#HealthScreening101

“Health is not valued till sickness comes” – No saying is wiser than these words of wisdom by Thomas Fuller. It is when we fall sick that we realise the importance of staying healthy and take adequate measures to heal our body. Fortunate are those who get a second lease of life and bounce back after an illness, but not everyone is as lucky. 

The overall health care landscape of the country looks grim. India’s disease burden is alarming, and lifestyle-oriented diseases like cancer, diabetes, hypertension, COPD and heart diseases are at an all-time high. These critical illnesses come unannounced and sometimes go unnoticed for months before finally showing the warning signs. Thus staying in charge of your health is more important today, than it was ever before; that’s where preventive health care comes in.

Health Screening or a Preventive health check-up is the need of the hour!

Preventive healthcare, as the name suggests, consists of a series of health screening tests, designed to detect hidden diseases early in otherwise healthy people. A preventive health check-up or a health screening is for healthy, asymptomatic people. It allows early detection of underlying health conditions which, when ignored, can pose life-threatening consequences at a later stage.

Know the importance of early detection & preventive health check-up!

Preventive health care gives you a 360-degree overview of your health status and helps identify diseases early ensuring the right treatment at the right time. When it comes to critical illnesses and lifestyle disorders, the earlier they get diagnosed, the more likely it is for you to find a cure and manage it better. With early detection and treatment, you may be able to prevent or delay complications and consequences that these life-altering diseases pose to your health. Some lifestyle diseases like COPD and Diabetes can’t be cured but detecting them early with the help of preventive health check-up, and screening tests help you manage the condition better and makes it easier to live with it.  

3 Reasons why you should make health screening a part of your routine!

To stay healthy & active: A health screening or a preventive health check-up is your best chance of knowing how healthy you are. It gives you a holistic overview of your health, so you can take charge of your health and necessary measures to steer clear of diseases. Thus, allowing you to live a long and healthy life.

To be health-aware: Preventive healthcare allows you to see the unseen and take necessary precautions to stop a disease or condition from worsening. It also tells you whether you are at risk of developing critical illnesses and prepares you to combat them better by taking the necessary steps to change your lifestyle or get the right treatment for better health.

To stay a step ahead of diseases: Health Screenings and preventive health check-up is the greatest weapon in fighting diseases. It can detect pre-cancerous condition and cancer early when multiple treatment options are available. When detected early, it may respond to treatment better and knowing your health problems well in advance helps you take care of your physical and mental well-being. Thus, allowing you to stay in control of your health better. 

It may be quite intimidating to go for a health screening or preventive check-up, but worth your while as it helps you overcome the fear of the unknown. Knowledge is the ultimate power when it comes to your health, and a preventive health check-up is the best way to be completely aware of your health status. It also provides you with a sense of reassurance and well being. Thus, Adopting preventive healthcare as a part of your daily routine is the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, because early detection is the best protection. Schedule your health screening today!

The advent of medical technology has given us several medical wonders; and has contributed immensely to the advancement of medicine. It has made several untreatable diseases and conditions treatable in the past few decades. However, with medical inflation at its peak and the increasing medical burden of the country, the cost of health care is skyrocketing by the minute. Even a simple procedure requiring hospitalisation can drill a hole in your pocket, and the more complicated ones can drain you out of both your savings and peace of mind. Today, investing in your health and taking preventive measures to steer clear of diseases has become more necessary than ever before.  Hence, we can no longer delay and deny the importance of health screening today, and the sooner we adopt it as a part of our daily routine, the better.

But first, we need to understand what exactly a health screening helps you achieve. The word health screening is often interchangeably used for a health check-up or a diagnostic test. However, comparing the two is almost like comparing apples to oranges. So, we decided to make it easier for you to understand the difference, by highlighting the key aspects to differentiate the two. 

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Purpose

The primary purpose of a screening test is to detect underlying diseases and conditions early, to help you be aware of your health risks and take timely action to stop them from posing life-threatening consequences.

On the other hand, the purpose of a diagnostic test is to confirm the presence or absence of a disease or condition in suspected individuals, as a basis for treatment decisions. A diagnostic test comes as the next step to a screening test to confirm the prognosis.

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Target Group

A Screening Test is for healthy, asymptomatic people who show no signs or symptoms of an underlying disease or condition. It is a preventive measure to ascertain health risks in individuals who look or feel well.

On the contrary, a diagnostic test is for people whose screening showed a possible abnormality. It is for individuals who already show signs and symptoms of a health issue and want to confirm the presence or absence of a suspected disease or condition. 

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Right Time

The best time to undergo a screening test is when you are healthy. However, several other factors like age, heredity, gender, etc. play a role in deciding when you should go for a screening test and how often you need one. Checking with your family physician is the best way to understand it better.

When it comes to a diagnostic test, one must carry it out soon after the prognosis, to be sure of one’s health status. Because the sooner the diagnosis is made, the better chances are available for a credible treatment option to be ascertained.

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Next Steps

Once the result of the screening test is out, you can expect to get a holistic view of your health, and understand whether you are susceptible to a disease or condition. Accordingly, additional tests can be taken, confirming the presence or absence of the disease suspected. It also prepares you to combat ailments better by allowing you to get the right treatment at the right time.

On the other hand, a diagnostic test helps confirm your health status. It not only helps identify the presence of the disease but works as a deciding step to understand the stage and progression of it. Thus, allowing you to know the treatment options available for you to take at that point in time.

Screening vs. Diagnosis: The Cost

Since a screening test is a preventive measure that one takes to know the unknown, it is cost-effective and probably the best investment that one can make to live a long and healthy life.

A diagnostic test, on the other hand, is a step to confirm the disease. Hence, the costs associated with it are much higher, as it is followed by multiple clinical inspections, to establish a diagnosis and treatment options.

We hope to have put all your questions regarding screening vs. diagnosis to rest. Now you can take an informed decision and make health screening a part of your routine. It is the best way to detect diseases early and stay a step ahead of them at all times. Remember, early detection saves lives. Schedule your health screening today.

To catch cancer earlier, we need to predict who is going to get it in the future. The complex nature of forecasting risk has been bolstered by artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

Health screening is often the most misunderstood word in the world of healthcare. A preventive health check-up or health screening is for healthy individuals and is the most effective way to detect underlying diseases and conditions early. It helps you be aware of your health risks and get the right treatment at the right time to avoid life-threatening consequences. 

However, in a country like India, the voluntary adoption of preventive health care is bleak, and the word health screening is often confused as a routine health check-up or a diagnostic test. This misconception also gives rise to scepticism about the effectiveness and the credibility of preventive health check-up. 

Hence, we are in a catch 22 situation where lack of awareness gives rise to several myths surrounding health screening and preventive health care, which, in turn, is to be blamed for the lack of early adoption of preventive health check-up in our country. So, we have decided to help you, understand what a health screening is by debunking 5 of the most common misconceptions that cloud its reality.  

Myth 1: Once cleared during a previous preventive health check-up, one doesn’t need a health screening again.

Fact: It is the most commonly mistaken belief that makes the adoption of health screening less effective. A safe result from your previous health screening does not mean you are clear of health risks today. Your last health screening declared you safe, based on your health condition while taking the screening test. Certain lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes mellitus and cancer are more likely to develop with age. Thus, regular health screening is needed to detect these life-threatening conditions that may have emerged after your previous screening. A health screening or a preventive health check-up is not a one-time activity; it is a routine application, which helps you take charge of your life.

Myth 2: It’s enough to go for a preventive health check-up or health screening once every 3 years.

Fact: It is yet another myth, which needs to be busted right away.  The timing and frequency of your health screening should be determined basis your doctors’ advice. Several factors play a role in deciding when you should go for a preventive health check and how often you need one. Your family physician will assess your health risks basis your age, race, gender, genes and personal medical history, and assist you further.

Myth 3: Going for a basic preventive health check-up or health screening is enough. 

Fact: Even though a basic health check-up is generally enough for younger people with no personal or family history of medical conditions, it may not be sufficient for older patients or those with existing health issues. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when it comes to health screening it needs to be tailored, keeping in mind the risk factors of an individual. Thus, checking with your family physician is the best way to understand which health screening package one should choose.

Myth 4: When feeling fine, one doesn’t need to go for a health screening.

Fact: On the contrary, a health screening is for healthy, asymptomatic individuals who want to ascertain their health risks to stay a step ahead of diseases. A Health screening or preventive health check-up picks up a medical condition at an early stage when it presents no visible signs or symptoms of the disease. So, the best time to go for a health screening is when you look and feel completely healthy. 

Myth 5: Health screening is uncomfortable and can be a painful process.

Fact: It is due to this misconception that voluntary adoption of early screening is so low in our country. Even after knowing the credibility of various health screening tests in catching diseases early, people often avoid them due to the fear of pain and discomfort. One must remember that not all screening tests are unpleasant. There are only a select few procedures that can be painful. Even then, the presence of advanced technology and experienced staff can help alleviate the pain and discomfort to a great extent.

So, wait no longer, adopt preventive health care and invest in your health today, to live a long and disease-free life tomorrow. Early screening saves live. Get yourself screened now. 

Fujifilm’s AI development initiative will harness the power of AI to enhance its imaging and informatics healthcare Synapse® portfolio which includes Synapse PACS, Synapse Cardiovascular, and Synapse VNA among other solutions.