Screening

Decisions about screening for asymptomatic disease can be complex, and require judgment and knowledge of an individual’s risks (e.g., age, sex assigned at birth, substance use history), family history, and medical conditions. The AAFP encourages patients to consult with their physician regarding selection, use, and interpretation of screening tests.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) supports evidence-based and risk appropriate screening done as part of a shared decision-making conversation with patients. The AAFP recommends against mass screening or direct-to-consumer screening that is not evidence-based. The AAFP also cautions against race-based approaches to screening which can reinforce a system that assumes biologic causes of health inequities, ignoring the social and systemic determinants of health which are the more accurate drivers of racial disparities in health outcomes.  (April 2018 BOD) (October 2023 COD)