Category: Editorial

A Simple Text Message To Save More Than 13 Million Lives

By Abhinav Shashank, CEO and co-founder, Innovaccer.

Fact 1: As per the latest data made available by the Office for Civil Rights for HHS, more than 208,000 privacy-related complaints have been made in the last 16 years.

Fact 2: If a hospital makes a call to a patient to remind them of their upcoming appointment, they might receive a class action complaint about violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

While these two facts may not necessarily be related to one another, we clearly need to take a hard look at the increasing calls to protect patient privacy. But does that mean providers cannot send a text message to their patients? Certainly not!

California’s latest policy for text message technology for Medicaid plans: A case study

The 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which was put in place to safeguard people from automated text or other telephonic messages, limits organizations from reaching out to their patients through text messages. TCPA can also levy financial penalties on organizations if they are found guilty of violating their policies. On the other hand, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, require every “Covered Entity or Business Associate that comes into contact with Protected Health Information (PHI)” to follow the compliance policies, something that is accepted as a rule of thumb in the healthcare world. For any organization looking to reach out to patients remotely, both HIPAA and TCPA policies are extremely important to comprehend and follow.

In today’s context where patient engagement through text messages has emerged as one of the biggest avenues for optimizing care quality, the TCPA is losing its sheen to some extent in the healthcare domain. While no one denies the importance of TCPA, it does cause some roadblocks for organizations looking to enhance patient engagement in remote areas and population segments.

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) recently issued a policy to set guidelines regarding how Medicaid plans can safely use the text messaging technology to connect with beneficiaries. This is critical since one out of three people in California are Medicaid beneficiaries.

The latest ruling allows organizations to reach out to their patients through text messaging after submitting an approval form to the concerned regulators clearly mentioning the structure as well as the intent of such reach out campaigns. They also need to create proper avenues for privacy protection and give users a clear opt-out option. However, once such campaigns are approved, the payer can then run such programs without any additional regulatory clearances. Further, such outreach messages must be made available at no cost to Medicaid members.

What can we learn from the example of DHCS?

According to a study, hospitals could reduce their discharge time by 50 percent if conducted by secure text messaging, saving healthcare facilities an average of $557,253 per year.

Secure text messaging is indeed a big deal. Make no mistakes, privacy and security should still remain the top-most priority while enabling such mechanisms, and password protection is something that we should all consider. However, in an age when we are shifting our focus on precision medicine and advanced robotic surgeries, the ability to create a secure system for text reminders should not be a big deal.

The text message service is indeed the most prevalent form of communication for Americans younger than 50, and about 80% of people state it as the preferred way of receiving notifications. The latest DHCS policy will empower payers to connect with their populations like never before, an ability that would allow them to initiative preventive care and scheduling, while ultimately reducing care and cost and improving outcomes. It can be safely assumed that the latest initiative by DHCS is a breakthrough step in this direction.

Organizations need the ability to meet their patients where they want

I remember one of my friends asking me a very simple yet important question, “If I can connect with my colleague based out of London in literally 10 seconds, why does it take my provider so long to tell me that my appointment has been canceled?” I had no answer.

We cannot expect a person whose calendar is booked for the next 10 days to walk into a clinic for a regular check-up and wait idly for a couple of hours due to inefficient scheduling practices. Worse still, imagine a situation where a person takes time out to visit a facility for their Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) only to find out that their appointment has been rescheduled for the next week.

A simple suggestion of taking aspirin as a first-aid measure in a potential case of a heart attack sent through an SMS on your way to the hospital can help a patient significantly reduce the damage. Remote patient outreach is an important prospect for today’s practices, if not a necessity. It’s really that simple — connect with your patients to know them better, to treat them better, and to make them feel better with minimum interventions. While organizations can still sustain under value-driven contracts without such streamlined patient communication mediums, we cannot keep believing that we would cross that bridge when we come to it.

The road ahead

Consumerism in healthcare was never a widely-discussed topic until very recently, however, things are changing and how! Innovating while respecting the mandates in place should be the road ahead, definitely. The government is supporting new-age initiatives, federal healthcare agencies are bringing in new policies, and large payer and provider organizations are exploring ways to maximize patient satisfaction. Examples set by organizations such as DHCS will act as an ice breaker for other agencies and organizations wanting to break free to cater to the unique needs of the 2020s.

Choosing the Right Telehealth Platform: 5 Factors To Consider

By Rik Coder, vice president of public sector, Pexip.

Rik Coder

Today’s healthcare organizations face tremendous pressure to deliver high-quality care and improve patient satisfaction, all while reducing costs. As hospitals adapt to new value-based care models, telehealth can be a great way to improve patient satisfaction and engagement.

In fact, a recent study by Massachusetts General Hospital found high levels of patient satisfaction with telehealth, with 68 percent of patients rating virtual visits at 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale, and 62 percent reporting that the quality of virtual video visits was no different from that of office visits.

The technology backbone powering telehealth plays a big role in patient satisfaction. It must be simple and intuitive for patients to join video calls, while meeting the security and workflow needs of physicians. So, when choosing a platform to support your telehealth initiative, what factors should you consider?

1. Provide a great user experience

One of the most important factors in driving adoption for your telehealth platform is the user experience for both patients and physicians. The interface of the video application must be intuitive and easy-to-use, and the service high-quality and reliable. Organizations should also ensure that the platform provides connectivity to patient home sites for case management, post-procedure follow-up, and remote monitoring.

2. Ability to connect with any device, anywhere

Telehealth can break down accessibility barriers to care, whether those be technology-based or location-based. Patients should be able to join video consults from the comfort of their own homes using their mobile device or web browser, and physicians should be able to use the technologies they are used to, whether those be telehealth carts, office computers, video conferencing systems, Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, or Google Hangouts Meet.

With the right connectivity to disperse locations ranging from hospitals to clinics and rehabilitation centers, patients can get the coordinated care they need. This also improves the speed and quality of care as health systems spread across large geographies.

3. Scalability

As health systems expand, adding new sites and acquiring new practices, they need the ability to quickly scale to accommodate increased usage. Each new site also needs the ability to easily connect with each other for internal collaboration. With the right platform, you can add video capacity to accommodate times of increased demand in real time, and add capabilities to meet the changing needs of your organization with no additional configuration needed.

4. Flexibility

Each organization is different. Consider the IT resources and existing infrastructure requirements of your organization to determine the best deployment method for you (self-hosted versus as-a-service). Also evaluate how the platform will integrate with existing technologies such as EMRs and scheduling tools to make workflows as seamless as possible. If your video platform is clunky or requires additional logins, physicians are less likely to adopt it into their daily workflows.

5. Customization

Consumers today expect a consistent experience across all of their touchpoints with a brand, and when it comes to healthcare, the patient experience is no different. For instance, will your telehealth platform extend your organization’s brand and experience from the doctor’s office to the patient’s home, or introduce a different look and feel? Providing a seamless experience can increase patient trust and loyalty for your organization over the long run.

Choosing the right video platform is a big decision that can ultimately determine the success of your telehealth initiative. Beyond the fundamental needs for security and regulatory compliance, select a platform that puts user and physician experience first. With physician buy-in, you can drive adoption and give your patients the care they need, when they need it.

Top Startups That Will Change Healthcare

By Michael Dehoyos, web developer, PhDKingdom and Next Coursework.

Michael Dehoyos

Technology is advancing at an unbelievably rapid pace and there are new breakthroughs every day for artificial intelligence and big data in multiple industries. They have the potential to completely revolutionize the field of healthcare and some changes are already starting to take place. This article will cover the top startup companies in healthcare that are at the forefront of the AI revolution and what their products and discoveries mean for the medical industry.

Sword Health

Sword Health is the first digital physical therapist that is powered by AI. The company recognized a need in the industry because they noticed that there was always a lack of experienced medical specialists. Even with the number of professionals finishing their medical training each year, there is an increasing demand for them which cannot be met. The AI-powered physical therapist created by Sword Health limits the input of human specialists to elaborating the initial personalized physical therapy journey for each patient. After this step, the patient does their regular exercises at home and their motion tracker will let them know if each exercise was done properly. This saves the patient having to make regular trips to the hospital for physical therapy and allows the specialists to see more people quicker. 

Prognos

Prognos’ goal is to completely eradicate the world of diseases by developing a tool that will identify disease at the onset. This company, formerly known as Medivo, has an ambitious goal which is to use AI and data analysis to predict disease at the earliest possible moment. A tech blogger at Australia2Write, Richard Key, explains why Prognos is so valuable to the medical industry: “Their database can access 13 billion patient records and then AI is used to gain actionable information. The registry helps Prognos figure out which patients are most at risk and develop a plan for treatment that’s personalized to each individual. It can also identify populations at risk and look for gaps in existing care.” 

Flatiron Health

Flatiron Health is aimed at the challenge posed by cancer in the diversity and complexity of the disease. It’s too difficult for doctors or healthcare organizations to deal with on their own so the entire industry needs to be used to make any advancement in this field. Flatiron Health is a company that’s developed an electronic health record (EHR) to unify all the medical data that exists thus far and pull insights from it in order to move cancer research forward at a rapid pace.

Babylon Health

At its core, Babylon Health is a tool that permits patients to consult human doctors or other medical specialists online, through text or video in real time. As explained by a data analyst at Brit Student, John Hunt, “It also has an AI component which is a chatbot that can assist patients with simpler, more straightforward issues. Its capacity extends to making diagnoses and recommending treatment options.”

The goal of Babylon Health’s company is to eventually have a completely self-sustainable doctor powered by AI, so it seems as though the future of healthcare is receiving treatments without seeing a human doctor at any point.

Arterys

Arterys’ focus is radiology and it uses AI to help existing human radiologists. Their oncology AI software is already approved in the United States by the FDA and it actually assists radiologists in measuring and tracking tumors in MRIs and CT scans using a user-friendly, easy browser. The goal with this is to get accurate and quick cancer diagnoses. The AI-powered tool uses what it’s learned to recognize and alert to lung and liver lesions and its accuracy has been shown to equal human specialists.

Modern Fertility

This is another American startup, but one whose focus is on female fertility. Modern Fertility is a fertility hormone test for women to use in the comfort and privacy of their own home. All they need to do is take a finger-prick test and mail it to the company, and then they’ll receive a report approved by a physician which tells them more information about their hormones and a complete fertility profile. It’s partnered with a medical facility in the United States and was founded by former Uber executives.

How the Digital Transformation Is Changing What Is Required of Healthcare Professionals

By Adrian Johansen, freelance writer; @AdrianJohanse18.

Measurement, Health, Monitor, Electronics, Clinic

The healthcare industry has long been known for its lengthy processes and difficult paperwork hoops. Much like the federal government, it has lagged behind other industries in updating technology to meet the expectations of modern system users. The sheer antiquity of the administrative work leaves patients feeling frustrated and like they are feeding information into a black box.

Though it has certainly taken a long time, the healthcare industry is finally beginning to adopt technologies and incorporate them into patient care. In many facilities, patients are now able to see note taking in electronic medical records. Some are now even able to sync health data they have collected on their smart devices with medical information needed by doctors for certain health screenings.

This process of adapting the technologies certainly hasn’t been easy. Beyond the time and difficulty of incorporating tech into a monolithic industry, there are substantial barriers in tech skill sets in healthcare professionals. The adoption of technology, however, has become an absolutely necessary means to connecting with patients and staying relevant in a surprisingly competitive industry.

A New Skill Set

As a healthcare professional, it is imperative to keep up to date on new procedures and findings related to certain illnesses. Many doctors, nurses, and physicians assistants spend years learning all of the basics and training in advanced healthcare practices. This high level of education is expected from all patients, whether their healthcare visit is a simple checkup or a complicated procedure. When it comes down to it, healthcare professionals have a lot of information stuffed up top.

With the advent of technology in the healthcare system, it has become almost essential for healthcare professionals to add one more skill set to their repertoire: healthcare tech guru. For some doctors and nurses who have been in the practice for a long time, the technology changes can be confusing and difficult to adapt to. Keeping personal health data private in an electronic format that is easily shared can be especially challenging. 

Some technologies such as telemedicine or patient-centered healthcare have completely changed the way healthcare is expected to be provided. Many recent medical field graduates are being taught different skills that will help them to provide care more effectively in a more tech-based health setting. For instance, they may be taught how to work alongside a healthcare robot, how to communicate with patients effective without seeing them in person, or how to use information collected on smart devices.

Boosting Engagement

Technology has also given another person new healthcare tools — the patient. Patients have a far greater ability than ever before to contribute to and be active in collecting their own healthcare data. This engagement can be a blessing and a curse. It gives patients the ability to track their own information and identify possible concerns, but it can also encourage some to write off going to the doctor completely.

The biggest way this technology has changed the jobs of healthcare professionals is by giving them a bigger window into the day-to-day lives and activities of their patients. Now more than ever before, doctors have the ability to confirm whether or not patients are following health suggestions and can document changes, adjust treatment, and coordinate care accordingly. Because of this, they are likely to need to learn how to better frame patient conversations to accurately convey the urgency and importance of their prescriptions.

On the flip side, technology also gives the patient a greater window into the black box that is their medical information. Electronic medical records have made it relatively simple to compile all medical information about one person and share it with other healthcare professionals or the patient. This means that patients have a greater knowledge base and more control over what happens to their medical information. 

Staying Relevant

Finally, as with most businesses — and healthcare is certainly a business — the adoption of technology is a critical piece of staying relevant. Successfully making the conversion to a technologically savvy doctor’s office can mean the difference between expanding to serve more patients or falling behind the rest of the industry. It is something that health administrators are certainly thinking about, even if the doctors aren’t.

More so than in previous decades, patients are expecting that doctors are able to meet their schedules. A digital and tech-savvy clinic can help make that happen. At this point, the vast majority of potential patients are going online to research doctors and facilities prior to making appointments — which they also greatly prefer to make online.

Perhaps the most important means of making sure the transition to a digital healthcare environment is successful is helping to train doctors and nurses to understand the technology they are going to be using. A greater understanding is critical to accepting and even promoting the changes as positive ones. If the majority of the office is struggling with understanding the purpose and need of going digital, it is going to be difficult to make the transition stick.

Make no mistake, technology is rapidly changing the healthcare world. This means many healthcare professionals are working hard to develop the necessary skills to successfully integrate technology into their practices. Doing so can help ensure they are both getting and giving out the most information to patients, which is better for overall health outcomes. 

Data, Data Everywhere, But It’s Still Confined In Silos

By B.J. Boyle, vice president and general manager of post-acute insights, PointClickCare.

B.J. Boyle

As every nurse, physician, clinical case manager, and healthcare IT professional knows well, we have passed the stage in which locking up patient data is an effective care practice. In fact, ineffective data siloing can slow down operations and can drastically and negatively impact patient care, as well as put unnecessary strain on an already overtaxed workforce. In short, data silos are a great barrier to realizing a fully implemented state of interoperability

We must unlock — and importantly, share — critical health data to improve the quality of patients’ care throughout their medical journey.  Data sharing will improve efficiencies in our nation’s health facilities by reducing readmissions, reducing negative drug interactions, and improving care to decrease patient length-of-stay, to name a few. Acute providers know that reducing readmissions is critical in a value-based payment environment because the penalties can be detrimental to the financial health of the facility. 

That makes the need to share data quickly and efficiently more pressing than ever. Only by embracing technological innovations and sharing data can care providers see a holistic view of the patient — from potential injuries and emotional challenges to drug interactions and comorbidities.

That’s not to say that keeping up with demand while offering high-quality patient care will be an easy task. But we know it certainly isn’t possible with the way things are. 

Further, by accessing data about previous patient outcomes, case managers can help patients and their families determine the right treatment facility for them, increasing the effectiveness of referrals and increasing the chances that your facility will become the preferred provider. When patients are matched with the right facility for their specific needs the first time, their recovery time and health outcomes will improve. That’s good for everyone: decreasing costs and increasing hospital ratings by reducing readmissions is a win-win. 

More confident care

Data that has been removed from silos and integrated into a cohesive and actionable digital chart allows providers to follow their patient’s journey post-discharge, improving the speed and quality of information exchange with skilled nursing and acute care facilities, which leads to more confident care. 

Modern EHR technologies and cloud-based solutions can finally make interoperability possible and can increase efficiency so providers can stop waiting by the fax machine and instead get back to doing what is most important: helping patients heal. 

Patient discharges, for example, can be extraordinarily labor-intensive and are further complicated when they are transferred to a post-acute care provider. As a result of the inherent complexities, hefty paperwork and need for seamless transitions, manual processes, a lack of transparency and data silos can cause significant negative impacts on patient health and frustration for families and providers alike.

The cloud-based technology we need already exists to assist with such paperwork, cutting down discharge time and allowing providers to get back to the myriad of other tasks awaiting them. Faster discharges mean more free hospital beds, helping with overall efficiency and an improved bottom line. 

More information sharing between clinics also means patients can make informed decisions about their own health. Both patients and physicians or case managers will have a full picture of both acute and chronic issues while referrals can be made more effectively based on past results of patients with similar conditions.

When you think about it, using integrated technology to share success rates is a no-brainer. People research their meals on Yelp before going to dinner, or read reviews on a pair of shoes before buying them, so why shouldn’t patients be equally as informed about something as important as their health in real-time?

Data sharing can also effectively eliminate issues like drug or medication problems. Researchers estimate that nearly half of all seniors between the ages of 70 to 79 take five medications a day. A patient might be given his or her medication twice—or perhaps not at all—because their care information is siloed between facilities. It’s a problem that can easily be solved.

We know that outdated, labor-intensive processes that involve manually transmitting data to separate servers doesn’t make sense in a cloud-based world, especially when it comes to solving a crisis we know is coming. While a piecemeal data strategy might have worked in the past, we can’t afford to be less than buttoned up now or in the future.

With the anticipated increase in demand for skilled nursing and acute care services, innovative and integrated data systems are critical. Increased interoperability means patients and providers can make informed decisions, quality care is improved, and paperwork-heavy tasks are simplified, improving hospital and clinic efficiency and making life easier whether we’re the patient, caregiver, or provider. 

We already live in a data-driven world, but it’s up to us to embrace a better way to take care of our patients’ health information now and in the future. 

Stella Technology’s Prism Analytics Platform Powers Inaugural Rochester RHIO Population Health Report

Rochester RHIO has released its inaugural population health study—the Community Health Indicators Report—based on the analysis clinical data points from  more than 600,000 screenings. The report provides a glimpse into residents’ well-being across New York State’s Greater Finger Lakes region, for which Rochester RHIO is the secure electronic health information exchange (HIE).

The report was made possible, in part, through Rochester RHIO’s implementation of Stella Technology’s Prism, a big data analytics platform that makes best of class advances in agile analytics, and optimizes them for specific use cases, including large scale population health analysis.

Four key health measures were assessed using full-year 2017 anonymized data, including Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, diabetes risk (HbA1C) and smoking status.  While the report is intended to serve as a benchmark for the community, it can also be used for incorporation by regional leaders in their own health programs.

“The Community Health Indicators Report is a first-of-its-kind report and a rich resource for public analysis and planning,” said Jill Eisenstein, president and CEO, Rochester RHIO. “Population health data is often based on health insurance claims data or self-reporting. Now we have actual clinical inputs that help us better understand our community and can set the stage for health improvement concepts and programs in the years to come.”

“We are thrilled that Rochester RHIO was able to achieve this breakthrough and derive actionable insights from the clinical data they have worked so hard to gather over the years,” said Lalo Valdez, president and CEO of Stella Technology. “In times of an ever-shifting healthcare landscape, Stella Prism, with its unparalleled scalability and flexibility, allows healthcare organizations to not only find key insights from their data today, but also harness the power of that rich data set to futureproof their business. Rochester RHIO and Stella teams worked hand-in-hand to produce this first of many reports. We look forward to continued collaboration with Rochester RHIO and other HIE initiatives to identify additional population health insights and opportunities in the future.”

A report summary is now available at rochesterrhio.org or by direct PDF download at bit.ly/chirhio2017, with a full data release anticipated for later this summer. Rochester RHIO also plans to publish 2018 data, using Stella Prism to compare year-to-year data that will show the evolution of residents’ health.

WakeMed Goes Live with Interactive Mobile Wayfinding Platform

Image result for wakeMed logo

WakeMed is the first health system in central North Carolina to launch an mobile wayfinding and patient engagement app. The health system announced today that the platform – the WakeMed All Access App – is now live and available for patients and visitors to download for free to their smartphones via the App Store and Google Play.

The health system collaborated with Atlanta-based Gozio Health to develop and implement the mobile wayfinding platform.

The App offers a GPS-like experience for WakeMed patients and visitors with turn-by-turn directions to guide them from their home to their parking spot and on into their point of care inside. This includes five million square feet of navigation offered in three hospitals and six parking garages across the WakeMed health system. It also includes navigation to the more than 80 WakeMed locations throughout the area.  The interactive maps guide users with step-by-step navigation to doctor’s offices, patient care floors, on-site dining options, pharmacies, nearby restrooms, and other points of interest.

In addition to wayfinding, the app includes several advanced capabilities that improve the patient experience and access to care. Patients have access to their WakeMed MyChart patient portal and medical records as well as a robust “Find a Doctor” database. App users will also be able to schedule an appointment, reserve their seat in urgent cares, check up-to-date emergency department and urgent care wait times, access virtual urgent care and more.

“Improving access and engaging with our patients at each step of their journey before, during and after care is a core value of WakeMed,” said Debbie Laughery, vice president of marketing and communications for WakeMed. “WakeMed is a large and growing health system, and the WakeMed All Access App makes it easier for our patients to find their way as they navigate our facilities. This app is another tool to help guide patients to their point of care as well as access the right resources to meet their health needs.”

The app is offered in addition to WakeMed’s existing wayfinding resources, including its team of WakeMed Guest Ambassadors – volunteers who assist patients and visitors to ensure they get to the right place for their point of care within WakeMed facilities.

“WakeMed is committed to providing a seamless, positive patient experience across all points of care within their health system.” said Joshua Titus, CEO and Founder of Gozio Health. “Gozio’s system-wide mobile wayfinding platform with advanced patient engagement features is proven to get patients to their appointment on time and increase rates of in network retention and new patient acquisition.”

Funding for the wayfinding app was made possible by The WakeMed Foundation.

How Academic Writing Affects Your Health

You’ve got to agree – academic writing is always an intensive process. You are required to spend endless hours researching, drafting, interviewing people, correcting data, and so on. In this relation, expert writers and coaches at Mydissertations.com opine that there will be a significant difference in your health by the time you graduate.

Many of the health impacts of intense academic writing are caused by the long hours you have to spend working on the paper. The effects can be felt physically but also psychologically. Here are some of the effects of intense academic engagement and the ways to overcome its negative consequences.

Stress

Academic writing requires intense physical, mental, and psychological engagement. A dissertation, for example, requires you to read voluminous books, articles, and journals, among other reference materials. As a result, the body has no time to rest and fully relax.

The mind never rests until you complete all the work at hand. Even though you could be resting after working for hours, the deadline still looms over your head as you think of the next chapter or submission. Finding resource materials is also challenging for most students. That leaves the body and mind fatigued to the point of stress and depression.

A student can avoid stress by planning their time to include intervals for relaxation. You must prepare mentally for the task at hand before commencing your academic work. Supervisors, mentors, and seniors are to help whenever you feel stuck. This way, completing a paper of such intense nature as dissertation will not be a depressing affair.

Long Sitting Hours

Academic writing requires you to sit long hours in the library or the desk perusing through reference materials and drafting the paper. That has a dangerous effect on your body because of immobility. Your body frame and bones may be affected alongside bowel movement.

Experts have recommended that students sitting for two and more continuous hours should stretch a bit before rising up. The desk should be comfortable – it shouldn’t strain any part of your body, like your hands or buttocks. There are ergonomic seats and tables to be used whenever you have to study for long hours.

Drink a lot of water and healthy liquids that support bowel movement. Stretch your academic hours like research, literature review, drafting, and editing within a reasonable duration. It saves you the stress of having to sit long hours as you rush to beat the deadline. You should gradually increase the hours you sit instead of being abrupt in the increase. In case you feel pain or back strain, consult a specialist, and make adjustments on your sitting space as well as the schedule.

Poor Diet

Diet is a significant struggle for students working on their PhDs and theses. Students preparing for the exams also lack the time or nerve to eat well because they need to cover a lot of reference materials within a short time. A lot of PhD and Masters students will show signs of poor health or diet as all focus goes to the paper they are working on. 

Diet must form part of your plans when pursuing a PhD. Work in places like the library or institution where you can access quality food on the regular basis. Take a lot of liquids since you will remain still for long hours. Sitting late in the night when it’s cold also affects your immune system – thus, you must eat healthy foods to enhance your health and keep fit.

Add some fruits and vegetables to your diet. Remember that missing meals also affects your mental processing capacity, and will slow you down. Watch your diet, do regular exercises, and take a lot of water to remain healthy.  

Lost Social And Family Contacts

Losing contact with your family members and friends is one of the key issues when working on PhD dissertations and Masters theses. In particular, it has a psychological effect on your health. They feel that you are withdrawn and do not give them the quality time they require and deserve.

Maintaining contact with friends and family requires planning as well as dedication. It doesn’t make any sense to complete your PhD only to return to an empty home or children who cannot associate with their parents. Plan your time with full knowledge of all other responsibilities that you must fulfill.

Long Hours At The Computer Affect Your Vision

A lot of students experience problems with their eyes because of spending a lot of hours with computers and paged books. Limit the hours you spend reading or writing. Use natural lighting as much as possible, and ensure that the room you are working in is well-lit. Get help from a doctor any time your eyes become problematic.

As you can see, the state of your health while working on academic paper depends solely on the plans you make. Give yourself enough time to relax, eat well, and drink a lot of water.