Primary health care physicians' views on periodic health evaluation in Saudi Arabia

The attitude and beliefs of primary health care physicians regarding periodic health evaluation is critical to determining the most effective and acceptable means for delivering recommended clinical preventive services. We aimed to evaluate the views of primary health care physicians in Saudi Arabia on periodic health evaluation. A self-administered and pre-tested questionnaire was sent to 1235 physicians randomly selected throughout the country. About 90% of the physicians would recommend periodic health evaluations to all or some clients while 10% would not. Almost all (95%) of the physicians were aware of the benefits and costs of periodic health examinations, and were willing to carry it out. Their enthusiasm for performing many items during examinations should be encouraged.