Multiphasic checkup evaluation study. 3. Outpatient clinic utilization, hospitalization, and mortality experience after seven years

The Multiphasic Checkup Evaluation Study is a controlled clinical trial aimed at testing the efficacy of periodic Multiphasic Health Checkups in preventing or postponing illness, disability, and death. This paper reports on outpatient clinic utilization, hospitalization, and mortality experience of the study group subjects, who have been urged to undertake annual checkups, and of the control group subjects, who were not so urged, after the first seven years of the project effort.While there has been little difference in utilization of outpatient physician and laboratory services other than those directly connected with the Multiphasic Health Checkups, the study group subjects have had more diagnoses made. Among the men ages 45–54 at entry, hospital usage has been slightly lower in the study group, while the opposite has been the case among the women ages 45–54 at entry. The overall mortality rate has been slightly lower in the study group, while, for a group of causes of death defined as being potentially postponable or preventable, the study group mortality rate has been significantly lower (p < 0.05). There is no strong indication that chance fluctuation, underreporting, differentially selective loss to followup, or an initial study-control group health status disparity accounted for this last difference.