The Engage Mutual Insurance company has released a report that says men whine more than woman when it comes to aches and pains.

This may be no surprise to most women in the UK, but it appears to have shocked this mutual insurance company into publishing the results of their new research.

One of the staggering conclusions reached by the mutual insurance company conducting the research is that although women like to complain about minor problems on a daily basis, men actually feel more sorry for themselves when they become ill. Ground shattering results.

The mutual insurance company questioned around 3,000 poor souls and discovered that over 50% of all the men exaggerate the symptoms of their illness. They may get ill less than women (five times compared to females seven times), but once they are ill, they tend to become music hall actors and ham the whole experience up. Thus flu becomes a cold, a headache become a migraine and a stomach ache becomes death (only joking on the last point).

What’s more, the mutual insurance company says that nearly 60% of men seek attention when ill, whilst a whopping 65% constantly groan and moan. But even though the histrionics are loud, most men (some 76%), prefer to go to work and moan at their colleagues, rather than seek a cure at home.

A spokesman at the Engage Mutual Insurance company said:
“Men have had a bad press concerning their tendencies towards ‘man flu’, but our findings support the belief that men do moan more and are more likely to exaggerate their symptoms. They may have fewer bouts of genuine sickness a year, five compared to the seven suffered by women, but when ill, their attention seeking behaviour makes sure their partner knows about it.

“But even though men look for maximum sympathy, they tend to struggle on, being less likely to take time off work for an illness. Minor ailments aside, it is important for men to recognise and act on any genuine health concerns. Whether taking professional advice, or seeking suitable remedies and treatments to aid recovery, it is important to address any issues in order to maintain good levels of health.

“Women score higher than men on being prepared to dole out the sympathy for an attention seeking partner, regardless of whether they believe they are genuinely ill, or not. But when it comes to doing the little things that make a partner more comfortable when they are ill, men and women seem to be more evenly matched.”

So there you are then. It’s official, according to this mutual insurance company, men are the biggest moaners. And just wait until they get their new insurance premiums, then you’ll hear them really scream.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

A new study from Aviva Insurance has discovered that some 57% of general practitioner doctors are claiming that they have less time to see their patients than five years ago.

Worryingly, the Aviva Insurance study revealed that 50% of GPs said that this lack of time affected their ability to do their job and what’s worse, that 43% actually believed it affected their ability to diagnose.

Practising GP and chief medical officer at Aviva Insurance, Dr Hugh Laing, said:
“At Aviva we are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our customers and we recognise the important role that GPs have in delivering this. To enable us to do this it is vital that we understand the concerns which affect both consumers and the healthcare industry in general.

“Our research shows that GPs are over stretched and this can affect the quality of support they are able to offer their patients. Web based technology has revolutionised the way we all work and fast access to high quality information can be an invaluable support for patients and professionals, but ultimately there is no substitute for a thorough assessment by a qualified GP, and from our research this is clearly not happening in many cases. As such we urge the new coalition Government to support and work with GPs to ensure delivery of the right care for patients.

“Aviva Insurance believes that people should have the peace of mind that they can talk to a GP for as long as they need at any time of the day or night.”

The Aviva Insurance study went into some detail regarding the time GPs spend with their patients, saying that most are likely to spend up to 20 minutes with each patient, whereas in reality, only ten minutes is possible. And the GPs’ patients seem to be agreeing, with another Aviva Insurance research report discovering that nearly 65% of people thought that NHS appointments were always rushed and that feeling is spreading to the doctor’s surgeries.

Another interesting fact that the Aviva Insurance study brought to the surface was the fact that of the doctors questioned, the vast majority (around 96%) use the internet on a daily basis when working and that online resources were a valuable diagnostic tool.
 
Lets hope that the Aviva Insurance report doesn’t reveal at a later date that internet usage is not about diagnosis, but checking that day’s horse racing form.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Aviva UK Health, formerly the healthcare arm of Norwich Union before being re-branded in 2009 and one of the UK’s largest providers of private medical insurance, income protection, occupational health and group life products and services, has launched Speedy Diagnostics.

It’s a new low cost private health insurance policy which, claim Aviva UK Health, gives people prompt access to specialist consultations and diagnostic tests. The main benefits, say the insurance experts, is that there is no overall maximum benefit limit; it provides good access to specialist consultants; diagnostic tests such as CT and MRI scans, x-rays and ECGs are covered; and, also included are the relevant hospital costs usually associated with such diagnostic tests.

And that’s not all; Aviva’s new Speedy Diagnostics service provides people with 24 hour GP and stress counselling helplines, and a leisure and gym club membership discount of up to 40%.

Neal Archbold, head of propositions and market development at Aviva UK Health said:
“We’ve launched Speedy Diagnostics in direct response to customer feedback which showed that people wanted a low cost alternative to full private health insurance that complements NHS provision.

"Speedy Diagnostics does just that by helping to diagnose problems quickly and enabling customers to make informed decisions about next steps of treatment – whether it’s provided by the NHS or on a self-pay basis.

“In addition to this, we recognised that there is a gap in the market – particularly for younger and older customers who do not want, or may not be able to afford, a full health insurance policy, but still want peace of mind that if they do become unwell the problem can be diagnosed promptly. Speedy Diagnostics fills this gap. It also acts as a complement to other lower cost products such as Aviva’s My Health Cash Plan.”

There’s always a list of things not included of course and in this case, it’s worth having a quick look at the items not covered by the new Speedy Diagnostics service from Aviva.

First thing that’s not covered is the treatment itself, nor are the consultations and diagnostic tests after a specialist has made up his, or her mind, what’s wrong with you. Other items off the list are routine medical examinations and screening; any diagnostic tests that are ordered by a GP without referral to a specialist, tests that are designed to find the cause of infertility; and, sleep disorder tests.

So if you’re an infertile insomniac who visits the doctor a lot, this may not be a good policy for you.

Guest Article by Neil Camp