Computers and our health

Health - being well, feeling

well and keeping well what
have computers got to do
with it?

Computers and our health

Bad for our backs, bad for our eyes,
bad for our temper etc

Health
noun
the state of being free from illness or injury.
"he was restored to health"
synonyms: good physical condition,healthiness,fitness,physical
fitness,well-being, haleness,good trim,good shape,fine
fettle,good kilter;

a person's mental or physical condition.

"bad health forced him to retire"
synonyms: state of health,physical state,physical health,physical
shape, condition,constitution,form

used to express friendly feelings towards one's companions

before drinking.
exclamation:your good health; noun:your health; plural
noun:your healths; exclamation:your health

Changes
Since the mid 1980s access to
computers and the tasks computers
can do for us- initially at only
government and organizational level,
then within our homes and offices
and latterly our handbags and back
pockets has changed many things
especially since the internet has
become as commonplace as
television

A case study
Nearly 2 years ago severe rheumatic attack
Dr not sure..... Researched symptoms
?? Polymyalgia rheumatica
Treatment? steroids but complicated dosages
Doctor printed out drug regime good result

3 months ago similar symptoms now on

holiday here...
Could it be recurrence? Checked On-line
Yes possible printed out information

Then
Off to see a Doctor who agreed with
possible recurrence. Blood samples
sent to lab
Results sent back on line - positive
Doctor looked up recent research on
line still treated with steroids but
lower doses now known to be effective
Month of treatment found to be effective

Return to clinic for follow up

prescription different doctor
not familiar with problem
not keen on prescribing
Steroids
Checked notes on
computer, looked up the
condition continued with
treatment ->

Result -Good
A computer and / or the internet was used 6
times in ways that either made diagnosis /
treatment quicker, more accurate and
ultimately more successful

Behind the scenes computers +

networks provided faster blood results,
powered research, disseminated
information, improved communication,
prevented mistakes, reduced costs and
kept the patient dancing.

Informed public
Health wise we have never been better
informed this is due to the media and
access to the internet and this has driven
more open relationships with our doctors
We get a twinge or a cough we look it
up.....
And we expect a lot
of good advice and support....
Flu

 A study carried out by

researchers at
Northwestern University
Feinberg School of
Medicine, Chicago, found
that elderly
people who had a higher
level of
health literacy
were more likely to live
longer
.
Is that easy? But its easier
with the internet!

Physical Health
Most people accept that health can be divided into two broad aspects - physical and mental
health.
Physical health
For humans, physical health means a good body health, which is healthy because of regular
physical activity (exercise), goodnutrition, and adequate rest.
As a country's or region's people experience improved nutrition, health care, standards of living
and quality of life, their height and weight generally increase.
In fact, most people, when asked for a definition of health talk about physical health. Physical
health relates to anything concerning our bodies as physical entities. Physical health has been the
basis for active living campaigns and the many nutrition drives that have swept the industrialized
world. People are exposed to so much "physical health" data these days that it is hard to decide
what is relevant and what is not.
Another term for physical health isphysical wellbeing. Physical wellbeing is defined as something
a person can achieve by developing all health-related components of his/her lifestyle. Fitness
reflects a person's cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body
composition. Other contributors to physical wellbeing may include proper nutrition, bodyweight
management, abstaining from drug abuse, avoiding alcohol abuse, responsible sexual behaviour
(sexual health), hygiene, and getting the right amount of sleep.

Advice on Exercise

Advice on healthy eating

Even Advice on Healthy

Thinking

Mental Health
Mental health
Mental health refers to people's cognitive and emotional well-being. A person who
enjoys good mental health does not have a mental disorder. According to WHO,
mental health is "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own
abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and
fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community".
No matter how many definitions people try to come up with regarding mental health,
its assessment is still a subjective one.
People have always found it easier to explain what mental illness is, rather than
mental health. Most people agree that mental health refers to the "absence of mental
illness". For some, this definition is not enough. They argue that if you pick 100
people who do not suffer from any mental disorder or illness that could be diagnosed
by a psychiatrist, some people within those 100 will be mentally healthier than
others. Most people also agree that mental health includes the ability to enjoy life,
the ability to bounce back from adversity, the ability to achieve balance
(moderation), the ability to be flexible and adapt, the ability to feel safe and secure,
and self-actualization (making the best of what you have).

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/mentalhealth/Pages/Mentalhealthhome.aspx

Access to
informatio
n such as
this can
save lives
especially
since
family
support
may not
be round
the corner
any more
And also
helps to
destigmatize

these sort
of

Slightly better than this! Though

joking about things is a good way of
dealing with issues

Hello. Welcome to the Psychiatric Hotline

If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2.
If you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5, and 6.
If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what
you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will
tell you which number to press.
If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number
you press. No one will answer.
If you are anxious, just start pressing numbers at random.
If you are phobic, don't press anything.
If you are anal retentive, please hold.

Knowing the value of the

info...
Is the website you are accessing reputable? Look for an
address follow links from reputable sites only. Is the
information you are given backed up by research? Who
sponsored it? Research sponsored by the Milk marketing board
is likely to tell you milk is good for you ! Use the search tools to
get recent updates

How to stay Healthy?

7 HABITS FOR A HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY
Daily Physicality: Exercise for at least 20 minutes most days of
the week.
Intellectual Curiosity: Spend some time in focused thought,
exploring new ideas every day.
FosterCreativity: Challenge your mind to connect unrelated ideas
in new and useful ways.
Human Unity: Create and maintain close-knit human bonds and a
social support network.
SpiritualConnectedness: Identify a Source of inspiration that is
bigger than you.
Energy Balance: Balance Calories in/Calories out, and reduce your
carbon footprint.
Voluntary Simplicity: Embrace the liberty that comes with
wanting and needing less.

Of course if you dont stay

healthy..
How have
computers
changed things in
our hospitals...
Were talking UK
here !
How technology
has changed the
hospital world

A single hospital has multiple dedicated

systems all interacting with each other e.g:

Medical Records
Scheduling
Emergency
Bed Allocation office
Surgery
Medical Imaging
Pharmacy
Laboratories
Physiotherapy
Dietician
Doctors

Nursing Services
Hospital Management
Hospital Catering
Supplies

FINANC
Central Sterilizing
E
Services

Obstetric Services
Intensive Care
Services
Transcription Services

Lots of areas where the storage and exchange of

information in a quick and secure way is vital
Computers are an integral part of the machines
used in laboratories to analyze samples,
and in Medical Imaging to provide diagnostic images.

CT actually stands for Computerized

Tomography
Ultrasound machines are basically incredibly
powerful computers attached to a transducer
Even ordinary X-ray machines use computers
to automatically control the exposure and
produce digital images that can be sent over
the internet
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses
computers to analyze signals from your
hydrogen atoms which are translated into
digital images

CAD to a doctor, more especially a

Radiologist, refers to Computer Aided
Diagnosis or Computer Aided Detection
CAD is used specifically in
Mammography where the
microcalcifications that
Radiologists are looking for are so
small that they can easily be
missed, the computer scans the
image usually after the radiologist
has given it the all clear and
highlights areas that might be
suspicious for the Radiologist to
recheck. Computers are never
used in isolation for diagnosis.

Reported in Business Insider April 2014

IBMs Watson
Supercomputer may soon
be the best Doctor in the
world

Note this is about treatment as well as diagnosis

though diagnosis is obviously involved

Diagnosis is more difficult but

computers can help
Isabel History
Jason and Charlotte Maude co-founded Isabel Healthcare in July 1999 after their then 3 year
old daughter Isabel was nearly fatally misdiagnosed by her local hospital. Isabel spent two
months in hospital, including a month in PICU after experiencing multiple organ failure and
cardiac arrest.

Isabels extensive suffering could have been avoided if the local emergency department and
family physicians, instead of assuming her symptoms were typical of the chicken pox from
which she was also suffering, had stopped to ask 'what else could this be?' Isabel was later
diagnosed to be suffering from well-described complications of chicken pox: Toxic Shock
Syndrome and Necrotising Fasciitis.

Rather than suing the hospital for the error Isabel Healthcare was created, in honor of Isabel
Maude and all patients whose lives have been impacted by missed or delayed diagnosis, to
help clinicians around the world do the best job for their patients.

More on Isabel
After two years of research and validation led by Dr. Ramnarayan, the pediatric version of
the Isabel diagnostic tool was launched in June 2002. With support from the UK
Department of Health, the UK National Health Service and other key medical institutions,
Isabel quickly gained credibility and support from around the world.

Within months of its launch, the system attracted more than 20,000 users from over 100
countries. Impressed with the system's high levels of speed and accuracy, demand rapidly
grew for an adult version which was launched in January 2005 and is now used by many
top-rated hospitals in the United States and around the world. In 2009 The American
Medical Association selected Isabel to be the diagnosis decision support tool within its new
physician portal being launched in 2010.

Modern medicine can work miracles and proof is how Isabel herself was brought back from
the brink and is now a healthy and beautiful 14 year old girl.

The Isabel system can help clinicians avoid letting other patients, like Isabel, unnecessarily
becoming dangerously ill.

Monitoring..
Checking up on you! Now possible at
home
http://www.imedicalapps.com/2015/03/
sensoria-wearable-health-sensing-soc
ks-bras-tshirts/
How many people have one of
these at home?

As well as the more accepted environments of

hospitals and clinics
The development of new techniques for monitoring is an advanced and developing
field insmart medicine, biomedical-aidedintegrative medicine,
alternative medicine,self-tailoredpreventive medicineandpredictive medicine
that emphasizes monitoring of comprehensive medical data of patients, people at
risk and healthy people using advanced, smart, minimallyinvasive
biomedical devices,biosensors,lab-on-a-chip(in the futurenanomedicine[3][4]
devices likenanorobots) and advancedcomputerizedmedical diagnosisand early
warning tools over a short clinical interview anddrug prescription.
Asbiomedical research,nanotechnologyandnutrigenomicsadvances, realizing the
human body'sself-healingcapabilities and the growing awareness of the limitations
ofmedical interventionby chemicaldrugs-only approach of old school medical
treatment, new researches that shows the enormous damage medications can
cause,[5][6]researchers are working to fulfill the need for a comprehensive further
study and personal continuousclinical monitoringof health conditions while
keeping legacy medical intervention as a last resort.
In many medical problems, drugs offer temporary relief of symptoms while theroot
of a medical problem remains unknown without enough data of all ourbiological
systems[7]. Our body is equipped with sub-systems for the purpose of maintaining
balance and self healing functions. Intervention without sufficient data might
damage those healing sub systems.[7]Monitoring medicine fills the gap to prevent
diagnosis errors and can assist in future medical research by analyzing alldataof
many patients.

 http://systems.hscic.gov.uk/spine/faq
s
The NHS Spine finally providing a
centralized depository of health
information for 80 million patients

Apps for Doctors

Apps for us
http://www.hongkiat.c
om/blog/iphonehealth-app/

And computers give us power

because it allows us to
communicate information and
influence industry and government
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Qxx14RCxblg
21mins getting better
http://www.hscic.gov.uk/proms

What else
Enhancing our doctors abilities
Robotic surgery a reality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=VJ_3GJNz4fg

Support groups for various problems

e.g
Parkinsons Disease Society
Alzheimer's Society

Buying Medicine On-line

If you are buying a product online,
check the website address. According
to the MHRA, up to 90% of medicines
sold on websites that conceal their
address are fake. Some online
pharmacies bear the green cross
logo of the General Pharmaceutical
Council. This means that the
pharmacy is registered and is
associated with a physical pharmacy