Also known as PHC, personalized healthcare for patients is on the rise. The main aim with this
concept is to have a key area of focus, is to combine pioneering science, bring in more data and
to analyze it, and use more newer technologies and to use advanced discoveries, so as to help
patients lives.
Personalized healthcare for many years meant that one had to be tested for a disease and only
then a targeted treatment would be provided. But today, healthcare and technology combined
are expanding- this helps connect with a personalized approach, personalized healthcare for
patients who get evidence based and state-of-the-art technology enabled healthcare solutions,
which are suited and tailored for individual needs.
With the help of analytics, data and new technology across research and development, and
care continuum, healthcare providers are now drawing closer to their goal and ambition of life
improvement, and helping with better health advancement- lower and affordable costs of
treatment to the public and community at large as well.
The key aspects of care with PHC are therefore-
1. Accurate diagnosis with early detection
2. Individual and tailored care
3. Optimal care access, and
4. Remote health care and monitoring.
Its all about customizing healthcare for individuals
To personalize medical care, an individual’s understanding is important- something which is not
particularly experienced by patients today or expected by physicians or even defined well
enough by 3 rd party entities as well, which includes the payers. PHC or personalized healthcare
uses the concept of transferring patient experiences to the top, by giving them the best medical
care and help which are customized for the individual’s needs. This means, better
circumvention, diagnosis and efficient doctor analysis, done more expeditiously, say medical
experts. The conventional method of healthcare was population focused, which gave patient
care that was concentrated on the basis of an entire community, say experts. It was done using
predetermined profiles and not centered on the individual patient care- like how PHC does now.
Beyond precision is the name of the game
With newer and more modern healthcare and technologies around, the buzzwords such as
“Precision Medicine”, “Personalized Medicine” or even “Personalized Healthcare” have been
used without heed in the modern day medical vocabulary, say experts. These phrases are
undergoing a semantic shift, thanks to indiscriminate social engineering. One has to recognize
this trend’s significance, so that a better use of the meaning is brought about and to protect
patients from any sort of prejudice, which is associated with it.
What it means is that, if you search on Google for personalized healthcare or even
personalized medicine, Genomics and its utility in cancer treatment would be conveyed to you.
It is taken that Genomics is the subordinate of the former two, but is it equal- the answer is NO!
Genomics studies status, quality, of being precise and specific, like many more scientifically
backed technology and instruments of study, say medical experts. Whereas, when we talk about
personalized healthcare, it a term which is complete in itself which talks of giving someone the
ease of medical service- curing to preserving health.
PHC or personalized healthcare thus pertains to rendering services between a patient and a
physician, and everything in between them- transactions of any kind, doctor-to-patient
interaction, be it physical or virtual, and socioeconomic factors as well. Personalized medicine
and precision medicine only come under these domains.
What is precision medicine about?
When we talk about precision medicine in personalized healthcare. We talk about the application
of strategies and tools, and even science. It could be solo or in collab with someone- helps with
the enhancement of personalized medical treatments, say experts.
More about PHC and Precision Healthcare defined
With precision healthcare, the primary focus is to get health improved- the outcome being
through genomics. With the help of genomics, one can have sequences for better
understanding, especially of genes that lead to the onset of certain diseases in the body, and of
genes that can prove to be resilient against certain diseases too.
When a multi-level analysis of the genes and other data is done, precision healthcare will thus
allow physicians and even pharma companies across the globe to understand gene-
environment better- the interactions and even hot particular diseases should be treated- given
that there are a set of mutations to follow. Precision healthcare thus also focusses on the
importance of diagnostic testing, since it allows the doctor to know which treatment would be the
best for the individual’s needs. Precision treatment these days are already helping patients with
fibromyalgia and cancers.
With PHC or personalized healthcare, which is the focus these days, it revolves around four
main points- the 4Ps-
1. Predictive
2. Preventive
3. Patient engagement and
4. Personalized care
When these four concepts are integrated, PHC helps bring about a model which talks of long
range planning and not reactionary care, the latter which is costly. Preventable and chronic
diseases are the bulk of healthcare provision across the world, say medical health experts. PHC
thus aims to remedy this by spending more on chronic care, by enhancing the concepts of
healthy planning and behavior.
With PHC, personal physicians get to spend more time with patients, and to look deeply into
one’s health history as well. The doctors also get to identify disease risks earlier on as well. The
patient and the doctor thus work in tandem to create a unique health plan, and the patient is
expected to work on his or her own health management as well. This helps with more
improvement on the health level, say experts.
When it comes to personalized medicine, it falls under the category of PHC or personalized
healthcare, however both the terms are very unique. The former has its roots in therapies, which
are customized to fit an individuals needs basis their genomic, genetic and even clinical
information. With this information in place, one can expect accurate predictions which can tell us
about an individual’s vulnerability to a disease in particular and understanding the responses
too. Apart from that, experts say that gene based interventions and therapies can be tailored for
individuals and even their genes.
We hope you now have a better understanding of PHC or personalized healthcare and even
precision medicine and healthcare too. Do write in and let us know your valuable opinions on
the same.
Stay safe, stay healthy!
