Also called: Also called: Screening tests
Screening refers to a test or exam done to find a condition before symptoms begin. Screening tests may help find diseases or conditions early, when they are easier to treat. Some conditions that doctors commonly screen for include
- Breast cancer and cervical cancer in women
- Colorectal cancer
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Osteoporosis
- 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. For example, being overweight may increase your risk of developing diabetes.
- Adult Preventive Care Timeline(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - Links to PDF - http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/timelinead.pdf
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Preventive Services for Healthy Living(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/prevention/175.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/prevention/175.printerview.html
- Screening for a Healthier Life(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/features/screening-2.html
- Screening Tests for Adults (Ages 30-49)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/wellness/d_adult_1.html
- Screening Tests for Young Adults (Ages 19-29)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/wellness/c_youngadult1_1.html
- Vision Test for Young Children Called Unreliable(10/03/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70038.html
- More Older Americans Screened for Colon Cancer(09/29/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69811.html
- Free Mammography Still Carries Some Costs(09/26/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69751.html
- More News on Health Screening http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_h.html#healthscreening
- Adult Immunization Schedule(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/adult-schedule.htm
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Cancer Information Summaries: Screening/Detection
(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/screening/
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Cancer Screening Overview (PDQ)(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/screening/overview
- Cardiac Risk Assessment(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cardiac_risk/glance.html
- Colorectal Cancer: Facts on Screening(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Links to PDF - http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/pdf/fs-patient-basic.pdf
- Complete Blood Count(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cbc/test.html
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cmp/glance.html
- How Often Should I Have an Eye Exam?(Prevent Blindness America) - http://www.preventblindness.org/eye_tests/near_vision_recom.html
- Lipid Profile(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/lipid/glance.html
- Skin Cancer Screening(American Academy of Dermatology) - http://www.aad.org/public/exams/screenings/
- TB Skin Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/tb_skin/test.html
- Urinalysis(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/urinalysis/test.html
- Whole Body Scanning Using Computed Tomography (CT)(Center for Devices and Radiological Health) - http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ct/
- With Home Testing, Consumers Take Charge of Their Health(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/features/hometesting.html
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Calculate Your Body Mass Index(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/sp_bmi-m.htm
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Disease Risk Index(Siteman Cancer Center) - http://www.yourdiseaserisk.siteman.wustl.edu/english/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu/spanish/
- Mental Health Screening Center(Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance) - http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_screening_screeningcenter
- Bone Mass Measurements(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - http://www.medicare.gov/health/osteoporosis.asp
- Cervical and Vaginal Cancer Screening (Pap Test and Pelvic Exam)(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - http://www.medicare.gov/health/cervical.asp
- Colorectal (Colon) Cancer: Insurance and Medicare(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/basic_info/screening/insurance.htm
- Diabetes Screening, Supplies, and Self-Management Training(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - http://www.medicare.gov/health/diabetes.asp
- Glaucoma Tests(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - http://www.medicare.gov/health/glaucoma.asp
- Prostate Cancer Screening (PSA)(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - http://www.medicare.gov/health/prostate.asp
- Shots (Flu, Pneumococcal, Hepatitis B)(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - http://www.medicare.gov/health/shots.asp
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Your Guide to Medicare's Preventive Services(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - Large PDF file - http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/10110.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/10110_S.pdf
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MedlinePlus: Genetic Testing(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/genetictesting.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/genetictesting.html
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Communicating about screening. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18809589&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Recommendations for identification and public health management of persons with... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18802412&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Early readmissions to the department of medicine as a screening... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18794712&tool=MedlinePlus
- Health Screening -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(mass+screening[majr]+NOT+(genetic+screening[mh]+OR+neonatal+screening[mh]))+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+systematic[sb]+OR+review[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+guideline[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- screening tests - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=screening+tests
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - http://www.ahrq.gov/
- Data 2010: The Healthy People 2010 Database(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wonder.cdc.gov/data2010/focus.htm
- Body Mass Index: Calculator for Child and Teen(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx
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Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program: Frequently Asked Questions(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ehdi/question.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ehdi/spanish/faqs_home.htm
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MedlinePlus: Newborn Screening(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/newbornscreening.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/newbornscreening.html
- Screening Tests for Children (Ages 2 to 12)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/wellness/b_children_1-2.html
- Screening Tests for Infants(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/wellness/ab_infant_1.html
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Your Child's Vision(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/eyes/vision.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/vision_esp.html
- Body Mass Index: Calculator for Child and Teen(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx
- Screening Tests for Teens (Ages 13-18)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/wellness/c_teen_1.html
- Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Worksheet for Men(American Cancer Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.cancer.org/downloads/PED/Cancer%20Prevention%20and%20Early%20Detection%20Worksheet%20for%20Men.pdf
- Men's Top 10 Health Threats: Mostly Preventable(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/mens-health/MC00013/METHOD=print
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Men: Stay Healthy at Any Age(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymensp.htm
- Screenings for Men(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC267/9105/24369/282699.html?d=dmtContent
- Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Worksheet for Women(American Cancer Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.cancer.org/downloads/PED/Cancer%20Prevention%20and%20Early%20Detection%20Worksheet%20for%20Women.pdf
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General Screenings and Immunizations Guidelines for Women(National Women's Health Information Center) - Links to PDF - http://womenshealth.gov/screeningcharts/general/general.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.womenshealth.gov/espanol/tabladeensayos/mujeres/
- Pap Smear(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/pap/test.html
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Screening Mammograms: Questions and Answers(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/screening-mammograms
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/cancer/hojas-informativas/mamografia-respuestas
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Women with Medicare: Visiting Your Doctor for a Pap Test, Pelvic Exam, and Clinical Breast Exam(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - Large PDF file - http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/02248.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/02248_s.pdf
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Women: Stay Healthy at Any Age(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywomsp.htm
- Prevention in Older People(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=10
- Screening Tests for Adults (50 and Up)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/wellness/e_over50_1.html
- Healthy Living - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthyliving.html
- Laboratory Tests - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/laboratorytests.html
- Wellness and Lifestyle - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/wellnessandlifestyle.html