Looking at History to Assess the Importance of Quality Control in Health Checkups and Screening

Abstract

 A hospitalized health screening program (Ningen-Dock) initiated in 1954, aimed at conducting detailed general health examinations. Since a health insurance society referral system of designated hospitals was introduced in 1959, hospitalized health screenings have become widely available to the public. Around the same time (1960s), automated multiphasic health testing system (AMHTS) was developed in the US to allow health examinations of many people within a short period of time. The AMHTS was introduced in Japan in 1970, leading to a rapid increase in the number of examinees because of the program's convenience. Detailed examinations comparable to hospitalized screenings are available in half a day. Moreover, a referral system designating suitable facilities was also initiated. Accuracy of the examination results was a major factor in popularizing the AMHTS. Therefore, the accuracy management project has been positioned as a primary activity since the establishment of the Japan Society of Health Evaluation and Promotion. Currently, comprehensive health checkups have been implemented in various facilities as "one-day hospitalized" or "out-patient" health screenings. Looking back on the history of AMHTS raises awareness of the major underlying principles and marked the importance of quality control.