HEALTH SCREENING
What is it?
Health screening is a medical test that is offered to a group, or individual, to detect or rule out the presence of diseases, conditions, and general health risks.
It is carried out to check for illnesses before any symptoms appear. It is one of the best things we can do for ourselves as early detection of any ailment can make a big difference in apparently healthy individuals. Health screenings may include measurements of vision, hearing, height, weight, full blood count, stool and urine analysis, blood pressure and liver function tests.
Some of the most common conditions that people get screened for are:
- Prostate Cancer screening in men – This is recommended for men who are over 50 years old, obese, and have high testosterone levels.
- Colorectal cancer – This is a must for individuals who are 50 years old and above, and have a history of colorectal polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, and inherited gene defects or mutations.
- High blood pressure - Every time you visit your doctor, your blood pressure will be checked. If there are instances wherein the test reveals that you have elevated blood pressure, you may need to undergo other tests to determine the cause.
- High cholesterol - This test is highly recommended for individuals who smoke, drink alcohol, and are obese
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases – Sexually active individuals, particularly those who have more than one sexual partner, are recommended to undergo screening for STDs.
- Diabetes – This is recommended for patients who have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
- Pap Smear and Osteoporosis – These tests are highly recommended for the prevention of cervical and breast cancer as well as medical conditions that typically affect women.
Types of Health Screening
- Multiphasic Screening (Multiple screening)
This is the application of two or more screening tests in combination to a large number of people at one time than carrying out separate screening tests for a single disease for example - haematological on blood or urine specimen.
- Selective (High Risk) Screening
The selective screens are carried out among high-risk populations only. For example, screening for cancer and STDs in lower social groups.
- Mass Screening
Mass screening simply means the screening of a whole population or a sub-group e.g. – all adults. It is offered to all, irrespective of the risk status of the individual.
PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH SCREENING
The principles for a health screen exist to ensure that when a disease is detected from the screening, it can be attended to properly and the person at risk can be provided with the best treatment possible. These principles are pointed out in the following:
- The condition should be an important health problem.
- There should be a recognizable latent or early symptomatic stage.
- There should be an accepted treatment for the recognized disease.
- Facilities for diagnosis and treatment must be available.
- The test should be acceptable to the population that has a high level of accuracy.
- There should be a written agreed policy on whom to treat.
- The cost of screening (including diagnosis and treatment of patients diagnosed) should be economically balanced about possible expenditure on medical care as a whole.
- Case-finding should be a continuous process, not just a “once and for all” project.
- The natural history of the condition, including development from latent to declared disease, should be adequately understood.
THE HEALTH SCREENING PROCEDURE
Health screening is done in several stages.
- It usually begins by measuring your height and weight to calculate your BMI.
- Then, you will be asked about your lifestyle choices, including; questions about how active you are, whether you smoke (and how many cigarettes you smoke per day), your diet, and how many units of alcohol you drink per week.
- The doctor will test your vital statistics including; a blood pressure test, a blood test to measure your blood sugar and cholesterol level, and a urine test to test for bacteria, infections, and sugar levels, as well as organ function.
- Additionally, your doctor may test for conditions such as; diabetes, heart and vascular diseases, and various cancers.
Undergoing health screening involves blood exams, urinalysis, stool analysis, X-rays, and blood pressure tests when necessary, and if the doctor suspects that a certain disease has developed, further examinations to confirm the diagnosis will also be performed.
BENEFITS OF HEALTH SCREENING
- Identifying risks early
Whatever the condition is, early detection is beneficial to treatment. The most obvious is cancer since early detection can prevent malignant tissue from spreading elsewhere in the body. The earlier the diagnosis, the more effective the treatment will be.
- Lifestyle changes
By identifying ways in which your lifestyle is affecting your overall wellness, health screens can help you to take positive steps towards a healthier you. This could include dietary changes, an exercise regime, smoking cessation, and stress management approaches.
- Genetic risk factors
A health screening can thoroughly assess your family history. This means you could be at risk of having an inherited condition, which may manifest itself later on in life, and knowing your risks, might enable you to make lifestyle changes to lessen the likelihood of developing certain hereditary diseases. Diabetes, heart failure, and hypertension can run in families, but a healthy lifestyle can help to counter-compensate for some genetic disadvantages.
- Specific health screening
Health screening is carried out on a case-by-case basis. This means factors specific to the individual are taken into account when deciding which tests are required. Not only is this more cost-effective and convenient, but it also ensures the diagnostics are well-targeted.
- Up-to-date research
Because medicine is ever-evolving, it's important that patients are treated in line with the latest research findings. The health screening provides early detection and prevention, as well as leading a healthy lifestyle. And this allows doctors to treat the cause rather than the symptoms, which enhances disease risk reduction and responsiveness to therapy.
HEALTH SCREENING RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS
The only risk involved in health screenings is the fact that not all results are 100 percent accurate. All health screening procedures, which are non-invasive, are 100% safe. If the result turns out to be falsely positive, you would likely undergo additional tests that will cost more time and money and may receive treatment that you do not need in the first place. However, if the result is false negative, there is a good chance that the disease will progress without being checked. A health screening test is a medical test or procedure performed on members of an asymptomatic population or population subgroup to assess their likelihood of having a particular disease, and all healthcare providers can agree that early diagnosis of a life-threatening disease, for which there is an effective treatment, is a positive action.
Unfortunately, health screening may not be carried out as often as it should be by individuals due to the fact that it can be expensive. Much research has provided details as to how health screening has had harsh financial implications on the individuals undertaking them. Even so, the matter of the health of people can not be too expensive that it be ignored. Health screenings provide early information or detection of disease which can be very helpful in treatment and a healthier life.