CGetting Americans to get the recommended health exams could be an uphill battle. Data shows that many people skip recommended cancer screenings, even though they are usually covered by insurance.
But even though many people skip routine care, certain health-conscious consumers seek out as much health data as they can find, and do so primarily out of curiosity. creating a market for expensive preventive tests, scans, and screenings. Or a sense of security, and sometimes against the recommendations of medical professionals.
In recent years, millions of people have purchased direct-to-consumer tests to test their saliva, blood, and urine for markers of future disease, and companies including the now-infamous Theranos have They are raking in millions of dollars to provide it. That kind of service. Some have spent thousands of dollars on “executive” or “white glove” physical exams that include a battery of tests. And in recent years, celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have been touting the benefits of expensive full-body MRI scans, which promise to detect health problems early.
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The pandemic is likely playing a role in this trend, with survey data suggesting many Americans are more conscious about their health than they were before the pandemic, compared to COVID-19. 19) existed before.
When standard treatment is insufficient
For some, proactive services could fill holes in the U.S. standard of care, such as long wait times, short appointments, and rushed providers. For some, this may feel like a logical next step in a culture where counting steps, sleep, and calories is the norm. Or maybe it’s about a sense of control and a desire to avoid the randomness of chronic disease, says Dr. Marianne Dubar Go, an oncologist, geneticist, and preventive medicine physician at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. He says it may be something.
Some studies have found that full-body scans can catch early signs of cancer and other health problems in some patients. People with a family history or other risk factors for certain diseases may especially benefit from additional screening, Duvard-Go says.
But other medical experts think this trend has gone too far.
“people [think] “It’s always good to know something about something,” says Dr. Jeffrey Linder, chair of general internal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. But “there’s a reason why doctors don’t do every test on every person all the time.”
Many people have nodules, cysts, or masses in their bodies that look problematic on scans but are actually harmless. Similarly, some test results can fall outside of the “normal” range without actually being dangerous, Linder said. However, anxiety about abnormal findings leads many patients to schedule additional tests that may be risky, invasive, expensive, and ultimately unnecessary. He says it will be.
read more: 4 ways to get a medical checkup to live a long and healthy life
A 2019 research review concluded that “healthcare providers should not offer whole-body MRI as a preventive health screening to asymptomatic subjects outside of research settings,” and that such scans may result in false positives or unnecessary They noted that inconclusive results are often obtained that may require additional follow-up care. Medical groups such as the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American College of Radiology, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration take a similar position, citing limited evidence that proactive scanning provides measurable benefits for most healthy people. There is.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a group of experts that publishes screening guidelines that inform both clinical practice and insurance coverage policy, has not made specific recommendations for full-body scans. “We want to encourage a focus on preventive services that are proven to keep people healthy,” USPSTF Chairman Dr. Michael Barry said in a statement to TIME.
Some experts even argue that Americans should be tested less and less than they are now. Although there is good data supporting certain screenings, such as those for colorectal cancer, there is debate about how much some screenings, such as blood tests that help assess risk for prostate cancer, actually prolong life. According to some studies, only 14% of cancers in the United States are diagnosed through screening tests.
Some experts are similarly reluctant to offer direct-to-consumer testing services, some of which claim they reveal genetic predispositions to disease.
Genetic testing is valuable even in apparently healthy people, Duvard-Gault says. Many people do not know that they have cancer markers, but having this information could be useful for future medical care. But “context is important,” she says.
Interpretation of results
As a doctor, Duval-Go’s “secret sauce” is interpreting test results while considering a person’s overall health status, she said. Her at-home test loses much of its granularity, she says, and may not be as accurate or comprehensive as a test ordered by a medical professional. “We need medical professionals to do this,” Duvard-Gault says. “The interpretation of all this is not easy.”
Despite reservations from experts, these services don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Body scanning company Prenuvo has performed “tens of thousands” of scans since 2009 and has increased the number of MRI machines in its vehicles by 500% since 2020, according to a company spokesperson. The company reportedly plans to open a new clinic in the United States soon. The self-testing market is also expected to be boosted by the widespread use of at-home COVID-19 diagnostics, nearly doubling in value over the next decade. As the market expands, so will demand from patients, Duvard Goh said.
Some people may find it beneficial. But as these services become more widespread, Linder said, lofty promises about improving health are being replaced by things that have been proven to work, such as “boring” but effective necessities like a balanced diet, exercise, and enough sleep. I’m worried that people will turn a blind eye.
