Introduction, Scope and importance of various health screening services - for routine monitoring of patients, Early detection, And referral of undiagnosed cases

1. By: Mr. Vinay D. Gaikwad
Chapter 7:
Health Screening Services in
Community Pharmacy

2. Contents:
 Introduction,
 Scope and importance of various health
screening services - for routine monitoring of
patients,
 Early detection,
 Referral of undiagnosed cases.

3. Introduction:
Health Screenings are medical tests that
doctors/pharmacists/health care professionals
use to check for diseases and health conditions
before there are any signs or symptoms.
Screenings help find problems early on, when
they may be easier to treat.

4. Health screening helps you find out if you have a
particular condition even if you feel perfectly well,
without any symptoms and/or signs. Early
detection, followed by treatment and good control
of the condition can result in better outcomes,
and lowers the risk of serious complications.

5. What is included in a health screening?
In general, a basic health screening involves for
most adults, depending on age, doctors will
recommend a screening schedule that includes
regular physical exams, body mass index (BMI), skin
checks, cholesterol and blood pressure screening,
blood sugar level, eye exams, lung function test,
bone density check, immunizations and screening
for sexually transmitted diseases.

6. Scope and Importance of Various
Health Screening Services:
 Screening can help us live longer and healthier
lives. Screening essentially helps in identifying
diseases in people who do not yet have any
symptoms or signs of it.
 Mass screening for certain common diseases is
often recommended and can be cost effective.
The goal of such screening is to improve health
outcomes; an example is early detection of high
blood pressure.
 Such detection can help prevent stroke and heart
disease by timely start of medication and
counseling for lifestyle changes such as losing
weight, giving up smoking, cutting down on salt
and regular exercises.

7.  In the near future screening will become even
more important. In fact some companies are
already offering their services by doing a genetic
profile of a person and providing them a risk
profile of potential diseases that they may be
prone to.

8. There are several reasons that help
establish the importance of health
screening.
1. Identifies underlying issues:
2. Helps in early detection:
3. Relieves anxiety:
4. Helps avoid unnecessary precautions:
5. Puts you in control:
6. Allows focus on crucial areas:
7. Catches the signs before complications:
8. Ensures early intervention and less invasive
treatment:
9. Helps you to take preventive care:
10. Pinpoints ailments that are unexpected:

9. Health Screening standards include
six main criteria as follows:
1. Proper use and maintenance of the equipment.
2. Receiving adequate training and improving the
competence of personnel involved in the
screening process.
3. Documented procedures for recording the
results.
4. Safety issues regarding body fluids handling.
5. Explanation of results.
6. Monitoring of screening outcomes and referral
processes.

10.  Health screening services may be offered to
individuals who are at high risk for a specific
disease. The procedures for the following health
screening services are explained in detail.
Measuring blood pressure for hypertension
Checking blood glucose levels for diabetes mellitus
Calculation of body mass index (BMI)
Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) by peak flow meter
for asthma

11. Measurement of Blood Pressure:
A person is considered as hypertensive when on two or more
consecutive measurements if diastolic blood pressure is
more than 90 mmHg and the systolic blood pressure is
more than 140 mmHg.
Poor control of blood pressure may cause target organ
damage like cardiac, cerebro vascular, renal and ocular
and may become a cause for death.
Advantages:
 New hypertensive patients can be detected
 Can help patients to monitor their BP and observe the
usefulness of medications. J¡E Motivate the
 patients to improve medication adherence behavior
 Can prevent hypertensive consequences
 Can minimize the work load of General practitioner.

14. Measurement of Capillary Blood
Glucose:
Blood glucose measurement within a pharmacy can
provide valuable information in identifying the
individuals with abnormal blood glucose levels.
 It helps the individual with diabetes and unable to
perform his/her own blood glucose monitoring.
 Pharmacist may send a written report through the
patient to the physician for further follow up only.
 In consultant with the prescriber, the pharmacist
can counsel the patient regarding the
management of the disease.
 Measurement of capillary blood glucose (CBG)
has become simple with the recently introduced
Glucometers.

15. How to measure blood glucose
levels:
 To measure blood glucose, a device called Glucometer is
required.
 Glucometers function on calorimetric principle.
 Glucometers strip is used.
 This glucometer strip possesses a hallow place or an
identified place, where a blood drop should be placed.
 The blood reacts with the reagent present in the identified
space and color change is detected by the glucometers.
 Before measuring, the glucometer should be placed in safe
and comfortable place.
 Insert the strip into the device.
 This will turn on the machine.
 Sterilize the finger with antiseptic agent.
 Prick the finger with safe disposable lancet and place the
drop of blood on the strip at the loading place.
 The machine gives the result within 5 to 30 seconds.

17. Body Mass Index (BMI):
 Body mass index (BMI) is a statistical measure of
body fat based on height and weight that applies
to both adult men and women.
 BMI is the most widely used diagnostic tool to
identify weight problems whether individuals are
underweight, overweight or obese.