Proactive Approach to Healthcare

What is Proactive Healthcare?

Proactive implies getting things done instead of waiting. It means anticipating events based on the existing facts and preparing well ahead of time.        

A proactive healthcare approach is about the measures that you can take today to avoid any potential health issues tomorrow. For instance, if you are told that during the remission of cancer, its return can be predicted much earlier than it happens. Would you want to adopt proactive techniques and know the chances, or you’d rather be reactive and wait for things to happen as and when they do? Well, the choices that you make will not only affect your health but also the healthcare. Proactive healthcare lets you plan and gain better control of things. 

Role of Technology in Proactive Healthcare

Over the years, the role of technology in Proactive Healthcare has increased, including artificial intelligence (AI), prognostic analytics, sensors and wearables, and machine learning. It is possible to track a person’s heartbeat, diet, exercise level and alike. Technology has allowed the collection of real-time data concerning the health of an individual and all deviations therein. This, in turn, allows prompt analysis to anticipate a medical problem that might arise and prepare well in advance.  

Benefits of Proactive Healthcare

• Proactive Healthcare has opened up avenues in various spheres. People can preserve stem cells that help them to protect their child and family members against diseases like Alzheimer, Asthma etc. 

• Patients and Healthcare organisation can use cloud computing to store patient data. It will enable the doctors to access a patient’s data collected from various sources, including his entire medical history and earlier prescriptions and treatments. It will keep the doctors well-informed, and they would be able to interpret potential medical risks and preferred treatments.

• People want to be the advocates of their health, and the awareness has resulted in more people choosing preventive health packages and medical insurances. It is benefitting them by allowing coverage for medical expenses and benefits of a cashless claim.

• Several apps monitor how much you walk, the number of steps you took, calories burned, sleep pattern and heartbeat. These apps keep your health in check and provide timely reminders, for instance- a reminder to take medicine or drink water or a doctor’s appointment. This proactive approach will let you stay focused on your health without any compromises.

• An AI-enabled system could detect the likelihood of an acute episode in a patient. Therefore, a healthcare professional could reach out to the patient at the right time, monitor them closely and provide counselling. This proactive model lets the doctor and patient work in tandem to eliminate the risk factors and prevent the acute episode. On the contrary, in the reactive model, the patient wouldn’t have been treated unless he is hospitalised after having the episode. Hence, it is safe to comprehend that proactive healthcare reduces the cost of medical expenditure.