Preventive Healthcare is a continuous process that involves the following steps:

• evaluating key health parameters
• setting up a strategy to attain health goals
• monitoring the parameters at appropriate intervals
• reviewing and revising the strategy periodically based on monitored data.

One of the important requirements of effective preventive healthcare is that patients should be educated in its principles and methods - enabling them to be proactive in their healthcare and its monitoring.  They should have a sound understanding of the goals and methods of attaining them.  They should be not be dependent on their doctor, hospital or clinic for monitoring, but should rather be encouraged to carry out tests themselves and actively participate with their doctors in the treatment process.

For example, diabetic patients should check their blood sugars at a minimum interval of once a month even if their sugars are well controlled, much more often if the sugars are high or too low.  They should not wait for a prompt from their doctor or health centre to do this.  They should be fully aware of the goals of blood sugar control (e.g., for diabetics, FBS < 120, PPBS < 180  and HbA1c < 7%).

They should have periodic educative discussions with their healthcare providers about these goals and the lifestyle measures and medications needed to attain them.

In participation with their doctors, they should formulate a treatment regimen that includes lifestyle measures and/or medications that will achieve the goals.  If the goals are not achieved, they should feel free to ask for a second opinion or specialist advice.

The purpose of WatchMyHealth is to facilitate healthcare autonomy - that is, to enable individuals to be in charge of their primary healthcare.  Rather than being passive recipients of care, they should be active directors and promoters of their own healthcare.

 WatchMyHealth (WMH) is an interactive web-based primary healthcare initative that is aimed at:

• Centralization of patient medical data
• Effective, holistic monitoring of health status and continuity of healthcare

Centralization of medical records

A commonly encountered obstacle to effective management of patients is the non-availability of older laboratory reports, ECGs, X-rays and scans  - as these are often kept in the records of clinics and hospitals they have been to in the past for treatment.  It will make things much easier for the treating doctor to have all relevant data of the patient stored in a centralized online personal health record.  WatchMyHealth does this by motivating patients to secure copies of laboratory reports and other important medical documents from institutions they have been to and to enter these in their PHRs.  For this, they will be helped by trained staff (PHR managers) of WMH.

Ready access to integrated and complete patient data through online PHRs enables holistic clinical assessment, prevents duplication of tests and avoids omissions and errors in treatment.

Health Monitoring and Continuity of Care:

WatchMyHealth PHR system, besides being a master repository of all your essential health data,  offers in addition an interactive system of continuing health monitoring and care.  This system  works by generating a 'Test Calendar' that is specific to the individual based on age, gender and known health conditions and regularly reminding its members through email to comply with it. 

The system is based on the principle that effective healthcare depends on maintaining key health parameters within ‘target range’ (see below).  When these parameters get deranged, often there is a ‘silent phase’ when patients do not feel that anything is wrong with them. For example, high blood pressure or blood sugar may not cause any symptom in the initial stages, but may result in progressive damage to your vital organs such as heart and kidneys.   The only way to prevent this is to be aware of these silent diseases and to monitor them at the required intervals.   Corrective action involving lifestyle changes and medications would automatically tend to follow – as the very awareness of the problems would often motivate patients to comply with them.

Compliance with the Test Calendar is a key component of the healthcare strategy of WatchMyHealth.  When results are entered into your PHR, the abnormal (out-of-normal range) values will be highlighted in red.   Out-of-range values are not necessarily abnormal or requiring treatment - therefore, please follow you doctor's advice on them.

WatchMyHealth offers and encourages patients to have telephonic consultations with the doctor to discuss their abnormal test results and the healthcare actions that are required to deal with them.  Face-to-face consultations are needed only less frequently for patients whose chronic problems are known and have been thoroughly evaluated.

WatchMyHealth believes in standardizing the procedure of continuous healthcare – by developing algorithms that can easily be followed by doctors.  Efficient algorithms will bridge the gap between the services rendered by experienced senior physicians and junior doctors.

Health Goals:

For optimal healthcare, the following physical and metabolic goals should be aimed for:

Body Mass Index (BMI) = Weight in kg/(height in metres)2: 18.5 To 25

Blood Pressure: Less Than 130/80 mmHg

Fasting Blood Sugar: Less Than 100 mg/dL (For Non-Diabetics);  Less Than 120 mg/dL (For Diabetics)

Postprandial Blood Sugar (2 Hrs After Breakfast Or Lunch): Less Than 140 mg/dL (For Non-Diabetics); Less Than 180 mg/dL (For Diabetics)

HbA1c: Less Than 6% (For Non-Diabetics); Less Than 7% (For Diabetics).

LDL Cholesterol:

Less Than 130 mg/dL (For Non-Diabetics And Those Without Significant Cardiovascular Risk);

Less Than 100 mg/dL (For Diabetics And Those With Other Cardiovascular Risks)

Less Than 70 mg/dL (For Those With Established Coronary Or Other Atherosclerotic Disease)

HDL Cholesterol:

More Than 40 mg/dL

Triglycerides:

Less Than 150 mg/dL

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH): 0.3 To 4.2 MicroIU/ML

Haemoglobin:  12 To 16 G/DL (For Women);  13 To 18 mg/dL (For Men)

Uric Acid: Less Than 6.2 mg/dL (For Women): Less Than 7 mg/dL (For Men)

Daily Aerobic Exercise (E.G. Brisk Walking): 30 To 60 Minutes