By Janeen Wood, FNP, owner of Crescent Clinic Family and Occupational Health, LLC

A physical examination is a routine check that is usually advised at least once per year. The process is sometimes also referred to as a wellness exam and allows a primary healthcare provider to determine the current health status of a patient at the given time. This is an important part of maintaining an overall healthy body and can ensure any issues that do arise can be detected and treated during an early stage.

How Does a Physical Exam Work?

The purpose of a physical exam is to provide a preventive service to the patient. There is a number of procedures that are usually followed when a PCP conducts this type of examination. Some of these procedures are specific to a male or female. For example, during a physical examination, the practitioner may need to analyze the prostate of a male patient.

There are also multiple screenings that are conducted during a physical examination. This generally includes testing cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels.

The purpose of these tests is to ensure any problems that the patient develops can be potentially detected before they become more serious. With the right steps put into action and treatments provided for any detected medical problems, the patient’s likeliness for an extended lifespan is improved.

What to do Before Undergoing a Physical Exam?

Since a physical examination takes a good look at the overall wellbeing of the patient, it is important to be prepared for this appointment. When the patient has been seeing the same primary healthcare provider for some time, they might have already built a relationship with them. In such a case, taking along a complete series of documentation may not be needed.

For those who are going to a new primary care provider, however, ensuring appropriate documentation and information is taken with them will be helpful. The patient should provide the practitioner with a complete list of medications that they are currently taking, as well as have their medical history ready with them. Any symptoms that the patient might be experiencing should also be mentioned to the practitioner.

The patient is also expected to bring along results of any tests that had previously been conducted on them. This can help the doctor determine if special tests might be needed during the process of the patient’s physical exam.

Conclusion

A physical examination is a type of preventive service that allows a primary healthcare provider to detect health-related problems in a patient early on. During this procedure, the patient’s body is closely inspected, including the internal organs. Additional tests are sometimes required, and an appropriate treatment plan can be provided if medical problems are detected during the exam. This, in turn, can help to reduce the risk of more serious health issues in the future.

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