There never has been any data to support its use. The latest attack comes from the Archives of Internal Medicine:
The discussion about whether an adult needs an annual physical has been ongoing for nearly a century, Mehrotra tells WebMD. Currently, no major North American health-related organizations recommend the routine annual exams, he says.
Still, many patients as well as many doctors believe the annual visits are a medical necessity. “The vast majority of people think they are being good patients if they go in to see their doctor every year,” says Mehrotra. “Most doctors actually believe the same thing.”
