Patients' expectations of periodic health examinations.

The periodic health examination is a major part of medical care in the United States, but has been infrequently studied. Adult family medicine center patients were surveyed to learn their expectations about the timing and content of preventive checkups. Over 90 percent desired such examinations, most often on an annual basis. At least 75 percent selected care items that added up to extensive physical examinations and use of laboratory and other procedures. Their choices usually exceeded those recommended by an expert group as most likely to detect or prevent disease. Other data showed that recorded practice by their physicians neither met their expectations nor was consistent with recommended care patterns. These findings suggest the need to align patients' and their physicians' expectations to allow more effective practice of preventive care.