Importance of periodic Master Health Check-Ups after 25 years of age

Health is universally and most commonly defined as ‘A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of a disease or infirmity’. What this implies in a broader view is also that- ‘Prevention is better than cure’.

With increasing awareness of diseases and illness and more consciousness about health, most of us aim to lead a healthy life. This term of being ‘Healthy’ is not always purely subjective. It also requires an ‘Objective’ approach where facts and figures are taken into consideration. So what exactly are these facts and figures?

Without any medical investigations or tests, someone who is ‘Feeling’ completely healthy might not be so. This is where periodic health check-ups can be underscored. These check-ups constitute of the following:

• Routine physical examination: BMI estimation, pulse rate, body temperature, etc.
• Basic blood and urine investigations: To determine any anemia, blood cell-related issues, early indicator of kidney ailments, systemic or metabolic diseases, etc.
• Estimation of blood glucose levels: To determine if you are diabetic or a pre-diabetic. It is important to note here that someone who has a diagnosis as being a pre-diabetic can easily reverse this by lifestyle changes and avoid becoming a diabetic, needing medication.
• Estimation of blood pressure: High blood pressure is a major indicator of potential stress levels, predicting heart or kidney-related issues, neurological issues such as stroke, and a lot of other minor and major ailments.
• Chest X-Ray- To notice any infections, cancer, chronic conditions, smoking effects, changes in the heart, etc.
• Kidney function tests
• ECG, Echo to determine cardiac activity and health
• Lipid profile: To determine cholesterol levels
• Ultrasound abdomen: To study organs in the abdomen such as the liver, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys.
• Add-ons or additional tests depending on individual preferences or doctor suggestions.
• General medicine consultation along with any specialist consultation depending on need.

These are some of the basic things to expect in a routine medical check-up. It might take up to 8 hours to finish all of these but it has a lot of benefits to offer. The most important benefits include:

• Identification of any upper ranges in the normal test reports and advising basic lifestyle changes to correct these.
• Prevent any future diseases or ailments by staying connected to health professionals and constantly monitoring your body.
• Early detection of any major disease or illness can help to avoid progression and enable quicker response and smoother recovery.
• Medical queries or doubts can be cleared regularly.
• Assessment of possible mental health issues including depression or anxiety.

Early detection of life-threatening diseases can save more 100 million lives every year, around the world.

WHO

The other benefits of early detection potentially include:

• Healthier lifestyle changes
• Lower treatment costs
• Lower duration of treatment
• Better chances of recovery.
• Better treatment outcomes.
• Better coping with a diagnosis.

This pandemic has given us all a fresh new perspective and portrays more strongly the vital role of ‘Health’. As countries and its people recover from this virus, it is important for all of us to constantly take care of ourselves and our health. If you are above 25 years of age, it might be the right age for you to take the onus of your health and consult a doctor regarding a health check-up. For those who have already had one or more check-ups, it is mandatory to periodically repeat these at intervals suggested by your doctor.

As we all take measures to reduce exposure to the corona virus, most consultations have become digital. This would be the right time for you to download the Curie app and find a doctor online.

Covid-19 and your child’s health- tips and common queries

Globally, parents are deeply concerned not just about their health, but about the health of their children. Here are a list of common questions in a parent’s mind and their answers.

Total COVID-19 affected individuals globally: 99% adults and 1% children.

Is my child at risk of COVID-19? 

• Research and statistics until the present day have shown that children are not commonly affected by COVID-19 and in case of an infection, the symptoms are mild and manageable at home. Around 1-2% of the affected COVID-19 cases are children.
• Therefore, ensure the same precautions of social distancing and infection control such as wearing face masks, washing hands, etc.
• If your child has any underlying medical issues such as heart disease, asthma, diabetes, immune disorders, etc., additional safety precautions should be taken.

Should I make my baby wear face masks?

• The WHO does not recommend face masks for children below 24 months. Social distancing and hand washing, sanitising are the recommendations for babies.
• For children above two years of age, face masks and other precautions should be followed similar to that for adults.

My child is showing symptoms of COVID-19. Should I get testing done?

• NO, not all children showing signs of flu such as cough, sore throat, runny eyes, or mild body pain need testing. It is advisable to contact your pediatrician via teleconsultation before visiting a hospital.
• If your child has an underlying illness or is facing moderate to severe symptoms such as breathing difficulty, it is advisable to inform a pediatrician and visit an emergency department.

Should I take my child/baby for his regular appointments at the hospital?

• It is best to contact the pediatrician via teleconsultation to find out if it is okay to visit the hospital or if you could opt for an online consultation or postpone the appointment dates.

• Vaccination appointments should be adhered to strictly unless advised by the doctor.

I am pregnant, should I be worried about my baby?

• Mothers should take all precautions possible to protect themselves and their babies. However, there is no reason to panic.
• Speak to a gynecologist about your fears and keep up all appointments either via teleconsultations or if advised by the doctor, directly in the hospital.

Can I breast-feed my baby like usual?

• Breastfeeding is advised even during these times and research has not shown any possibility of COVID-19 transmission via breast milk.
• It is advisable to take extra hygiene precautions such as frequent washing/wiping breast with anti-bacterial wipes before and after the feed.
• Speak to a gynecologist or a pediatrician via teleconsultation for any issues about mother or baby.

My child misses school. What should I do?

• It is important to take care of a child’s mental health during these times as they are vulnerable to a lot of mental stress and confusion due to the current scenario.
• Talking openly to your child about what is happening around them in a way they will understand is important rather than hiding the situation.
• Keeping your child engaged is a very important task to prevent any unwanted emotions or thoughts. Make your child engage in activities he/she loves to do.
• Allow your child to stay in touch with his/her friends via social media to avoid loneliness.

A child’s physical and mental health is very important and Curie stands by all parents at this tough time by offering a teleconsultation platform to connect with a pediatrician.

Improving patient flow and maintaining clinic revenue during COVID-19

COVID-19 has affected almost all industries equally. This is true even for healthcare services. While emergency care and intensive care patients might be higher due to COVID-19 affected patients, all other specialties such as surgery, gynecology, general medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, etc., have seen a sharp decline.

Therefore, it is essential during this time to ensure that all possible means of communication with existing and new patients are kept in place.

Some of the trends seen are:                

Patients do not attend their regular appointments or initiate a new appointment due to the fear of being infected at the hospital:

75% of Curie’s survey respondents have not visited a doctor during this pandemic and this trend is true on a larger scale as well. Patients are increasingly more hesitant to visit a doctor unless in cases of an emergency where they cannot avoid a visit.

This proves to have a negative effect on both doctors as well as the patient. Long periods of missed appointments and lack of new appointments have detrimental effects on the health of the patients in general and also affect the livelihood of the doctors.

One effective way to tackle this shortfall is to ensure teleconsultation services are provided by all health care professionals and all patients are encouraged to attend their regular visits online. This improves communication between doctor and patient, improves the trust and loyalty of the patient on the doctor, and also reduce the absenteeism of patients during appointments.

Post teleconsultation, if any physical visit is required, it can be done so at a later point in time. This will drastically increase the number of patients keeping up with their regular appointments and new patients might be referred by satisfied regulars.

Most doctors in India do not offer teleconsultations

A lack of awareness and conviction about teleconsultations is still widely prevalent amongst the medical fraternity. If the majority of the specialists around India go online, the scope of being able to cater to people from all walks of life and all areas of the society is limitless.

In Curie’s survey, the majority of the patients said that their regular doctors do not offer teleconsultations. This is alarming because almost ALL these respondents are willing to try teleconsultation. If this trend continues, we can be assured to see more patients including your regular clientele gravitating towards doctors or hospitals that offer such convenient services.

Common reasons for the inacceptance of telemedicine

• Misconceptions that a teleconsultation is ineffective: with more number of services right from groceries, food, beauty salons and even taxis going online, the next big thing is offering health services online. The effectiveness of these consultations are proved by the number of people who would prefer teleconsultations to physical visits right after trying it out once!
• Need for physical tests or examinations: A doctor can always book another appointment for these as and when required, reducing the time spent by both doctor and patient and reducing waiting times.
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• The need for high-end gadgets: teleconsultations can work in a simple smartphone and no elaborate set up needs to be purchased to initiate these.
• Payments: A lot of doctors are hesitant as they think that obtaining a fee from patients would be difficult. In Curie’s teleconsultation app, the appointment is only confirmed after the fee is paid, enabling you to be sure that your fees are honored.
• Cost of teleconsultation platforms: At Curie, a doctor can enjoy optimum benefits at Rs.6000 (+GST) annually to subscribe to the mobile app. Curie also does not charge doctors for any appointments that are new or old. Therefore, total transparency helps to keep costs low and yield the best rewards.

Take home points for doctors:

• Up to 90% of your clinical practices’ income comes from your existing clientele. Therefore, it is best to retain these patients and ensure they attend your appointments and visits at least online.
• Telemedicine is here to stay. Even post COVID-19, International researchers and medical professionals have confirmed that telemedicine will be the future of healthcare.
• Encouraging your regular patients to keep up with their appointments and come for reviews, use the help of a software to send regular reminders.
• Improve the visibility of your practice by taking it online. This will help retain existing clients and increase the number of new ones.
• Download the Curie connect app and get started on your telemedicine journey!

Being an expectant mother during COVID-19

This period of uncertainty is definitely creating a lot of anxiousness and stress for a lot of us. However, a pregnant woman is more vulnerable to experience these emotions. Therefore, any expecting mother and the people around her need to be well informed of dealing with this pandemic and the emotions attached to it.

Protecting yourself from COVID-19

There is NO proven evidence that pregnancy increases the risk of COVID-19. Likewise, there is no proven evidence that an unborn child will contract this disease from the mother in case the mother is infected. Therefore, taking safety and hygiene precautions that have been recommended repeatedly by national and international health agencies should be followed religiously.

Apart from these, a few other important points should be kept in mind

• Avoid visitors at home or hospital. The close family should be your only contacts as far as possible.
• Avoid unnecessary outdoor activities or visits and always use personal transportation modes for any essential travels.
• Do not participate in crowd gatherings
• Disinfect your house regularly
• Clean vegetables and items delivered to your house thoroughly
• Make sure you stay in touch with friends and relatives using online resources

Doctor appointments

• It is essential to stay in touch with your treating doctors especially in case of a high-risk pregnancy. All doctors and hospitals have operating protocols in place to combat COVID-19 and hence prior discussions with your doctor should give you an idea about how to keep up with appointments in the safest way.
• Tele-consultation using apps such as Curie will help you talk to your doctor from home and avoid unnecessary trips to the hospital unless an investigation or physical examination has to be done.
• High-risk pregnancies will need closer monitoring and admission to the hospital as and when required by your doctor.
• Make sure to discuss your anxiety and your mental health status with your doctor.
• It is important to also know emergency numbers of your regular doctor or hospital and make prior plans on how to visit the hospital in such emergencies. Always keep your spouse or a family member close by in case of such scenarios.
• Post the delivery of the baby, it is vital to continue regular teleconsultations and physical visits to keep up with immunization schedules and monitor the health of the baby.

Post delivery 

• Mothers should be careful to avoid visitors even after the birth of the baby.
• Breastfeeding is allowed and advised unless suggested otherwise by your doctor.
• Utmost hygiene precautions should be followed by the mother and everyone else in contact with the baby

Pregnancy is a time to be cherished and we wish all pregnant mothers a happy and healthy journey sans any anxiety or apprehension. Any expectant mother who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 should follow all instructions given by your doctor to avoid any unwanted or serious complications.

Download the Curie app to consult with your doctor online and protect yourself and your unborn child at all times.