July 13, 2007
Calculating Better Health
Genesis Web site offers 16 new health calculators
DAVENPORT, IOWA - Health can be a numbers game.
From figuring out your body mass index to tallying your target heart rate and the correct dosage of Tylenol to give your feverish baby, it’s the kind of math that can be beneficial to you and your family’s health.
Now, Genesis’ award-winning Web site has made it easy with 16 Health Calculators that give quick numerical assessments without risking a wrong number or taxing the mathematically challenged.
Just go to www.genesishealth.com; click on “My e-health” in the left navigational bar; and you’ll find fun and factual quick reference calculators that just might inspire you to get on the road to healthier living. Of course, none of the information should replace your doctor’s professional medical advice.
Trying to quit smoking and need that extra incentive? Try the “Cost of Smoking Calculator” and quickly find out exactly how smoking is draining your budget on a daily, monthly and yearly basis.
Do you know you’re pregnant but have to wait two weeks for your first doctor’s appointment? Estimate the day of your baby’s arrival with the Due Date Projector.
Once your bundle of joy arrives, use the Baby and Child Growth charts to estimate your child’s percentile for weight, height and head circumference; turn to the Tylenol Dosage Calculator when you need a safe, suggested dosage for various Tylenol medications; and use the interactive Water Safety House to provide you with examples of common household water dangers for children.
Example: Very little children can drown in as little as 2 inches of water, so be sure to empty all buckets after you mop, the site recommends. ”Crawling infants and mobile toddlers have large heads and tend to be ‘top heavy.’ If they fall into even a little water, they can inhale and panic.”
Starting an exercise regimen? The “Target Heart Rate Calculator” uses your age to determine a target heart rate for different times, such as during rest and aerobic exercise. A “Calorie Burner Calculator” takes the number of calories burned, based on a person’s weight and type and duration of exercise.
The “Ideal Weight” and “Waist to Hip Ratio” calculators can show you where you stand as you embark on your weight-loss efforts. And for fun, the “Weight Conversion Calculator” will tell you that a 150-pound man would weigh 24.9 pounds on the moon.
Also take the Heart Quiz and Stroke Quiz to test your knowledge on how blood pressure and cholesterol affect your heart and the warning signs of a stroke.
My e-health
It’s all part of “My e-health,” a way to keep an electronic record of your health needs and history. You can maintain a list of medications and allergies or check for drug interactions between medications.
You also can receive an immediate health risk assessment after taking one of two online tests that ask you questions about your health history, fitness and eating habits.
“This feature has a Health Planner that keeps track of medications and allergies and even offers guidance on medication side effects and possible drug interactions,” says Marcie Fleischman, electronic communications coordinator for Genesis.
“You also can create a health ‘account’ for your family in which you can keep track of doctors’ visits, well-baby checks and immunization records.”
Interact with the Genesis Web site
Our interactive Web site is one of the reasons Genesis is one of the nation’s 100 Most Wired Hospitals. Here are some of the features you can find at www.genesishealth.com.
- Pay your Genesis bills online.
- Order medical supplies from Genesis Home Medical Equipment.
- Watch a real surgery on the Web from a Genesis Operating Room. See a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure; a minimally invasive spinal fusion surgery, and a minimally invasive thoracic aortic aneurysm repair.
- Register online for any Genesis event, class or screening.
- Shop the online gift shop to send a gift to a patient staying at one of our hospitals.
- E-mail a patient. You can also send a “Cheer Card” and choose from one of several designs.
- Read online diaries, or blogs, featuring the experiences of gastric bypass surgery patients and a pregnant mother.
- Take a virtual tour. Take virtual tours of nearly 20 Genesis sites, including the four hospital campuses.
- Apply for a job online. Want to apply for a job within Genesis Health System? It’s as easy as logging onto our Web site and filling out an application.
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