Back from Thanksgiving Break... *yawn*... everyone eat well? :)

Let me share an idea from a lecturer who came to my reproductive health class.

Think of the following as a "Wouldn't it be nice if this was carried out?" type of suggestion.

(In other words, gently ignore plausibility issues)

Problem: Regular check-ups are not as common as health care providers would hope for.

Solution: When the patients do come in for something, whatever that may be, screen/counsel for everything else while you're at it, and if appropriate connect with another facility that can treat for new diagnoses that you can't handle.

Example: Patient comes into a gynecological clinic for a pelvic examination...also check for cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, respiratory infections, etc. Provide medications, treatment, and schedule follow-up visits as necessary.

In other words, maximize on the opportunities that you can find in patients' regular care-seeking profiles. Everyone has their own individual pattern of seeking health care and screening and it may well be that they have many reasons why it's difficult to change it to better resemble state or federal guidelines.

So providers, take an all-encompassing approach. Open the door to more complete health outreach. Patients show up for a particular concern or a specific type of routine examination, providers can add other check-up procedures to that visit.

..........(contemplating barriers and limitations).........$$$

Okay, maybe I wouldn't be happy as the patient if I came in to be treated for bronchitis and ended up having to go through a multitude of other unrelated screening procedures and lengthy counseling for diseases not immediately on the horizon. But by having a conversation with my provider, risk can be assessed with prevention of disease as the goal, so I may be willing to sit through extra counseling if not extra procedures.

If this attitude became the general accepted norm (a tall hurdle), such a system may work out.

Although, surveillance for reportable diseases might get messy.

But from a public health standpoint, wouldn't that be nice if this was possible?

We'd be able to catch so many symptoms before they ballooned into serious ailments.

An idea is but an idea...until someone can pave a path for it...