Periodic Medical Examination: A Systematic Review

Abstract

A periodic medical examination is also referred to as a health screening, an annual health checkup, a preventive health check or a general health checkup. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review in order to identify the techniques, their origin, and conceptual foundation, as well as the instruments or items that were utilised in evaluating views about periodic medical examinations. Three databases were searched using the PRISMA checklist for publication searches from inception to April 2019. Some of the PICO (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) acronym selection criteria that were looked for included: focusing on general health check-ups and involving adults; and is published in peer-reviewed journals from inception to April 2019, with full-text papers available in English. Of the 2,445 articles identified, 340 were examined, and only 15 were finally included in this review. One study used a mixed method and another two qualitative methods, while the rest were quantitative in nature. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to evaluate the overall quality of each item that was kept. A multi-factorial impact on periodic medical examination is seen in the practice of periodic medical examination. Lack of awareness, self-practice, and compliance with suggestions from healthcare experts might be responsible. As a medical examination is the initial step of a healthcare intervention, action taken at this stage may help in management later, thus maximising the advantages of health check-ups. In order to get the full benefits of periodic health checks, a wide variety of techniques will be required.