- Langley Road, Brighton, MA
- 416-402-8274
Tag Archives: Health
Nature: A New Health Management Tool
Being surrounded by nature can be very peaceful. Many people assume it’s due to the quiet environment and beautiful scenery. Research has proven that nature can improve health in many ways. As we constantly search for the next big tool in health management, what if it was under our nose the whole time? With urbanization rapidly increasing, researchers rush to build their case in favor of keeping green space accessible. A physical connection to green space and nature is an important part of health and its importance should not be underestimated. If you are interested in learning more about nature’s role in health management, I invite you to read the full article.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: e360.yale.edu
Health is very important, but hard to master for some. The journey to a healthy lifestyle can be overwhelming due to the different sources of information, different regimens or approaches, and products available. Diet, medical care, and exercise are the first things that come to mind when discussing health management. Although those are key factors, there are more ways people can stay healthy. The good news is there is a new way to stay healthy that is free and simple. This method involves spending time surrounded by green space and nature.
If you like to go for walks and spend time in the great outdoors, you may have experienced some boosts in your health. Nature can be pretty to look at, but there are more noteworthy advantages related to health management. According to Jim Robbins of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, having a connection to nature is essential for a healthy lifestyle. Research has shown that exposure to green space can help control hypertension and be good for the immune system . Nature can also produce positive mental effects. Robbins states, “Attention Deficit Disorder and aggression lessen in natural environments, which also help speed the rate of healing. In a recent study, psychiatric unit researchers found that being in nature reduced feelings of isolation, promoted calm, and lifted mood among patients.”
If we can connect these positive effects to nature, why has the immersion of nature not been promoted for health management? Since researcher experienced great difficulty proving the exact reason nature is beneficial to health, the findings have not been widely accepted. Many believe the actual factor that produces the positive effects on health goes deeper than visual exposure; Japanese researchers believed that the inhalation of select aerosols are responsible for the relaxing effects. There has been a sizeable amount of research conducted on the topic that show health benefits across different demographics such as race/ ethnicity, income, and general health status. The latest breakthrough on the topic is knowledge that a person must spend at least two hours a week exposed to green space or nature in order to reap the associated health benefits.
To promote the use of nature as a health management tool, government officials, employers, experts, and researchers work together to make green spaces easily accessible. Everyone has access to outside, so how could accessibility be a problem? With urban living becoming more favorable, we can expect to see the amount of green space decrease over time. This is also a socioeconomical issue since lower income urban environments typically have few quality playgrounds if any. To address this need, city and government officials are working to create and enhance parks and playgrounds. In addition, some states have adopted a Scandinavian health management approach where students have a bulk of their lessons in an open, natural setting to increase exposure. Lastly, employers are making green spaces more accessible for employees since they spend a large amount of time at the workplace.
There is still more research to be done to better understand why the exposure to nature produces such benefits. The conversation surrounding implementation needs to be further discussed as well. It has been proven that a connection to the natural world is an essential part of health management, so plan to spend more time outdoors.
To learn more about the great effects of nature and why it is important for health, read the full article at the Yale 360 website.
One Million Solutions in Health takes pride in staying up to date on the latest health news and working with people to find innovative solutions to health-related issues. For more information, please contact us at info(at)onemillionsolutionsinhealth.org.
How Diversity in Health Care and Community Engagement Create a Positive Patient Experience
A doctor must know a patient to adequately treat them. Typically, when a subject is being studied in other sectors of science, researchers analyze the corresponding environment as well. This approach can be beneficial in health care. For that reason, medical professionals are encouraged to pay attention to social determinants. To improve the quality of health care, it is essential to understand all the problems patients face and what factors may be the cause. Bias is a major issue within the medical industry, but diversity is a great solution to this problem. If you are interested in the importance of diversity in a medical setting and innovative methods to bridge the doctor-patient gap, we invite you to read this article.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.news-medical.net
Although doctors use various diagnostic tests to determine a patient’s health, the start of the diagnosis process is the patient’s description of their symptoms. Since the patient narrative provides most of the information medical professionals use for a diagnosis, it is important to understand patients.
Diversity in health care improves the efficacy of communication. Culturally, some phrases are used differently than the dictionary definition, and patients can speak different languages. This can make communication in a health care setting a bit difficult. If there is a language barrier that causes misinterpretation, the patient can receive improper treatment or a misdiagnosis.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai believes in the importance of diversity; they developed technology to implement and promote diversity in health care. The Diversity and Inclusion Hub (DIH) aims to promote employment of women as well as people of color, identify health care related issues, and decrease bias. With this technology, The Icahn School of Medicine hopes to strengthen the relationships between medical professionals and their patients. In return, this will provide a better patient experience and potentially improve treatment.
Katie Anderton of News Medical states that “This endeavor – known as the DIH – will serve as an incubator for cutting-edge ideas, utilize the latest technology and data, and represents a first-of-its-kind effort among medical institutions to diversify the pipeline as a career path while using innovation and technology to address social determinants of health in our surrounding communities.” This technology will help pinpoint problems that would otherwise go unnoticed, and it will extensively brainstorm solutions. The Mount Sinai team also went a step further, working with local community leaders to better understand gaps in health care and building bonds with the community they serve. They acknowledge problems surrounding lack of diversity in health care, the issue of equity, and how that issue relates to underserved patients’ treatment.
Not only is the actual technology used in the DIH innovative, but to acknowledge the role social factors have in health care is a noteworthy advancement. To learn more about the DIH and the Icahn School of Medicine’s work, please visit the News Medical website for the full article.
One Million Solutions in Health takes pride in connecting with different communities to discuss major issues in health care. It understands the power that basic communication can have on innovation and the importance of diversity in health care. To learn more, please contact info(at)onemillionsolutionsinhealth.org.
An App a Day Keeps the Patients Away: The Dangers of Medical Management Software
Where wellness is concerned, the doctor-patient relationship can be just as valuable as the treatment. The bond, built on trust, is essential for proper treatment. Recently, there has been an increased number of medical apps created to simplify a doctor’s duties. Can our obsession with saving time harm us more than help? If you are interested in how medical apps effect the doctor-patient relationship, we encourage you to read this article.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.theregister.co.uk
The relationship between a doctor and a patient is very important. Trust is a major part of the relationship; we trust doctors to make decisions about our health that we otherwise couldn’t. Even with a higher level of education and excessive professional experience, medical professionals make errors. Doctors, often having a high workload, could benefit from tools that simplify their typical processes to decrease the probability of error.
Recently, medical management software has been produced to make the process of identifying treatment simpler. Although it’s convenient, how comfortable would you be if an app had the final say in your treatment? With new medications and medical devices pushed in and out of the market, the software is aimed to make doctors aware of medical trends and proper treatments for patients and their specific medical history.
A dangerous issue was revealed about one San Francisco medical management software company. In a recent article, Kaytanna Quach of the register states “Practice Fusion developed a cloud-based medical record management service that generated alerts if patients’ symptoms or circumstances matched certain criteria. These alerts would suggest courses of action that doctors could add to people’s care plans.” It was later discovered that the developers made side deals with certain drug companies to promote the sale of Opioids. The software was set to suggest select medications even if it was not the most effective treatment. The company is being sued and is facing criminal charges.
The use of technology, in this case, can damage the doctor-patient relationship. The knowledge that a doctor follows a specific code of conduct builds the doctor-patient relationship. Medical management software companies may not have the same set of ethics. When a doctor passes the manipulated data from the rigged software, their credibility is at stake and patients may become less trusting. Since these medical software companies aren’t required to have a medical background, they may not understand the seriousness of their actions and the direct strain this can put on the doctor-patient relationship. Without trust, the relationship and the quality of patient care will be weakened. There is also concern that increased use of medical apps can encourage patients to self-diagnose.
With intense regulations and the assistance of medical professionals, medical management software can be very useful for patient care management in the future. Currently, more research needs to be done on the apps to prevent misuse. For more information on this article, please visit the Register website.
One Million Solutions in Health is a company that strives to tackle current health care issues. The company’s goal is to add to the conversation about health innovations and find solutions. To learn more, please contact info(at)onemillionsoultionsinhealth.org.
Is Social Media the Key to Enhancing the Patient Experience?
The abundance of information and technology that is readily available has upgraded health care. Researchers are actively searching to find ways to improve patient care, but have they overlooked a simple fix? Social media, which often gets a bad rep, is where a large majority of people choose to communicate their issues and stories. Can social media data be just as valuable to the health care industry as data obtained in a lab? To find out more about the impact social media can have on healthcare, we encourage you to read this article.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.synthesio.com
There’s no denying that the quality of health care has improved with time. Researchers constantly seek ways to better understand health conditions and enhance treatment. However, even with so many advancements, there are still faults in the methods of care that healthcare workers perform. In health care, we expect the next advancement to be from new technology, but what if a new approach to treatment could have the same impact?
Social media, often used for leisure or marketing purposes, is a great tool for improving the patient experience. Carmen Yeung of Synthesio states that patient feedback on treatment and medical journeys can be beneficial to both patients and pharmaceutical companies. Patients’ voices are heard, and pharmaceutical companies can alter their products or offer the proper support as needed. Many patients are turning to social media to paint the picture of their experiences.
To analyze social media’s potential impact on health care, Synthesio, a social media analytics company, reviewed data from the social media accounts of patients diagnosed with cancer. The data showed the importance of direct feedback from patients. This information is highly valuable since it is rarely shared with medical professionals and/or companies. Yeung also mentions that it is important to pay attention to information patients provide in threads on support websites in addition to common social media sites; many patients feel more comfortable discussing different parts of their medical journey on different platforms. The data obtained also confirmed the use of different platforms being used to document different parts of a patient’s medical journey. Research indicates that of the cancer experience, support was the least mentioned topic on social media.
To ensure a positive patient experience, the focus needs to be on understanding the needs of the patient. The healing process should focus on two major aspects: the treatment of the actual condition or disease and the mental impact of having an illness. Keeping this in mind, medical professionals can change their approach to treatment. More people are looking for solutions online, so it would be beneficial to pay attention to those trends. Doctors can alter the dynamics of a visit by discussing some of the most frequently asked questions or common concerns patients may have. In return, this can improve the doctor and patient relationship, while also making patients feel more comfortable.
Paying attention to patients’ feelings surrounding the process of treatment can help them feel like they’re not just subjects, but people. In addition, this level of communication can increase the potential for personalized treatment in the future. For more information regarding the use of social media to improve the patient experience, visit the source information at the Synthesio website.
One Million Solutions in Health is a great place to stay up-to-date on health care information. We focus on trends, innovative technology, and all things in between to create conversation and find solutions. To learn more, please contact us at info(at)onemillionsolutionsinhealth.org.