Health Hub helps keep Utah healthy

January typically means red noses, crisp tissues, and a chill — well, a chill all over. Accompanied by fever, cough and aches. The cold and flu season is upon us.

How can you know what’s going around at any given time? “Intermountain Health Hub,” an all-in-one tool offers answers. It gives users many different features designed to simplify their entire healthcare experience, including the ability to access their medical records while on the go.

A highlight of Health Hub, called GermWatch, gives doctors and patients nearly real-time information about diseases that are active in Utah communities. Users can find out how prevalent various germs are in Utah, and see how their activity level is trending. They can learn about symptoms, how germs are spread, treatments, vaccinations and when to contact their doctor. GermWatch is also found at intermountainhealthcare.org/germwatch.

“Having information about what germs are going around helps providers stay alert for the illnesses caused by these germs,” said Per Gesteland, MD, an infectious disease specialist with Intermountain. “This awareness can improve diagnostic accuracy, which in turn makes it easier for them to provide the right treatment for patients.”

The GermWatch app includes the following features, among others:

•Information about outbreaks of common respiratory viruses — Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Parainfluenza Virus, Rhinovirus, etc. — and the conditions they cause.

•The effectiveness of specific antibiotics and the relative costs of each, to enable informed decision-making by physicians and the patients they’re treating.

•An interactive map of Utah with pathogen activity levels, as well as how to prevent and treat the disease.

“Most of us get three or four viruses per year,” Dr. Gesteland said. “These are generally colds, and while they can be miserable for a couple of days, they are not what we try to prevent with flu immunization. We are trying to prevent potentially deadly flu. This kind of flu can be scary, especially when we see it in pregnant women, young children, and the elderly. If you haven’t received a flu shot, yet, it can still be beneficial. Flu season generally lasts through March.”

Coughing into a tissue and hand washing are important for preventing the spread of colds and flu. So are a healthy diet and plenty of sleep. But the influenza virus is so contagious, good hygiene and healthy habits alone may not be enough to protect, so having a flu shot is a good idea.

Intermountain Healthcare’s Health Hub app also allows patients to refill prescriptions, save their place in line at InstaCares, get first aid tips for common injuries, find the nearest clinic and pharmacy, and much more. Health Hub is available for free download from the iTunes App Store or Google Play. More information on Health Hub and other Intermountain Healthcare mobile apps is available at: Intermountain.com/mobile.

This Live Well column represents collaboration between healthcare professionals from the medical staffs of our not-for-profit Intermountain Healthcare hospitals and The Spectrum. Contact 251-2108 for more information.