Regular wellness exams and checkups are important for maintaining overall health and detecting diseases early. A wellness exam includes reviewing a patient's medical history and conducting diagnostic tests and a physical exam based on age and risk factors. Early detection of diseases through regular checkups can help control disease progression and reduce suffering. The frequency of checkups depends on age, with younger adults recommended for exams every 5 years and those over 40 recommended for exams every 1-3 years. Checkups involve screening tests, immunizations, and health education counseling tailored to individual risk factors and age.

1. Importance of
Wellness Exams
and its Checklist

2. Wellness Exam
It is a preventive health checkup that you get to
help maintain your physical health and to see if you
are at high risk for any disease, or if a disease is
already present in your body in the initial stage.
Early detection of diseases significantly helps
control the progression and enables the doctor to
manage it better, causing less pain and suffering to
the patient.
What is a Wellness Exam?
Purpose of Periodic Health Examination
 Enables primary preventive care
 Allows for the identification of risk factors for
common diseases
 Helps in secondary prevention, i.e., the
detection of diseases with no outward
symptoms
 Facilitates patients’ counseling to promote
healthy habits
 To maintain a record of health and clinical data

3. Medical Checkup
How Often Should You Get a Medical
Checkup done?
 For people aged 18 to 40 – Once in 5
years
 For people above 40 years of age –
Once in every 1-3 years
 People above 40 who are already
diagnosed and on medication – as per
doctor’s advice (annually, half-yearly,
quarterly etc.)
Young adults under the age of 40 are generally not prone to diseases that can be diagnosed from physical examinations. The
health problems of people in this age group usually fall in the category of illnesses that display specific symptoms and prompt
them to seek medical help.
According to the American Medical
Association and other groups, Periodic
Health Assessments need to be performed:

4. Disease Prevention
Regular Checkups for Disease Prevention
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is a panel of doctors
who study the effectiveness of various tests aimed at early
disease detection and prevention, under the direction of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Disease prevention and promoting good health aim to
reduce the suffering caused by major diseases that are
preventable in many cases.
They have identified 70 ‘leading causes’ of death and
disability in the US; these diseases have been ranked in order
of severity, occurrence, and scope for improvement.

5. Periodic Health Examination
 Primary prevention that can help prevent the disease completely
through immunization etc.
 Secondary prevention like identifying risk factors for disease through
blood work, and other screenings
 Tertiary prevention for optimizing health after disease diagnosis;
managing the health of a diabetic to prevent further complications is
an example
Preventive Interventions Commonly Performed
 Screening tests like a comprehensive physical exam, blood pressure
check, Pap test, and blood tests to check cholesterol, hemoglobin,
abnormal levels of certain elements, etc.
 Immunizations like tetanus booster, flu shots, Shingles vaccine,
chickenpox vaccine etc.
 Simple medication like aspirin for patients with risk of heart disease.
 Counseling for promoting good health like switching over to healthy
diet, avoiding tobacco and alcohol, pre-conception care, pregnancy
care, breastfeeding care.
Types of the Periodic Health Examination

6. Expectation during a medical checkup
What to Expect During a Medical Checkup?
A wellness exam or medical checkup has two main components:
Your Clinical History:
Maintaining a current medical record is an important part of disease
prevention as well as control. You may be asked about:
 Prior immunizations, Blood pressure readings, Mammograms and Pap test
results
 Cholesterol or other levels (lab results)
 Updated and comprehensive history of family diseases: Most diseases are
hereditary; knowing about family diseases can indicate your risk for them
 Your past medical history – illness, surgeries, current medications,
pregnancies, etc.
 Information about workplace and schedule, home living conditions, and
leisure
 Information on alcohol and tobacco use, exercise, sexual practices,
recreational drug use and other habits
 Your body functions like sleeping, eating, bowel function, vision and
hearing

7. S
Diagnostic Tests and Physical Exam
The number and type of diagnostic tests
ordered and physical examination
maneuvers performed vary; they are based
on the age, gender, and clinical history of
the patient. A physical exam is very useful
in identifying disease in people with
symptoms, but it may not be helpful in
people with no outward symptoms – only
diagnostics can help in such cases.
Disease Prevention Tests by Age Groups
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has
developed age-specific charts for periodic
health screening for the general
population, with special interventions for
high-risk populations.
Diagnostic Tests and Physical Exam

8. S
Preventive services Checklist for ages 19-39
 A comprehensive individual risk assessment
 Height and weight
 Blood pressure
 Clinical breast examination (every three
years for women aged 20 and over)
 Blood cholesterol levels
 Pap smear (recommended every 3 years
after three consecutive annual normal
results)
 Testing for HPV and other STDs in high-risk
individuals
 Flu shot (seasonal)
 Tetanus-diphtheria booster once in 10 years
 Varicella vaccine (if you test negative and
have not contracted chickenpox previously)
 Rubella vaccine (if you have test negative)
 Hepatitis B vaccine (if not taken before)
 Pneumococcal vaccine, influenza vaccine,
and hepatitis A vaccine and HPV vaccine if in
high risk category
 General nutrition advice, healthy meal
options
 Physical activity and exercise
 Contraception and safe sexual practice
 Folic acid supplementation in women of
childbearing age
 Pregnancy and breastfeeding care
 To stop smoking
 Drinking and driving
 Use of safety belts
Schedule of visits
 Males: Once in 5 years
 Females: Once in 3-5 years
Preventive medications
Screening ImmunizationsCounseling and education

9. S
Preventive services for ages 40-64
 Individual risk assessment
 Height and weight
 Annual Clinical breast exam
 Blood cholesterol and blood pressure check
 Pap smear (Once in 3 years if three consecutive
annual results are normal)
 Mammogram (optional 40-49, yearly 50-75)
 Colon cancer screening
 Testing for HPV and other sexually transmitted
disease in high risk individuals
 Diabetes screening (blood sugar)
 Tetanus-diphtheria booster once in 10 years
 Influenza vaccine (seasonal)
 HPV vaccine, Hepatitis A and B vaccines,
pneumococcal vaccine, influenza vaccine,
rubella vaccine, and Lyme disease vaccine for
high risk individuals
 General nutrition advice, healthy food
 To stop smoking
 Drinking and driving
 Safety belts
 Postmenopausal hormone replacement
therapy
 Physical activity
 Daily aspirin for people with risk factors for or
established heart disease
Schedule of visits
 Males: Once in 5 years
 Females: Once in 3-5 years
Preventive medications
Screening ImmunizationsCounseling and education

10. S
Preventive services for ages 65 and over
 Tetanus-diphtheria booster every 10 years
 Annual influenza vaccine
 Pneumococcal vaccine
 Hepatitis A and B vaccines in high risk groups
 General nutrition advice
 Drinking and driving
 Safety belts
 Postmenopausal hormone replacement
therapy
 Physical activity
 Individual risk assessment
 Review of medications
 Height and weight
 Blood pressure
 Clinical breast examination
 Blood cholesterol
 Colon cancer screening
 Pap smear (by mutual consent of the woman and
doctor after age 65)
 Annual mammogram till age 75
 Vision test after age 74
 Hearing test after age 74
 Daily aspirin in people with risk factors for or
established heart disease
Schedule of visits
 Every 1-2 years
Preventive medications
Screening ImmunizationsCounseling and education

11. S
Planning Regular Medical Checkups
The wellness exams mentioned earlier are basically
for people who are disease free, or only at risk for
certain diseases.
People who are already diagnosed and are on
medication may need to visit their physician more
frequently – in some cases, they may need to
follow up every month. They may also require
other tests not mentioned here.
Talk to your physician and draft a checkup and
follow up plan that is tailored to address your
unique health concerns.

12. Thank You
www.epicpc.com
Follow Us