Detailed steps of routine physical examination process

Prepare 1-3 days before the examination→Go to the hospital for verification and registration→Basic clinic item inspection→Medical equipment inspection→Post-inspection material submission and sample retention→Report interpretation and follow-up follow-up. Next, I combined my practical experience of accompanying my family and running physical examinations myself over the past few years to clearly explain the precautions, pitfalls and differences between different institutions in each link.

Let’s talk about the most common pitfalls in the pre-examination preparation. Many people think that as long as they have an empty stomach in the morning, it turns out that the night before, they met up with friends to have skewers and drank until midnight. The next day, it was found that the transaminases were high and they had to be re-examined. It was a completely wasted trip. Regarding whether you can drink water, different institutions have different requirements. Some strictly require no water for 8 hours, while others think it is perfectly fine to drink less than 100ml of warm boiled water and take regular chronic disease medications before the examination - especially for patients with high blood pressure and diabetes. Don't stop taking medication rashly for a physical examination. I have seen an old man stop antihypertensive medication and feel dizzy and fell while waiting in line. The gain outweighs the gain. In this regard, just listen to the requirements of the physical examination institution you made an appointment for first. In addition, girls remember to avoid menstrual periods, otherwise the urine samples will be all red blood cells, and the results will be inaccurate at all, and they will need to be reexamined.

When you arrive at the physical examination center, don't rush to the blood drawing area. The first step must be to place an order and get the barcode. Now most institutions support direct verification of ID cards/appointment codes. With just one scan, you can get your full set of physical examination instructions and the barcodes corresponding to each item. Without this barcode, your information will not be recorded during the blood draw, so the blood draw will be in vain. If there is a need to modify the program, for example, if you want to add HPV screening, you can do it directly at the registration desk, saving you a trip later.

In fact, there is no need to queue up for clinics such as internal medicine, surgery, ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology, and dentistry. You can just go where there is no one to go first. Don't be embarrassed to skip the surgical digital rectal examination. To be honest, 80% of low rectal cancer can be detected early through this simple examination. It doesn't hurt at all, but it is a bit embarrassing. It takes 10 seconds and it is over. It is really better than finding it in the late stage later. Remember not to wear contact lenses during the eye examination, otherwise you will have to remove them on the spot for the corrected vision test, which will make you busy. If you wear them, tell the doctor in advance. It is best to brush your teeth before the oral examination, otherwise when you open your mouth, the smell of breakfast mixed with tartar will embarrass you and the doctor.

Blood draws, ultrasound, chest X-rays, CT, and carbon 13 are the most time-consuming items that rely on equipment. Arranging them in order can save half the time. My own experience is to draw fasting blood and do abdominal ultrasound first. These two must be done on an empty stomach. After that, you can drink water and eat. If you need to do a gynecological transabdominal ultrasound or a male prostate ultrasound, drink warm water at this time. Don't drink milk tea and cola, which will affect the results. When you can't hold in your urine, do those clinic procedures. When you are almost done holding it in, just do the ultrasound. There are also differences in the requirements for the carbon 13 breath test. Some institutions require fasting for 2 hours, and some require fasting for 8 hours, just like the blood draw. If you don’t ask in advance, just do it together in the fasting project to avoid inaccuracies. If you want to retain urine and feces, remember to urinate in the middle section. Don't urinate in the front section as soon as you come up. It is easy to cause contamination and the results are inaccurate. Many people just don't leave a stool sample because it is troublesome. In fact, fecal occult blood is a very important screening indicator for early digestive tract cancer. Keep as much as possible.

Once all the items have been completed, don’t just grab your bag and leave. First, return the instruction sheet to the front desk. The nurse will check whether you have missed any items. If you have missed any items, you can make them up on the spot to avoid having to make a trip next time. Most institutions will provide free breakfast. Girls who have had several tubes of blood drawn should not go home on an empty stomach. I have seen a little girl pass out while catching the subway without eating after drawing blood. I cannot do this.

Reports usually come out in 3-7 days, and most of them can now be viewed electronically online. Don’t scare yourself by looking at the arrows on Baidu. There are many indicators that even if there are no arrows, it does not mean that there is absolutely nothing wrong. For example, a lung nodule is reported as Category 3 benign. If you have a history of smoking or a family history of lung cancer, you must follow up once every six months. Don’t take it seriously. If there are any abnormalities that you are not sure about, don't just listen to one doctor. For example, some doctors say that if there is nothing wrong with thyroid nodules, regular examinations are enough, and some will recommend puncture. See more doctors from two different hospitals for a more comprehensive judgment.

In fact, there are not so many complicated rules for a routine physical examination. Just be prepared in advance, don’t skip items randomly, and ask the doctor if you have any questions. After all, the essence of a physical examination is to detect problems early. Don’t miss key items to save trouble or embarrassment, which will lose the meaning of the physical examination.