Why get health screening?

What Is A Private Health Screening?

It's when equipment is used to diagnose people for health issues. The trick is that private health screenings are not for people who already have health issues. They're intended for people who think they're healthy, but are either at risk for or are just starting to develop other conditions. The screenings are used for prevention, to help people catch disease before it starts showing real and dangerous symptoms.

The main issue with private health screenings is that they can't really diagnose you. They can only point out potential risks, and then refer you back to your regular doctor. Some private companies do offer treatment, but those are covered with extra fees. After you get one done, you're usually advised to just go back to your doctor! Is it really worth it to pay a private company for what your doctor can do for you already?

Why It's Not Worth It

In England, only certain conditions are screened for. For example, a common condition that's screened for in men and women under the age of 65 is a type of aneurysm, called AAA. This aneurysm is in the abdomen area. The reason it can cause death is because when it ruptures, it really damages the blood flow from your kidneys and legs. The truth though is that surgery on most sizes of this aneurysm is actually a larger cause of death, than the risk of the aneurysm rupturing!

These screenings are not usually useful. Many people have reported how irrelevant they are. Or how their local GP literally laughed when they gave them the results from the screening. A GP named Dr.McCartney has been quoted saying that the tests given by these companies have been shown to offer very little benefits to people. She also says these screenings can lead to false positive results. It's far better to go to a real doctor, and follow the NHS guidelines. The same information that the screenings give, can also be gotten easily by your GP.

The NHS Gives Screenings Too

The programs for screenings are actually run by the NHS through this organisation. They have really high standards, and make sure the results will actually help patients as much as possible. These are really vetted to make sure everything is top quality. Actually, many tests that private places use are not available to the NHS. Because they can't match that standards that are there.

So instead of wasting your time with a private company, instead go to your regular doctor or get a real professional screening done.