Annual Physicals and Preventive Screenings in Houma & South Louisiana

Regular checkups with your health care provider are different from appointments for sickness or injury. These checkups include physical exams as well as preventive care. Preventative care may include:

• Screening tests, which are medical tests to check for diseases early, when they may be easier to treat. Which screenings you need will depend on your:
  • Age
  • Sex
  • Overall health
  • Family health history
  • Risks for certain diseases
• Vaccines, which can improve your health by preventing diseases and other health problems.
• Education and counseling to help you make informed health decisions. This could include advice about your lifestyle, including your diet, how much exercise you get, and any alcohol, tobacco, or other substances you may be using.

To make the most of your next check-up, here are some things to do before you go:

• Review your family health history
• Find out if you are due for any general screenings or vaccines
• Make and bring a list of issues and questions you would like to talk about with your provider
• Make and bring a list of any medicines, vitamins, supplements that you take

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Screenings are tests that look for diseases before you have symptoms. Screening tests can find diseases early, when they're easier to treat. You can get some screenings in your doctor's office. Others need special equipment, so you may need to go to a different office or clinic.

Some conditions that doctors commonly screen for include:

• Breast cancer and cervical cancer in women
• Colorectal cancer
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Osteoporosis
• Overweight and obesity
• Prostate cancer in men

Which tests you need depends on your age, your sex, your family history, and whether you have risk factors for certain diseases. After a screening test, ask when you will get the results and whom to talk to about them.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality