Canadian Health Screening Guide: Adults, ages 18 and up

Canadian physicians are advised to follow a set of medical screening guidelines. The Canadian Health Screening Guide provides an overview of top adult health screening guidelines generally accepted across Canada. Developed to help Canadians understand existing guidelines, the Screening Guide also helps patients better communicate with their family physician about personal health risk factors, the need for regular physical exams, and when to start implementing common health screening tests as part of good preventive health care.

Preventive health care is an important part of medicine today. It is much more effective for patients to prevent illness or for health care providers to find and treat a condition early on. Your physician will have specific advice for you based on your medical history and condition(s). Preventive health screening guidelines have been developed through rigorous research and study, and major health conditions have been featured on this site with the following principles in mind:

• Identify the conditions that cause the greatest burden of suffering for patients across Canada.
• Employ preventive screening tests that are most commonly used and have demonstrated effectiveness in improving patient outcomes.

This guide has been created and reviewed by nurses and physicians using current Canadian health screening guidelines and health recommendations. The guide is updated as more health information becomes available. Find the date the information was last reviewed and/or revised within each section.