Annual Physical Exam Checklist

Annual Physical Exam Checklist by Age

Annual physical exams are checkups that promote an overall healthy lifestyle and assess the propensity for future illnesses, and potentially developing a plan to prevent them from happening. Annual physical exams are different based on your age, while male and female exams may look a little different. 

Here is the annual exam checklist by age group:

What Is Included in an Annual Physical Exam?

Annual physical exams include gathering information and a physical examination of your entire body. Vitals signs are measurements checked by your doctor to determine your overall health. 

Key vital signs include:

• Blood pressure

• Heart rate

• Respiration rate

• Oxygen level (Sp02)

• Temperature

The doctor will also check your height and weight to determine if you are underweight, optimal weight, overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. The doctor will also assess your lungs, heart, and brain function during a physical exam.

How Much Is a Physical Exam Without Insurance?

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the national average price for a physical is around $199 for people without insurance. However, we offer virtual physical exams, which can be more affordable. This amount usually does not include lab work, which may accrue additional costs.

Community health clinics may offer discounts or even free visits in your area. You can check your state’s website for more information. Other options include drug stores, which may offer walk-in visits at affordable prices.

What Is In a Respiratory Assessment?

A respiratory assessment is part of a physical exam's heart and lungs portion. Respiratory assessment refers to reviewing the function of your lungs. 

Using a stethoscope, your doctor will listen for crackles, wheezes, and decreased breath sounds. These sounds are clues to the presence of heart or lung diseases. Your oxygen level is measured to detect the amount of oxygen circulating in your blood, which should be above 94% in healthy adults.

What Is In a Cardiovascular Exam?

A cardiovascular exam is a part of your physical exam that measures and monitors heart function. Your doctor will listen for irregular heartbeats, heart murmurs, and other clues to heart disease using a stethoscope. The doctor will also check your pulse to determine your heart rate. 

The doctor may also look at the veins (jugular) in your neck that could give clues to underlying heart disease. Swelling in the extremities, such as your feet and ankles, may also help diagnose any potential heart or kidney problems. The doctor can determine swelling (edema) by pressing a thumb into your foot or ankle to see if the thumb indention remains after it is lifted from the foot.

What Is a Neurological Exam?

Surprisingly, your neurological exam begins when you first start talking with your doctor. Your speech, ability to walk, mental clarity, memory, and overall interactions are part of your neurological assessment. During a neurological exam, your doctor will also check your nerves, muscle strength, reflexes, balance, and general mental state. 

They may also check your pupils with a bright light to see how well they dilate and respond to stimuli. 

Female Annual Physical Exam Checklist

Female annual physical exams may look slightly different from male exams, as breast and cervical cancer preventative screenings are performed. These screenings are done by completing a breast and pelvic exam.

A breast examination is performed to detect abnormal lumps that may help detect breast cancer or benign breast conditions. Your doctor will check the lymph nodes in the underarm area and look for visual abnormalities of the breasts and nipples. 

A pelvic exam is an exam of the vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, and ovaries. Routine pelvic exams check for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) using a Pap smear, HPV test, and cervical cancer test to assess potential problems or risks. Primary care physicians or OB-GYN physicians can perform a female annual exam.

Related: Breast Cancer Screening

Male Annual Physical Exam Checklist

Male annual physical exams are performed to detect male-related diseases such as testicular or prostate cancer. An annual physical exam for men may include a testicular, hernia, penis, and prostate exam. 

A testicular exam checks for lumps, tenderness, or changes in the size of the testicles. Most men with testicular cancer will notice growth before seeing a doctor. A hernia exam is the "turn your head and cough" exam that checks for weaknesses in the abdominal wall that could lead to the protrusion of the small intestine towards the scrotum, which is known as an inguinal hernia. 

A penis exam checks for abnormalities on the penis, such as warts or ulcers that may indicate sexually transmitted diseases. Prostate exams are done with a digital exam of the rectum in which the doctor will insert a finger into the rectum to detect size and abnormalities in the prostate.

Does a Physical Include Blood Work?

Blood tests as well as urine tests are often included in physical exams, as these give clues to your overall health. The most common blood tests prescribed at an annual physical include a complete blood count and chemistry panel. These tests provide a comprehensive clinical picture of the inside workings of your body. 

Blood tests are used as another preventative tool to detect any potential problems early on.

What Questions Do Doctors Ask During a Physical? 

During a physical exam, your doctor will ask questions about your overall health and address your concerns. Risk factors, your medical history, your family medical history, the types of surgeries you have had, as well as what medications you take, will all be brought up. 

The doctor may also ask you questions about your diet, physical activity, sleep routine, allergies, stress, housing, transportation, safety, and mood. They will also ask whether you smoke, drink alcohol, or take any illicit drugs.

What Is a Virtual Physical Exam?

Telemedicine physical exams provide people with access to high-quality care in the comfort of their homes. Virtual physical exams are virtual doctor's appointments or medical consultations where you can speak with a doctor online; they are not in-person exams.

A virtual physical exam may include:

• Speaking with an online physician about your medical history

• Reviewing any medications you are currently taking

• Potentially getting lab orders that may provide data that can direct specific clinical tests or treatments

You can then follow up with the doctor online for any questions you may have.

PlushCare can provide an "annual wellness visit" to online patients. An annual wellness visit is not the same as a physical exam, which needs to be done by an in-person medical doctor.

PlushCare cannot provide physical exams, DOT physical exams, or workers' compensation physical exams, though our doctors can provide lab test orders if needed.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Telehealth and telemedicine: The use of telehealth and telemedicine in public health. Accessed on February 22, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/telehealth.html 

• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicare telemedicine health care provider fact sheet. Accessed on February 22, 2021, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-telemedicine-health-care-provider-fact-sheet 

• Cleveland Clinic. Physical examination. Accessed on February 22, 2021, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/17366-physical-examination

• Mayo Clinic Health System. Men's health: Checkups, screenings key during COVID-19 pandemic, beyond. Accessed on March 13, 2021 at

• https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/mens-health-checkups-and-screenings-are-key