices and a healthy lifestyle. But the question should not be whether annual exams should be required — it’s whether they should even be encouraged. If you are convinced that requiring annual exams is a good idea despite the scarcity of evidence demonstrating the net benefit of this practice, consider reading the op-ed piece by Gilbert Welch, MD, published in the NY Times this week: “If You Feel OK, Maybe You Are Okay.”

The article is not specifically about annual exams. It is about how excessive and unfounded devotion to preventive screening has been misconstrued as wellness and can turn healthy people into patients.

You may not agree with the author’s conclusions (the article overstates the case at times), but the piece may at least introduce some gray into what risks being misunderstood as a black and white issue.