Health Screenings: Benefits and Overdiagnosis

Posted by Carolyn Martin on October 9th, 2018 Posted in: Health Information Literacy, Public Health
Tags: consumer health, family health, informed medical decisions, patient engagement

---

Health screenings are tests that look for diseases before symptoms may appear. These screenings can diagnose diseases early which may allow for easier and more effective treatment. Which tests are needed may depend on your age, gender, and family history. But some experts say that screenings can sometimes do more harm than good and that cause over-diagnosis. So, how to know when to be screened and which tests to take can be difficult to know. Learn more about the benefits and harms of health screenings from the NIH Health in News and from Health News Review.

Learn what screenings are recommended by visiting the MedlinePlus webpage on Health Screening as well as for specific ages:

• For 18 to 39 men or women
• For 40 to 64 men or women
• For 65 and older men or women