Do people take their children to the GP for regular checkups?

[Cailleachian]

My daughter tends to mild health anxiety and for ages she's been asking when she should get a check up at the docs and insisting that you go for a GP's checkup like you do for a dentist.

I've never taken my post-toddler children to checkups (she's my youngest) apart from my older children when they were about 7 with the health visitor and I think she had one about the same age (she's now 13) but through the school. I've been saying basically that checkups arent a thing, and that you go to the doc when you are actually ill, and the pharmacist recommends it.

Anyway she came down last night with an NHS website that said that everyone under 50 should have a check up at least once every 3 years, and annually for over 65s.

She's basically healthy and doesn't have any specific issues, she just wants a check up from a doc. Is this a thing?

No, we go when we're sick and think that they might be able to do something to aid recovery, as opposed to rest and fluids doing the trick.

Why would any child need a “sports physical”?

You can't see a GP when you are dying around here never mind a perfectly healthy 13 year old for a check up!

@GinIronic

Why would any child need a “sports physical”?

Most states (as far as I know) require a medical clearance before a child can participate in a school sport. The idea is to ensure that the child doesn't have an undetected medical condition that might be exacerbated by the sport, or to make sure that any existing conditions are managed as the child takes up a sport. For example, if a child has a history of concussion, their pediatrician might question whether they should be cleared to participate in (American) football. This is true for both competitive and non-competitive sports. I played intramural volleyball (well, "played" might be a generous interpretation) at age 12/13 and had to have a physical before I could attend any practices. My pediatrician provided that.

I'm a GP. I'll lay money on the fact that she has misunderstood over 50 for under 50. We don't do regular checks for well kids, other than the usual baby checks/vaccinations, nor for well adults until they hit 40.

@Sunshineshow

It’s true in Europe. There’s no GP for kids, you have a paediatrician who sees them annually to monitor them and for all their routine health problems. Like a lovely GP surgery all set up just for kids, waiting room with toys, everything kids friendly. Was great actually, mine loved theirs and they really did a great job and seemed to love doing it. Great for mental health for kids and parents. Far less stress. Mind you, they also had a test for strep throat (just like covid test but less invasive) in less than an minute you would know if a sore throat needed antibiotics or not and get on with your day. Easy to make appointment, done and dusted, right treatment in place. Paid for by insurance.

Bless her, she sounds anxious about something, hope you get the bottom of it. I had similar with one of mine who kept seeing the cancer support adverts on tv and his mind went wandering.

It's a thing in most countries where you pay privately. Nice little earner, easy work, no evidence that it adds anything to the child's health. And FWIW a throat with a swab showing strep will in most cases get better about 12 hours earlier with antibiotics than without it. Throat swabs are responsible for a lot of over treatment.

It can’t hurt to let her have a physical check up if she’s not been checked for years. She might have questions she wants to ask a GP in private too.

@PlanDeRaccordement

It can’t hurt to let her have a physical check up if she’s not been checked for years. She might have questions she wants to ask a GP in private too.

It's not something that the NHS provide, unless there is a health problem that you are concerned about. What exactly would you like us to check in a healthy child? Un-evidence based screening can do harm.

@GinIronic

Why would any child need a “sports physical”?

I always assumed it’s to help absolve the sporting body of liability.

States also require physicals for entry into some school years. That is a public health issue to make sure kids are getting medical attention on occasion. It’s also when kids get vaccinations .

No

@pianolessons1
OPs daughter has health anxiety. Surely a physical check up would go a long way to easing her anxiety? And what if she isn’t being anxious this time but has a genuine health issue? You can never tell with a health anxious person and it’s throwing the dice to assume they have nothing wrong with them.

And sorry, I don’t agree that extra screening can ever do harm, it’s the lack of screening that does harm. For example the NHS lets many young women die of cervical cancer because they don’t do cervical smears to screen for cervical cancer in under 25s.

No. But I know that in the US you have a check up every year before school

Check ups aren’t really a thing in the U.K.

Over 40s are supposed to have checkups. I was invited to make an appointment when I turned 40 but I’ve never been able to actually get the appointment - I’m over 50 now and it’s a huge fight just to get smear checks let alone anything else.

I’ve only ever taken my DC to the GP if they are ill - so very rarely.

A friend of mine almost died as a result of a check up, I'm not sure whether it was a work thing or just because he had BUPA and was offered one but he had a colonoscopy that unbeknownst to anyone caused a small bowel perforation. He flew off on holiday and nearly died from peritonitis, (luckily he went somewhere with high tech hospitals) he lost some bowel and had to have a stoma. Sometimes overtesting causes actual physical harm and it often causes a lot of anxiety.

It isn’t a thing, but it should be, for a number of reasons. Not least because it would help GPs spot children who are malnourished and be able to help advise parents (and kids) Preventative medicine is a really good idea.

They do it for kids with disabilities, DD is part of a “health surveillance” programme which sounds more sinister than it is, but it’s just a meeting with a consultant to see how she is getting on. This is in addition to the consultants who see her regularly for her disability related stuff.

We’d have to massively increase the number of GPs to be able to do it though, so it will never happen.

@PlanDeRaccordement there is a lot of evidence that in someone with health anxiety, unnecessary consultations and tests increase the health anxiety.

Lol even if you wanted too, it takes like 3 weeks to get an emergency appointment so doing a check up would take months.

No. Its a thing in America but not here as far as I know. Appointments are so scarce at the moment that I wouldn't want to take an appointment away from someone who may desperately need it in order to play into the health anxiety of my completely healthy child.

In most countries, yearly check-ups are completely normal.

The system is utterly fucked here.

For example the NHS lets many young women die of cervical cancer because they don’t do cervical smears to screen for cervical cancer in under 25s.

How many?

It also treats thousands of women for abnormal smear results which would never turn in to cervical cancer. Research has shown in 1000 women aged under 30 having abnormal results, 600 will experience regression, 230 will remain unchanged, and 110 will progress within two years of active surveillance. But the current guidelines say to remove these cells, then follow up for 5 years. Having been one of the 1000, I can say, it was the start of some pretty crap health anxiety for me, not to mention some really painful treatment and I now panic whenever I am awaiting smear results. This last test result hasn’t been sent to me despite my smear being over 3 months ago. Safe to say, for me “over testing” has caused problems.

I have one every few years with my private health insurance via work. I go along and basically get told I am too fat (I am a bit but not massively). So often I skip it.

However I know that I am a generally healthy fatty so that's something I guess. Nice little earner for Nuffield Health. Cushty job for the doctor.

NHS, dream on!

@MaenadsJustWannaHaveFunyou can have a health check annually under the NHS. I had one once, but it didn't tell me anything I didn't know.
I know my older male neighbour gets invited I think once a year, maybe less, for a general check-up at a man's health clinic.

@MaenadsJustWannaHaveFun

In most countries, yearly check-ups are completely normal.

The system is utterly fucked here.

In which countries? Not australia.

[quote PlanDeRaccordement]@pianolessons1
OPs daughter has health anxiety. Surely a physical check up would go a long way to easing her anxiety? And what if she isn’t being anxious this time but has a genuine health issue? You can never tell with a health anxious person and it’s throwing the dice to assume they have nothing wrong with them.

And sorry, I don’t agree that extra screening can ever do harm, it’s the lack of screening that does harm. For example the NHS lets many young women die of cervical cancer because they don’t do cervical smears to screen for cervical cancer in under 25s.[/quote]

1. if the OP's daughter were my patient I'd happily see her and discuss psychological options round her health anxiety. Having a physical check up is more likely to fuel it.
2. we don't do smears under 25 as the treatment of changes at that age, which usually resolve on their own, does more harm than good. It's clearly evidence based that more women will be harmed by the treatment, either immediately or by premature deliveries in the future, than will benefit.

[quote julieca]@MaenadsJustWannaHaveFunyou can have a health check annually under the NHS. I had one once, but it didn't tell me anything I didn't know.
I know my older male neighbour gets invited I think once a year, maybe less, for a general check-up at a man's health clinic.[/quote]
Yes, they start at age 40