MEDICAL CHECKUPS AT HOME.
There is undoubtedly an increasing demand and need to keep track of people’s state of health in real time and in a wide variety of environments. Traditionally, medical checkups involve trips to the doctor or physician which may be cumbersome and take a lot of time. The behavior of the patient may also change when around the doctor which may make it difficult for the doctor to accurately diagnose certain conditions. There is an increasing need to be able to monitor the medical condition of a patient in the natural environment of that particular patient. Thus, the concept of medical checkups at home. The concept involves a system of machinery that are home friendly and fit right into the home environment without making the home look like a hospital altogether. This machinery are medical in nature and are used to check the vital signs of the patient right at home without it being necessary for the patient to travel to the hospital to see the physician (Blasé, Brian, Christopher, p.57).
Until recently the most sophisticated households in terms of medical equipment had at best a thermometer or in situations of extreme sophistication two thermometers. That old trend is dying with people playing a more active role in their medical state of health. People are increasingly taking a hands on approach with regard to their medical state of health. The past few years have seen increasing aggression in people visiting hospitals not with any particular medical ailment but simply to get a medical checkup and therein a clear picture of their medical state and a clear cut roadmap on how to stay healthy or achieve a certain state of health that an individual deems as extremely desirable and necessary to live a long and healthy life.It is this new obsession with perfection as far as health is concerned that has led to springing up of medical checkups right at home. The increasing curiosity of people to constantly know their state of health has greatly boosted innovation as far as medical checkups at home are concerned.
The key concept behind medical checkups at home is development of medical systems that are more inclined towards use by an individual as opposed to the traditional use by a very large number of people. This means innovation in medical machinery that are revolutionary to say the least and user friendly with regard to use by an individual.It also requires innovation in medical machinery that is easy to use by ordinary citizens who are by all means the furthest thing from medical professionals. This means that the instrumentation for this medical checkup at home needs to be simple to say the least.it needs to be something that even someone with the least knowledge as far as the field of medicine is concerned can use. The machinery should also have provisions that cater for the fact that their users are not trained medical professionals and have little if any knowledge of medicine and health. This just means they should be relatively easy to use as opposed to the rather complicated and sophisticated machinery often used in hospitals and other health facilities. The machinery should have absolutely high levels of accuracy verging on perfection. They should give results that tend to reflect the results often received during a visit to a health facility for a full-fledged medical checkup. The readings on the machinery should also be clear and easy to read keeping in mind that frequent users are indeed not doctors but rather regular citizens who just happen to be health enthusiasts. Even though the readings by the machinery are of an often sophisticated nature they should be displayed in such a way that the user can read them, understand them and be able to interpret them with relative ease and minimal effort (Mars, p.87).
Medical checkups are very important and medical checkups at home are important and also advantageous. Perhaps the most obvious significance if medical checkups at home is the issue if convenience. They enable a person to check their health condition right at home and spare the person the trip to the hospital. After checking their medical state of health at home a person can liaise with the hospital either through the telephone or email. If there is a necessity for the person to personally visit the health facility based on the results of the home tests the medical team will let the person know. The medical team advises the person on the appropriate course of action in terms of their health based on the results of the tests done and this happens right at home. People who never went for medical checkups perhaps because of a busy schedule or because of any other reason now can get the medical checkup right in the comfort of their home .it helps save time which is the major excuse given by people who rarely go for medical check ups.It also saves the person the agony of having to go to the hospital and waiting in line for extensive periods of time before getting attended to by a medical practitioner (Smetzer, Cohen, p.91).
Medical checkups at home are also very instrumental in the road towards the establishment of a healthier nation. Traditionally people go for medical checkups maybe once or twice in a year. The extensive time period in-between consecutive medical checkups give a perfect window of opportunity for medical complications to arise and affect the health of an individual with impunity. Medical checkups at home help reduce the risk of suddenly developing a health complication. This is because health checkups at home can be done as often as possible. They give an individual a real time analysis of their health condition which the individual relays to the hospital for further advice on the way forward. This enables the individual to be equipped with a sense of awareness on a medical complication long before the complication even arises and manifests. This is pivotal in preempting arising medical complications that may be detrimental to the general health of the individual and affect their productivity as active members of society. Real time analysis of a person’s state of health helps the person know exactly where they are in terms of health. This enables the person to develop habits that enable them to maintain a certain trend as far as their health is concerned. Any fluctuations in their habits will clearly reflect on their rather regular medical checkups and this will go a long way in helping people to certain lines with regard to their health and keeping their health condition constant, and not just desirable but also healthy (Smetzer, Cohen, p.118).
Blood pressure is an example of a condition that is constantly changing on an alarmingly regular basis. Just standing up from a chair can cause changes in the blood pressure of a patient. The tension that comes with travelling to a health facility and being attended to by a medical practitioner can adversely affect the blood pressure of a person. More accurate measurements of blood pressure are likely to be made at home and less likely to be made in a health facility due to the level of relaxation and comfort that comes with being at home. Taking blood pressure at home also helps people keep it under control .they get the feedback on their blood pressure right in their comfort zone as opposed to the awkward environment of a doctor’s office. Taking measurements of themselves gives the patient a sense of active participation in their care and this is instrumental in control of conditions such as blood pressure. People with a greater sense of responsibility and participation in their medical care more often than not tend to do better than those who apply a more hands off approach in their medical care and let the doctor do all the work while doing relatively little or in most cases absolutely nothing themselves (Johnson, p.38).
Medical checkups at home, in giving people a greater sense of responsibility in their medical care, inclines people to take their medication more accurately and without missing a single dose exactly as prescribed by the physician. This can lead to great improvements in the medical condition of a patient and even cases of unprecedented early recoveries. The inception of the concept of medical checkups at home enables the patients to pay more attention to what the doctor is saying and the instructions given with regard to their health and recovery this puts the patient at the forefront in their own recovery effort. The patient is not kept in the dark as to their actual condition but play a very large part in their entire treatment process. This helps to dispel various negative stereotypes about the medical care system and answer any questions the patient might have with regard to their current condition and their recovery process as a whole.
As enticing as the idea of medical checkups at home is it still remains a matter that should be treated with the greatest of sensitivity or else we risk a medical disaster. Certain measurements are better taken at home for more accuracy for example blood pressure. Other measurements are however better taken in a medical facility under the care of competent professionals for the same reasons. A good example is cholesterol level. The fact remains that checking cholesterol levels at home is significantly faster than it is in any medical facility but the results acquired as a result of a home test may vary greatly from those acquired at a medical facility. The results of a cholesterol test at home fail to give a predictive measure of the chances of cardiovascular complications developing. They also fail to give conclusive information and analysis as to whether applied dietary constraints are working or it is better to formulate a new diet plan altogether. At home most people will tend to squeeze their finger after pricking in order to get the blood out and this might throw off the reading significantly.
Medical checkups at home are a tremendously splendid idea with regard to healthcare. They may just help fill the medical gap that is currently in existance. However they require a great deal of competence and accuracy. They also require dedication and determination.
Works Cited
Blase, Brian Christopher. Three papers toward a better understanding of state Medicaid programs and program efficiency. New York: U.S. G.P.O. :, 2005. Print.
Hanas, Ragnar. Type 1 diabetes: a guide for children, adolescents, young adults - and their caregivers, everything you need to know to become an expert on your own diabetes. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Marlowe, 2007. Print.
Johnson, G. Timothy, and Stephen E. Goldfinger. The Harvard Medical School health letter book. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2003. Print.
Mars, Ariel. "Preparing for emergencies requires regular check-ups and maintenance.." Countryside & Small Stock Journal 1 Mar. 2006: 4. Print.
Smetzer, Judy L., and Michael R. Cohen. "ISMP Medication analysis-home medical check ups." Hospital pharmacy 43.11 (2008): 869-872. Print.
