Page 3 - Ochsner Magazine - Fall-Winter 2014

The Scoop
Flu Fighters
Flu season is here, and it’s difficult to suffer through the infection’s most common symptoms: fever, chills, aches and fatigue. These tips will help you minimize your risk of getting or spreading the flu.
• Wash your hands often, or clean them with an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid close contact with others who are sick, and stay home from work or
school if you are ill.
• Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
• Participate in healthy habits: Get plenty of sleep and exercise, manage your
stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious foods.
• Keep your hands and fingers away from your nose, mouth and eyes.
• Get vaccinated: It’s the surest way to prevent the flu. While everyone over
6 months of age should get a yearly flu shot, the vaccine is especially important for those younger than 5 and older than 65, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions, such as asthma or diabetes.
For additional tips on how to avoid colds or flu, visit www.ochsner.org/magazine.
/ “The most important way to prevent flu is to get the flu shot every year. Any one of the available flu vaccines is effective, so make sure you get vaccinat- ed. It’s as easy as seeing your Ochsner physician or visiting an Ochsner pharmacy.” —Katherine Baumgarten, MD, Infectious Disease Specialist, Ochsner Medical Center
National First
Apple HealthKit Connects to Ochsner’s MyChart
Ochsner recently became the first health system to connect MyChart, its patient portal, with Apple’s HealthKit, a groundbreaking app that allows users to track and share a wide range of health, fitness and medical information. “The connection with HealthKit will make a major difference in how patients participate in their own healthcare in the future,” says Richard Milani, MD, Ochsner’s Chief Clinical Transformation Officer.
In addition, Ochsner has recently opened O Bar, a health-focused “genius bar” where communi- ty members can learn how cutting-edge technology can help them stay well. Staffed by a specialist who can help choose the right apps for each individ- ual’s lifestyle, the O Bar makes managing one’s healthcare easy and efficient. With just a swipe,
tap or click, Ochsner patients now have a world of customized health resources at their fingertips.
These are just two examples of how Ochsner is embracing mobile technology to offer a more pa- tient-friendly approach to healthcare and why Ochs- ner was named one of the nation’s “Most Wired” hospitals by Hospitals & Health Networks. For a list of Ochsner-approved fitness and wellness apps, visit www.ochsner.org/magazine.
Richard Milani, MD, at the O Bar.
fall / winter 2014 3
FAR RIGHT: MARIANNA MASSEY.