Periodic Health Examination
Role Of Phe In Maintaining Health
The PHE is only one component of maintaining good health. It does not replace episodic care (e.g., the usual treatments for acute or chronic conditions). Neither does it replace the responsibility of the individual to maintain a healthy lifestyle, although advice and counseling may reinforce health behaviors. While it is tempting to believe that preventive health care reduces health care costs by preventing illness, this does not appear to be the case, at least not in the short term. With increasing acceptance, and increasing demand by older individuals for preventive health care, benefits of improved health may eventually be followed by reduced health care expenditures.
CHRISTOPHER J. PATTERSON
See also BREAST; CHOLESTEROL; EYE; HEARING; HEART DISEASE; HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE; INFLUENZA; OSTEOPOROSIS; PROSTATE; SKIN.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination. Guide to Clinical Preventive Health Services. Edited by R. B. Goldbloom. Ottawa: Canada Communication Group, 1994.
LAVIZZO-MOUREY, R.; DAY, S. C.; DISERENS, D.; and GRISSO, J. A. Practicing Prevention for the Elderly. Philadelphia. Hanley & Belfus, 1989.
PATTERSON, C. "Health Promotion, Screening and Surveillance." In Oxford Textbook of Geriatric Medicine, 2d ed. Edited by J. G. Evans, T. F. Williams, B. L. Beattie, J.-P. Michel, and G. K. Wilcock. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2000. Pages 1126–1135.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2d ed. Alexandria, Va.: International Medical Publishing, 1996.
Additional topics
Medicine EncyclopediaAging Healthy - Part 3Periodic Health Examination - Origins, Components Of The Phe, Requesting A Periodic Health Examination, Role Of Phe In Maintaining Health