A health check up, the questions that matter.
A big package of tests sounds reassuring, but more is not always better, and screening healthy people carries real harms. Here are the six questions that tell a useful check up from a costly one, and the red flags that should stop you. We never name a clinic.
answered in writing
false positives
and follow up
What should I ask first?
Ask exactly what tests are included and whether they suit your age, sex, and risk, rather than buying the biggest package. Then ask who interprets the results, what happens if something is found, what the harms of false positives and overdiagnosis are, and how the findings reach your own doctor at home so the check up leads somewhere useful.
A careful provider tailors the tests and explains the downsides, not just the benefits. A whole body scan sold to everyone is a warning sign. This is general information, not medical advice.
Six questions before you book.
A responsible provider answers all six and is honest about the harms as well as the benefits. Use them to judge any package you are offered, wherever it is. We never name clinics.
The red flags that should stop you.
Scanning healthy people from head to toe often finds harmless oddities that lead to more tests and worry. A package sold to all comers, with no tailoring, is a warning sign.
No check up can guarantee you are well or catch everything. A sales pitch of guaranteed reassurance overstates what testing can do and hides the harms.
If no qualified clinician explains your results, or you are pushed to add ever more tests, the package is being sold to you rather than chosen for you.
Ask the right questions, of vetted clinics.
Send one brief and we route it to vetted clinics that tailor the tests to you, explain the harms as well as the benefits, and give you a report your own doctor can use. You choose, with no pressure.
Free and no obligation. Accredited clinics only. We never sell your details.
How we make money: the guides are free and no clinic can pay to be named, ranked or recommended. We never name clinics. Get Matched is an optional service that helps keep the guides free and independent of any one clinic; using it is always your choice and you are never charged. How this works.
The things everyone asks.
Is a bigger package always better?
No. More tests mean more chances of a false positive and of finding something harmless that leads to anxiety and further tests. The right tests for your age and risk are worth more than the largest package.
What is overdiagnosis?
It is finding a condition that would never have caused symptoms or harm in your lifetime. It matters because it can lead to treatment you did not need, with its own risks. A good provider will mention this, not hide it.
Who should explain my results?
A qualified clinician, in the context of your history, ideally in a proper consultation and in a language you understand. A printout with no explanation is not a check up, it is a pile of numbers.
What if something is found abroad?
Ask in advance how abnormal results are handled and how referral works. Get a full written report you can take home so your own doctor can decide on any follow up, rather than being left with a worry and no plan.
Will my own doctor accept the results?
Often yes, if you have a clear written report. Ask for results in a format your own doctor can use, and remember they may sensibly repeat or question a test rather than act on an unfamiliar report alone.
Where to go next.
Health check up overview
Guide liveWhat a health check up is, who it suits, and how to think about it honestly.
What it costs
Guide liveIndicative figures across regions, and what a headline package price can leave out.
Questions to ask before booking
Guide liveThe questions that protect you before you commit to any treatment abroad.
More health check up guides are in production. In the meantime you can Get Matched or browse all procedures.
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