Why Clinicians Disagree About the Usefulness of the Physical Exam

The physical exam, once assumed an indispensable skill, has had its usefulness questioned and mastery eschewed for the last three decades.1 Frequently, the comprehensive physical documented in the electronic medical record never actually takes place, and several publications lament the pervasiveness of disinterest and lack of competence in bedside exam.2 In response to the devaluating of the physical exam expert clinicians have produced a growing number of articles highlighting its merits, organizations such as the Society of Bedside Medicine have emerged, and pedagogical innovations such as the “5-minute moment” which aims to provide a systematic and efficient approach to teaching physical exam skills have been widely disseminated.