Evaluation of Scientific Evidence for Health Screening Tests Provided by Some Hospitals in Korea

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Hospitals provide programs for routine screening health examination to meet the needs of people who take keen interest in the prevention of cancer and chronic diseases. But current programs do not reflect individual characteristics such as age, sex, occupation, and risk factors. Expensive diagnostic tests not based on evidence raise a continued issue of controversy. We evaluated on the scientific evidence of screening tests in these programs. METHODS: Internet home pages were searched for screening test provided by 6 major hospitals and by National Health Insurance Corporation. Screening tests were arranged by target diseases which were chosen by the authors. We reviewed the guidelines of several organizations and compared the scientific evidence of each test by the recommended guidelines. RESULTS: Excessive investigation, such as tumor markers, abdominal ultrasonography, anti-HCV Ab, and VDRL were routinely administered against recommended guidelines. Screening tests lacking sufficient evidence for recommendation were included. Furthermore, selection of the screening tests options and time interval was based on the clients' economic state and non-expert preference. CONCLUSION: Screening tests were uniformly administered in excess with insufficient evidence. Tailored screening program should be administered considering individual characteristics and risk factors.