DETECTION AND PREVENTION OF

CHRONIC DISEASE UTILIZING MULTIPHASIC

HEALTH SCREENING TECHNIQUES

A REPORT

OF THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH OF THE ELDERLY

TO THE

SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING
UNITED STATES SENATE

71-529 O

DECEMBER 30, 1966

Printed for the use of the Special Committee on Aging

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1966

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C., 20402 - Price 15 cents

PURCHASED THROUGH
DOC. EX. PROJECT

CONTENTS

Foreword...

Hearings..

Part I. Introduction_..

Multiphasic screening-Definitions and discussion_

What is illness? What is chronic disease?.

Who is affected by chronic disease?.

Summary..

Part II. Findings.

Finding 1. Approximately 87,300,000 people in the United States

suffer from at least one chronic disease-If the present trends

continue, chronic disease will become an even greater problem...............

Causes and outlook..

Finding 2. Chronic disease costs our economy an estimated $57,800,-

000,000 annually..

Finding 3. Chronic disease is the cause of tragic losses to society

and human potential...

Effect on manpower resources_

The five-generation family-

Effect on individuals..

Finding 4. The heavy economic and social costs of chronic disease

are preventable to some degree......

Finding 5. At best less than $3 billion is spent on all forms of pre-

ventive medicine. There is a great need for additional efforts to

prevent chronic disease on a national scale. Early detection

appears to offer the most practical approach..

Finding 6. Multiphasic screening shows great promise as a practical

method for early detection of chronic disease. Widespread increases

in multiphasic screening will result in technological advances and

accelerated effectiveness.

Recent advances__.

Automated chemical analysis of blood..

Medical history taking by computer..

Computer analysis of electrocardiograms and spirograms.

The Kaiser program..

American Medical Association Convention screening-

Potential new advances in technology.

Finding 7. Multiphasic screening could result in considerable time

savings for physicians-An important consideration in the face of

severe and growing medical manpower shortages___

Would screening increase total demand?___

Finding 8. The concept of early detection of chronic disease utilizing

multiphasic health screening techniques was endorsed by each

witness appearing before the subcommittee and almost all persons

with whom the committee corresponded.

However, some problems

and reservations were pointed out...

Increased demands on medical personnel.

Fragmentation of health care..

Insufficiency of evidence of benefits to be derived from a multi-

Part II. Findings-Continued

Finding 9. Multiphasic health screening offers the possibility of con-

verting "An ounce of prevention" from a proverb into an avenue of

health for the Nation. Adequate planning, appropriate Govern-

ment assistance, and the envolvement of the medical profession will

be necessary.

Federal incentives..

Evoking public response-

Referral and followup..

Other benefits..

A new entity..

Part III. Recommendation_

Federal legislation should be enacted to establish a multiphasic health

screening program on a large-scale basis with eventual expansion

nationwide..

Legislation should be broad enough to allow flexibility in ap-

proach..

Regional centers.

Grant programs..

Expansion of multiphasic health screening.

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