Medicosnext
The way we manage our health is more crucial than ever before. While it’s critical to see a doctor when we’re sick, it’s equally important to see a doctor on a regular basis. Regular health examinations can detect issues before they arise. Your health is an ongoing project that requires your constant attention and support. Every decision you make for yourself and your family is part of a constantly changing picture. Taking steps to improve your health, such as getting annual physicals and adopting a healthy lifestyle, can have a positive impact on your overall well-being.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), chronic disease is responsible for 7 out of 10 deaths in the United States, and nearly half of the country’s population has been diagnosed with a chronic illness, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, AIDS, or other medically preventable conditions. Statistics like these point to the need for a stronger national focus on proven health-prevention strategies. Routine cardiovascular checks alone save tens of thousands of adult lives each year, according to Healthy People, a government program sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services, while immunizations save the lives of nearly 42,000 children each year. Preventive health screenings and primary care visits have also been shown to extend life expectancy, especially among people aged 30 to 49 years.
What is preventive healthcare exactly?
Preventive healthcare is a discipline of medicine that emphasizes on preventing chronic illnesses in order to reduce burden and improve quality of life. It aids in the identification of seemingly healthy persons who may be at risk for a specific disease. Early discovery, treatment, and effective control of the illness can improve results and reduce the risk of major consequences. Even if you feel completely well, it is critical to have frequent health examinations.
“We are aware of the fact that being a developing country, prevalence of communicable diseases is high, but many of us are unaware of the reality that incidence of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, depression, dementia, and substance abuse are increasing simultaneously,” says Dr. Bikash Shrestha, MD General Practice, Consultant, Department of Family Medicine and Wellness at Grande International Hospital. Dr. Shrestha completed his MD from the National Academy of Medical Sciences in 2014 and joined Grande to work in the Family Medicine and Wellness Department as soon as he finished his post-graduate studies. When he first started working in preventive healthcare, relatively few individuals were familiar with the field. “It was a different scenario back then than it is now. Only one to two people used to come in for a general health checkup.”
The most common causes of these diseases, he says, are changes in our food habits, smoking, alcohol, stress, and changes in lifestyle. Most of us are unaware of this fact, either due to our ignorance, or our lack of health education. So, following preventive healthcare like health screening at regular intervals can help people to be conscious about their health status. “Nowadays, people are becoming more conscious about health, and they visit hospitals voluntarily to do health screening checkups,” Dr. Shrestha says.
We live in a world where most individuals desire to avoid going to the hospital, even if they have major health problems. Although every healthcare facility has a preventative medicine department, it is inactive. “People are hesitant to visit care facilities even when they are unwell, so how can we expect them to visit care facilities for preventive checks when they are healthy? As a result, the majority of hospitals kept it dormant,” he adds. However, educating the general public about preventative healthcare is one of the social responsibilities of healthcare facilities. “This is something that Grande International Hospital is aware of. When one or two people came in for preventive healthcare, we didn’t stop. The trick is to be consistent. Many hospitals, such as Grande International Hospital, now include wellness departments. The passage of time has shifted. People are becoming increasingly aware of the need of prevention.”
The importance of preventive healthcare
People who believe they are perfectly well and don’t need to spend money or time worrying about their health may find preventive healthcare difficult to inculcate. However, preventive care is a shield that we have that can be used to protect ourselves from harmful diseases. I am sure we have heard the well known proverb, “Prevention is better than the cure”. It is very important, and all people must know about it. If we follow preventative care guidelines, it has numerous advantages that will ultimately improve our quality of life.
Improves your health in the long-term
Preventive care entails detecting possible issues before they become serious. If you have regular wellness exams, your blood pressure will be checked on a regular basis. If your doctor observes that your blood pressure is rising, you can begin taking steps to lower it before it becomes a problem. It helps us to know about the risk factors we have that we might be unaware of.
Extends lifespan
Preventive treatment can help you live longer, because it helps you to discover problems early and treat them more effectively. For instance, if you practice weight management and lose/keep excess weight off, you will live longer and avoid serious ailments like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It prevents us from acquiring chronic illnesses and their complications
Avoid excessive medical bills
Preventive healthcare is much less expensive than seeking aid only when there is a problem. Preventive care will either catch diseases before they get too bad, lowering the expense of treatment, or it will alert you to trouble areas to be aware of, preventing future problems entirely. It is cost effective as compared to the cost of treatment if you acquire a disease
Challenges of preventive healthcare in Nepal
The main challenge that we need to overcome is the knowledge and attitude towards preventive aspect;. Many people have misconceptions about health screening, such as:
• Health screening is done by lab tests and X-rays only
• It should be done once you become old
• It is done one time only
• It is the WHOLE BODY checkup (from head to toe)
Preventing illness: what doctor recommends
Try to be fit physical and mentally. These are the key to wellness.
• Regular physical activity of moderate intensity (at least 150 min/week),
• Eating healthy and balanced diet
• Having good sleep of 6-8 hr
• Meditation, stress management
Health screening
Health screening is not a one-time business, rather, it should be done at regular intervals. One-time screening will only pick up health conditions that are present at that time. Regular screening helps to detect conditions that may develop after the previous screening. It is not the WHOLE BODY checkup, as many people think. Rather, it screens common diseases that can have long-term adverse effects on one’s health and quality of life, but which are preventable and curable at early stages.
There are many forms of health screening, out of which, lab tests and X-rays are just two. Screening questionnaires are used to screen diseases and health problems like depression, alcohol and smoking dependency, obesity, and physical and sexual abuses, especially in children and the elderly. Health screening has no fixed rules. The method and type of health screening is different for people of different ages.
Preventive health checkup can reduce the risk of developing a condition, or complication from a particular health condition, but it cannot offer a guarantee of protection. It can be of huge advantage when there is early detection of disease, followed by effective management, resulting in a better outcome, such as longer life, less illness and suffering, and less cost. Like, for colon cancer and cervical cancer, early detection makes all the difference. But, as the coin has two faces, there are some disadvantages of health screening, as well. There is a very small risk of complications during certain procedures, like colonoscopy. The risks of screening are most typically felt after the findings are received, in the form of stress from false positives or ambiguous results, more expensive and invasive testing, and in some cases, unneeded therapies. As a result, health screening should only be undertaken after careful consideration of the benefits and drawbacks, as well as the balance of beneficial and detrimental consequences. Rather than making this decision on your own, you should seek advice from your general practitioner. They can assist you in selecting the right health screening tools.
Here are some questions you can ask if you are thinking about having a screening test:
• How likely am I to get the disease at my age?
• Would detecting the disease early benefit my health in the long term? For instance, is there any scientific proof that it might help me live longer?
• What adverse effects might be associated with the screening test, with possible tests following screening, and with treatment? How common are they?
• How common are false positive test results (false alarms) and false negative test results (undetected diseases)? Will I have to have other tests if the test results are positive?
• How long will I have to wait for the test results?
• How often will I have to have a screening test in order to benefit from screening?
Smarter way to better health at Grande’s Wellness Center
People get evidence-based guidance according to their age, gender, past medical history, and personal and family history to do healthcare checkup. Dr. Shrestha says, “We have dedicated physicians (including myself) to guide people take the tests. Grande International Hospital has separate sector dedicated for general health checkup. People usually don’t have to mix up and wait in queue along with other OPD patients.” They can have a hassle free, one-stop preventive health checkup in the Wellness Center of Grand International Hospital.
The doctors have carefully designed different health checkup packages to help people choose the one that suits them best. They include general health checkup, cardiac care package, and diabetes care package, as well as packages for senior citizens, bone health checkup, kidney health checkup, and woman and child health checkup.
When asked about the pipeline of dreams and future plans, Dr. Shrestha discloses, “We intend to hold health-prevention education seminars and awareness classes. Patients will participate in an interactive focus group conversation to share their experiences with health difficulties and to assist one another in resolving any questions or concerns they may have.”
