It’s a new year meaning it’s time once again to book appointments, including your annual physical. You might say, why should I go to the doctor if I’m not currently having any problems? However, annual physicals are in fact very important. An annual physical is required to ensure you keep healthy by having a catch-up chat with your doctor to address any questions, screen for any abnormalities and look at preventative approaches to help manage any possible conditions in the future.

In this article, we break down the reasons for an annual physical, things you can do before your appointment and what happens during your annual physical at Integra.

What to do before your annual physical

Our team here at Integra has provided some things to do below along with some other tips from Cleveland Clinic.

• Bring lots of questions!
• Note down any changes in your health since last visit
• Have a note of the medications you’re currently taking (especially if this is your first time at Integra/if the medication was prescribed by a different physician)

During your annual physical

Generally, there are several things a physician will do at your physical.

• Check weight
• Take blood pressure and pulse (might be done more than once if there is an abnormally high or low reading just to verify results)
• General questions about your body (used to flag up any potential problems with certain organs)
• General questions about your current diet and lifestyle and family history. It may be useful to note down family medical history. This can help your physician to be more aware and think of certain preventative measures to put in place for you for chronic diseases you might be more at risk of due to genetic disorders.
• Full body exam. This can include:
  • Checking pulse
  • Listening to heart and lungs
  • Examining mouth and ears
  • Looking at your skin to identify any moles or abnormal growths – which could be a sign of something more serious such as skin cancer
  • Examination of lymph nodes
  • Checking for swelling

We hope this short article offers a good overview of what you can expect at your annual physical.

However, it is important to note that this acts as a general but not concrete guide. Dr Francisco Martinez, our Family Medicine Specialist at Integra explains that “…at Integra we tailor the annual physical to the patient needs, depending on age, sex and clinical history, so we order what patient really needs to be checked.” – each annual physical will be slightly different to be suitable to your health needs.

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our clinical staff on 745-7450. They can offer a more detailed breakdown of the services. Don’t delay, contact us today.

Chronic diseases, what are they?

Chronic diseases are defined by the CDC “as conditions that last 1 year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both”. These consist of:

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Cancer
• Chronic Lung Cancer
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Hypertension or high blood pressure – most common in Cayman Islands
• Thyroid or gastrointestinal problems
• Stroke

Leading causes of death and disability

CDC reports that chronic diseases are the most common cause of death and disability in the US, resulting in over 4 trillion (USD) spent by Americans on healthcare each year. In particular the top two most deadly chronic diseases are:

Ischaemic Heart Disease:

When an individual experiences complication with their heart due to narrow heart arteries. Arteries narrowing results in less blood flow and oxygen pumping to the heart. The American Heart Association offers several warning signs of a heart attack to be aware of, which include:

• Chest pains or discomfort (most common sign)
• Pain or discomfort in other areas of the upper body including: neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweats
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness
• Common signs in women: while the most common sign of a heart attack for both men and women are chest pains and discomfort. However, there are several other warning signs for women which include: shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Stroke:

This is the result of a limited amount of blood being supplied to the brain, which lessens the oxygen and other proper nutrients the brain tissue receives. Without these, the brain cells can die in minutes.

There are key signs to look out for if someone has a stroke. Mayo Clinic offers 5 main symptoms to look out for:

• Trouble speaking and understanding others
• Paralysis or numbness in face, arm or leg
• Vision problems in one or more eyes
• Headache
• Dizziness or trouble walking

Research has shown that individuals with other chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, a condition which is infamous for the fact that there are not normally any outward symptoms to indicate you have it, may experience a heart attack or stroke as one of their first symptoms.

Importance of early detection management in Cayman

In general, it is vital that individuals are screened to be able to detect any chronic conditions as early as possible and look out for any of the warning signs mentioned above. With studies showcasing that high blood pressure is the most common chronic disease in the Cayman Islands, it is even more vital to get screened, due to the difficulty of being able to detect high blood pressure because of the lack of outward symptoms explained above.It is worth noting that there are certain things that can increase the risk to be mindful of which includes:

• Family history
• Smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke
• Poor diet and nutrition
• Lack of exercise
• Excessive alcohol use

However, while the above is important to be mindful of, the surest way to see whether you have or are at risk of having high blood pressure, is through screening. At Integra Healthcare, it only takes 15 minutes to have your blood pressure professionally checked and other risk factors assessed.

Don’t delay, book your free assessment now.

GRAND CAYMAN- March 22, 2022 – Integra Healthcare Ltd and Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman (WORC) are delighted to announce the launch of two innovative healthcare apprenticeships – development programmes for exciting professional healthcare roles, as Healthcare Assistants or Medical Billing & Administrative staff. The apprenticeship scheme will provide the opportunity for young and/ or healthcare-passionate Caymanians to gain Internationally recognised qualifications alongside direct work experience, while being paid an escalating salary in line with their growing competency.

Katherine Whittaker, Head of Labour Demands, Development and Training for WORC, explained; “It is vital that our Caymanian population is able to participate in modern, professional industries such as healthcare and schemes like this one provide a genuine route to two different professional roles, but without the financial barriers so often preventing capable individuals from gaining the necessary qualifications.”

Head of Education, Director and Consultant Paediatrician & Neonatologist for Integra Healthcare, Dr Sara Watkin added; “I have long been involved in mentoring Caymanian students wishing to train in healthcare, and the block Katherine speaks about is very real. I see some amazing people that just need a route in, and so we created these programmes to provide employment from day 1 but alongside protected and paid for study programmes for professional qualifications. I couldn’t be more proud to finally be pressing the go button.”

The Healthcare Assistant Apprentice Programme, initially 3 healthcare apprenticeships, is based around a similar and hugely successful scheme in the UK, aimed at growing technically competent, knowledgeable and safe staff that can work in care provision, alongside nurses, but without having to fund years of nursing degree courses. Integra has the largest team of private ambulatory, non-hospital, registered nurses, across Women, Children & Family Medicine, with Dermatology, allowing the apprentices to be comprehensively mentored but also across a range of disciplines or specialties too.

The Medical Billing & Administrative Apprentice Programme will allow individuals to be trained under the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), the largest medical coding training and certification association for medical billers and coders, working on the same Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classifications of Disease (ICD) coding systems used by Cayman health insurers. The role is a highly important one, leading to proper payment for services and thus the stability of medical practices in the Cayman Islands.

Andrew Vincent, Director of Integra Healthcare, commented; “We have grown Integra into the largest private, non-hospital medical practice in the Cayman Islands based on our reputation and our four cornerstone values of Excellence, Integrity, Commitment and Passion. That has given us the scale necessary to offer these programmes, in a professional and employment environment that genuinely supports and values its staff. We have always said that we feel very privileged to be able to provide healthcare services in such an amazing location, and so alongside our passion for improving and innovating in healthcare, our commitment is to also ensure we provide genuine employment or growth opportunities for the very people who so kindly allow us to share their very special home.”

Kimone Chambers, Programme Coordinator for WORC, who worked alongside the Integra team to help establish the programme, stressed; “We always want to make sure that Apprenticeship Schemes are properly organised, with appropriate commitment from the employers. However, even more important is that the employer has the right environment and support mechanisms to ensure apprentices feel supported and mentored and therefore are able to carry through into employment. Integra Healthcare definitely has what it takes, and I am looking forward to welcoming the first cohort of apprentices.”

There has been a global growth in internships, apprenticeships and other entry-into-work schemes, and Dr Francisco Martinez, Medical Director and a GP at Integra, believes it is important to differentiate between low commitment, low wage schemes and professional development programmes such as this; “It is important to us that individuals gain recognised, career-supporting qualifications and get the quality of training they need to be fully fledged, highly valuable members of a professional team. We don’t subscribe to the concept of ‘cheap labour’ and so the salaries for these roles start much closer to a living wage level, not a minimum wage one, and grow with the skills and qualifications of the apprentices, through their healthcare apprenticeships. By the end of the programme, they have gained a fully-paid-for set of recognised qualifications, lots of practical experience, and employment on standard terms for these professions.”

Individuals wishing to discover more about the Healthcare Apprenticeships Opportunities with Integra can visit https://integra.ky/apprenticeships or contact WORC at worc.training@gov.ky or 938-5360.

 

About Integra Healthcare Ltd

Integra Healthcare Ltd is the largest non-hospital private ambulatory clinic in the Cayman Islands, based out of Grand Pavilion on West Bay Road, with 11 doctors across Women’s, Children’s and Family Medicine, with Dermatology. With a strong history or innovating and in investing in latest technology, they were the first clinic in the whole Americas region to bring the latest Artificial Intelligence FotoFinder for assisting in the detection of Skin Cancer, as well as the latest nanotechnology point-of-care platform for providing advanced analysis of micro-blood samples without the need for sending them to a laboratory. The practice is a champion for implementing evidence-based care and preventative, personalised medicine, built around 4 core values of Excellence, Integrity, Commitment & Passion.

 

GRAND CAYMAN- February 1, 2022 – Today, Integra Healthcare Ltd announces the release of a major technological advance in point-of-care diagnostics that helps take an important step towards personalised medicine and protection from Covid-19. The establishment of the first Attomarker Covid-19 Antibody Immunity Test this side of the Atlantic represents another regional first for both Integra and the Cayman Islands. This allows individuals to gain an accurate profile of their level of antibody protection against Covid-19 infection in just 7 minutes, helping to guide more informed health behaviours, including the timing of vaccination boosters.

The Attomarker platform is based on a core nanotechnology developed by award-winning scientists at Exeter University, with financial support from the UK Government. It is CE marked and approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK. The Covid-19 Antibody Immunity Test represents just the first of a number of point-of-care panels designed to address or support some of the most important and unmet diagnostic needs in healthcare today, such as monitoring Type 2 Diabetes patients in achieving remission or providing an ability to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics in the global fight to combat antimicrobial resistance. As the first in the region to utilise the platform, the Cayman Islands has the opportunity to be at the forefront of solutions in these existing ‘pandemics’ and yet again demonstrate to the region and the world our ability to lead and innovate, this time in healthcare.

The Attomarker Covid-19 Antibody Immunity Test is now being rolled out across primary care clinics all over the United Kingdom. It detects the presence and amount of three different types of antibodies to various proteins in the Covid-19 virus, analysed from a small blood sample in just 7 minutes. This allows individuals to gain vital insight into their level of protection. Additionally, it also detects whether someone has antibodies following exposure to the virus, including identifying if the virus strain was Omicron, or purely from vaccination. Importantly, it also allows prediction of when the current level of protection will fall below what is considered necessary for adequate protection, enabling better timing of vaccination boosters.

Speaking about the importance of this, Dr Francisco Martinez, Director & Medical Director of Integra Healthcare, and one of the primary care team rolling it out, said; “We’ve always known that some people develop really good immunity following vaccination and others have a weaker or suboptimal response. We also know that protection degrades at very variable rates in different people, meaning some need earlier boosters to maintain protection and others might be better advised to wait longer. Given that the virus is likely to be here for years, timing of boosters becomes an important issue.”

Addressing the question of why populations shouldn’t just boost early, Dr Martinez explains; “Each time you have a vaccination, your immune system is sensitised by Covid-19 antigens. We’ve known since mouse studies conducted in 2009 that repeated exposure to the same antigen can cause something called autoimmunity in some cases, where the body’s immune system starts to attack itself. Autoimmune diseases are not something you want. The vaccine has been amazing at reducing infection, transmission, severe illness, hospitalisation, intensive care and death, but now we are in a phase of boosting, or repeating exposure to these antigens. We don’t know enough about the effects of this and there are already questions being asked in European Parliament and data emerging about the potential for autoimmunity in some individuals with excessively high antibody levels.”

Dr Sara Watkin, Director of Integra Healthcare and a respected tertiary paediatric doctor, has already advocated that the measures we take in the fight against Covid must be scientifically justifiable and avoid causing greater problems than the virus itself. Speaking about the technology and the advance it represents, she said; “I am a strong supporter of Covid-19 vaccination and of the importance of boosting. Both I and my husband had boosters at round 9 months after our first dose. However, at the time, we had no ability to know whether we were already under-protected and should have boosted earlier or retained higher levels of antibodies, and in which case more advised to perhaps delay re-dosing.”

“Fortunately, we can now find out and I hope that will mean that vulnerable people, especially those that don’t realise it because they’ve had a poor vaccine response or their antibodies have declined faster than average, can get the additional protection they need or protect themselves via better health behaviours. At the same time, this will allow us to reassure many people and allow some, those with significant antibody levels, to take more informed decisions about when boosting might be advisable. This will also hopefully allow the science to catch up on the autoimmunity questions too.”

Speaking about the importance of this to industry and the economy, Mr Andrew Vincent, Director of Integra Healthcare explained; “Companies have shouldered a huge cost and human burden at the hands of Covid-19 and it is still causing major disruption, especially in the tourism sector. This is a technology that allows you to rapidly assess the degree of immunity in your workforce, allowing you to better protect more vulnerable workers, and deploy people, for instance those facing the public or tourists, with much greater confidence. That has to make for better, more informed decision-making, and a step forward to a safer new normal.”

“I am especially excited at what comes afterwards too. The downstream panels nearing completion are focused on some of the most troublesome and costly healthcare burdens. In places like the Cayman Islands and elsewhere, Governments carry huge contingent liabilities for problems like obesity and diabetes, and the world is facing an antimicrobial resistance challenge. This technology is part of the equation in finding genuine solutions, leading to better health, while saving Governments, health systems and insurers very significant sums. At Integra, we have the scale and professionals to help develop those solutions using the Attomarker platform as a backbone. It’s genuinely exciting.”

Professor Andrew Shaw, CEO of Attomarker and one of the scientists behind the technology added; “We have to start managing life with Covid-19 better and getting back to work or school despite the continuing presence of the virus. But to do that, we also need to start guiding both policies and individual decisions more intelligently. We have individuals putting themselves at risk by waiting to fixed time points or even avoiding vaccination boosters out of fear, when they probably need them, and others who are causing very significant spikes in their antibody levels, consistent with autoimmunity, when they already have good protection. We can already see this from our testing. Personalising medicine and helping to get everybody back to a normal life is what inspired me to develop this technology, and I am really excited that the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory, is leading on our International roll out.”

The Integra Healthcare Covid-19 Antibody Immunity Service involves a simple blood test, results in 7 minutes, fully explained, along with consultation on an individual’s personal risk factors and the behaviours and measures to address them.

For more information on the Integra Healthcare Attomarker Covid-19 Antibody Immunity Test visit:
/attomarker-triple-antibody-test/

For more information on Attomarker Ltd and the technology itself, visit:
https://www.attomarker.com/

Integra was formed to pursue and develop modern approaches to care, with exceptional service and back up. This is no truer than in our desire to create next-generation primary care/GP or family medicine service. The recent addition of Dr Beccy Deasey to that family medicine service is another step forward, but that’s just part of a developing story.

Team Matters is a phrase you’ll hear frequently associated with Integra.

Dr Francisco Martinez, Director, Medical Director and a GP in the Family Medicine Service, explains “we set out to build services, not just add more doctors. Serving the needs our families means being there when you need them. That’s difficult if you practise alone, as there are holidays and even doctors get ill from time to time!”

“Also, the key word in family medicine is FAMILY. It’s not so convenient if you have to go to one practice for the adults and another for the children. We have 3 paediatricians, about to be 4, meaning, alongside our GP team, we truly serve the whole family and have exceptional cover at all times.”

The Integra Healthcare Family Medicine Service is pretty unique in that besides an adult and paediatric general medical team, the service is backed up by dermatology, including paediatric dermatology, and women’s health, including child and adolescent gynaecology. That has a number of advantages when something requires a step beyond primary care, allowing:

• Virtually immediate access to specialist opinion
• Ultrasound within the practice
• Latest dermatology AI-driven diagnostic technology
• In-building access to lab and x-ray services

Dr Martinez adds; “when a doctor tells you that you have something that needs specialist opinion or diagnostics, you start worrying. We are very privileged to be able to address so many of the more common health challenges within the walls, meaning not only does your family have a very, very comprehensive service, but when nature throws up a question, we can get answers very, very fast.”

Find out more about our Cayman Islands GP and Family Medicine Service