Physical mass examinations in the school health service.

At 7 years of age, all 649 children in a school district underwent a physical examination, a vision screening and an auditory screening. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the value of the routine physical examination within the school health services. In 15% of the children functionally important health problems were found. Visual defects were most common, comprising 7.5%, then came physical health problems such as motor disturbances, obesity, bacteriuria in 6.5%, and hearing defects in 1%. About half of the important health problems were previously known. Most disorders of importance were detected by the nurse's screening examination and rather few by the doctor's physical examination. It seems advisable to introduce screening procedures in the hands of nurses also for the physical examination. The role of the school physician in the general health surveillance would then be mainly to control and verify specific observations or suspicions of disease or handicap noted by the school nurse. His time and attention could instead be directed towards important tasks, which are now often neglected, e.g. health education, and care of sick and handicapped children in the school setting.