There is little evidence to indicate there is value in routine blood tests in asymptomatic patients; instead, this practice is more likely to produce false positive results that may lead to additional unnecessary testing. The decision to perform screening tests, and the selection of which tests to perform, should be done with careful consideration of the patient’s age, sex and any possible risk factors.
Sources:
Boland BJ, et al. Yield of laboratory tests for case-finding in the ambulatory general medical examination. Am J Med. 1996 Aug;101(2):142-52. PMID: 8757353.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Guide to clinical preventive services: An assessment of the effectiveness of 169 interventions [Internet]. 1989 [cited 2014 Feb 15].
Wians FH. Clinical laboratory tests: Which, why, and what do the results mean?. Lab Med. 2009;40:105-13.
Related Resources:
Patient Pamphlet: Health Check-ups: When you need them and when you don’t
College of Family Physicians of Canada Infographic: Rethinking the Annual Physical Exam and Screening Tests
Dr. Mike Evans Video: Do More Screening Tests Lead to Better Health?