Preventive healthcare in physicians and attorneys.

Physicians make recommendations to their patients on a daily basis regarding tests and procedures. However, no research has evaluated physicians use of similar tests for their own health and well-being. This article reviews a comparison between 55 male physicians and 55 male attorneys of similar age regarding their use of the annual physical examination and routine screening tests. In several areas, the results indicate that physicians do not participate in routine tests and procedures as well as do their legal counterparts. Possible explanations for this physician behavior are included in the discussion segment of the article.