Summary

Background:

Traditionally, the task of health promotion and early detection screening has been the purview of health maintenance organizations through the family physician. For some years, it has become popular for private health organizations to offer a concentrated day of comprehensive medical testing, which is promoted as a perk by many organizations to their employees. What do these programs offer? Are the tests that are offered evidence based?

Objectives:

To describe a concentrated day of comprehensive medical testing program in view of current evidence base medicine (EBM) recommendations.

Methods:

We reviewed official internet sites of the most popular concentrated days of comprehensive medical testing and compared the tests offered to the recommendation of several Israeli and international guidelines.

Results:

Many tests performed at director screening days do not follow EBM recommendations. Tests like mammography, colonoscopy, bone density, and prostate-specific antigen tests are often offered outside of the recommended age and risk groups and without pretest consultation.

Conclusions:

We recommend against routine general health examinations for healthy adults. The most important treatment is not screening and early detection but real prevention. We recommend turning these director screening days into real investments in future health by changing the focus from diagnosis to treatment through prevention. One-on-one conversations, explanations, and most importantly tools to encourage lifestyle changes, will really make a difference.