iWell Centre Offers Personalised Multidisciplinary Healthcare

Combating Chronic Disease Through Preventative Programmes and Empowering Individuals to Attain Optimum Health and Fitness

HONG KONG, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Statistics show that 19 out of 20 adults fail to consistently engage in the essential habits of healthy living, which can devolve over time into chronic diseases. This has become a grave issue in Hong Kong, accounting for about two-thirds of total deaths. Currently, about 75% of healthcare spending is poured into preventable illnesses, with reactionary clinical consultations being the leading recourse for patients. Meanwhile, nursing and allied health services that reduce institutionalised care are less readily available in the private sector.

This is where the iWell Centre hopes to be of help in promoting health and wellbeing as a way of life to be pursued and maintained. iWell Centre is a community healthcare centre in line with the governments health reform. It employs a multidisciplinary team of professional health practitioners who help individuals achieve optimal health in a holistic, comprehensive and coordinated manner. They are advocates of wellness, amalgamating the science of modern medicine with the art of lifestyle management to reduce preventable and chronic diseases before they manifest.

Transforming healthcare in community

iWell adopts several key strategies for improving primary healthcare in Hong Kong. It offers comprehensive care through multidisciplinary teams working together to deliver comprehensive treatments that achieve wellbeing and manage chronic disease effectively.

Customising in individual care is equally important. iWell's practitioners carefully design effective treatments from a first-hand understanding of a patient's medical history. This includes interventions for individuals at higher risk, which has proven to be effective in reducing or delaying the onset of chronic diseases like heart disease or diabetes mellitus. It also includes taking a preventative stance to tackling major diseases, or halting their progression.

The coordination of healthcare professionals across various sectors must also be improved to make quality care more easily available. Nursing and allied health services are two special focuses, since they are of particular value to patients with progressive or complex long-term conditions. The use of call center and electronic health records will facilitate such a process.

Finally, iWell focuses on health promotion and patient empowerment, allowing individuals to make informed lifestyle choices that result in improved wellbeing.

iWell Centre's four-stage platform: iCheck, iTreat, iChange and iLearn

iWell treats its patients under a comprehensive four-stage service umbrella. The first stage is iCheck, in which a personal health profile is compiled for each patient through screening, medical examinations and lifestyle questionnaires. Common examinations include blood testing, urine testing, x-rays, ECGs, ultrasounds and mammograms.  

Patients suffering chronic disease will then enter into iTreat, which encompasses personal treatment programmes using state-of-the-art technologies to manage and monitor chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea. Comprehensive and convenient, these programmes eliminate many of the burdens and errands associated with replenishing medical supplies, scheduling follow-ups and adhering to certain medical recommendations.

iChange is the third stage, helping patients shift gears to attain better health, fitness and personal balance. These programmes include realistic and achievable dietary makeovers, weight management programmes and rejuvenation programmes, all using state-of-the-art techniques to restore and promote the overall quality of life.

Finally, iLearn provides patients with educational seminars and a wealth of interactive information that enable them to take control of their own wellbeing and transform their way of life. The iLearn Cafe is a wonderful place to get together with friends and have an informal health chat with iWell's lifestyle consultants.

iWell aims to transform the way the people of Hong Kong view health and disease prevention, so that everyone can attain optimal health and sustain it in the long run. After all, a healthy city is a happy and prosperous city.

About Quality HealthCare

Quality HealthCare Asia Limited is a physician led provider group offering an integrated range of healthcare services including facilities management, third party plan administration and paramedical support. The Group provides care for our private and corporate contract patients through a network of more than 580 Western and Chinese medical centres, and 47 dental and physiotherapy centres. In 2009, our network recorded more than 2.7 million healthcare visits. We operate seven elderly care homes and Hong Kong's longest-established international nursing agency. One of our medical practices has been serving Hong Kong people for over 140 years.