Preventive Medicine – Patient Know Thyself!

8th Sep 2021

Dr Paddy Barrett had an insightful article published by the Irish Times recently in which his premise is a deconstruction of the definition of health: ‘Health is a quest to optimise lifespan, health span and soul span’.  He expounds that the likeliest causes of death today are ‘heart disease, cancer and dementia’. His proposed route to optimising this health trinity is not to NOT die of these things, but to delay their onset as long as possible, and thus lengthen our best-of-health years. You can link to the article here: ‘What are you likely to die from? One of these three things.’

Dr Paddy Barrett is an internationally recognised cardiologist with a special interest in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease. The Covid-19 era has brought medical science further into our homes than ever before, with the result that highly profiled medical experts like Paddy Barrett are now relatable. In his article he talks to the individual, asking that we each look to a “great piece of literature or art” to find the answer to our health “Why”. He asks that we come to him armed with an understanding of our own personal zest for life.

Preventive medicine is a burgeoning branch of medical science. With the use of some med-tech innovations, the unique health predispositions of an individual can be identified. Through lifestyle adjustments and plotted observation, risk factors can be highlighted prompting a moderation approach. Paddy is based in Blackrock Clinic and employs our Hi-Tech hospital diagnostics to help guide preventive cardiac healthcare pathways for his patients.

Healthcare of this nature requires a less intensive relationship between hospital and patient, freeing up hospital resources for more critical care, whilst the ‘monitored’ patient can be observed within the community. Blackrock Clinic is constantly innovating to meet this shift in the healthcare curve.

Day Unit & Endoscopy Screening

Over the last 12 years, we have invested  over €150m in hospital infrastructure, which included the building of a new custom built Day Unit. This doubled our endoscopy room capacity and reoriented the manner in which we deliver care. We have accommodated the growth in demand for speedy access diagnostic / screening procedures by expanding our Direct Access services (where the patient is scheduled for a procedure following a referral from their GP to the Day Unit). Colonoscopy, Gastroscopy, Hysteroscopy, and Cystoscopy can all be accessed via this route.

Outpatient Diagnostics

Blackrock Clinic plays a significant role in the radiology and cardiology diagnostic requirements of the patient population, servicing both private patients and those referred from public hospitals. PET/CT is an accurate diagnostic tool, with some exciting developments emerging of late; Cardiac CT can help evaluate coronary disease pre-disposition and early stage conditions. Blackrock Clinic boasts a GE HD Revolution CT Scanner principally dedicated to CT Angiography and Calcium Score scanning. 

Health Check at Blackrock Clinic

The past decade clearly shows an improvement in people’s knowledge of their own health. Concurrent with the teachings of Preventive Medicine experts, a health-awareness culture has emerged.  People are actively seeking to govern their own health. Responding to this, Blackrock Clinic introduced a ‘Health Check’ service – a self-refer, tailored, executive health screening programme. Click on the image below for further information.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood”

Marie Curie