The need for potushi.

com

potushi.com is the new web site

envisaged to give current and comprehensive
information about pregnancy, delivery, lactation,
baby care and contraception in Marathi. Curiosity
about what exactly happens in pregnancy is at its
peak during pregnant months. However the
average Maharashtrian family hardly finds anything
on the net in Marathi. There are robust and healthy
site in English full of information and insights but
hardly anything in Marathi.
There are plenty of books in Marathi on the
subject each carrying a distinct mark of the author
regards style and content. Some unfortunately
have mistakes of omission and commission. At
potushi.com we will try to maintain a uniform
pattern and involve several experts before
anything goes online.
Being an online, interactive resource there
is no restriction on the volume of content.
Thousands of pages, pictures, videos and even
games can be put online.

It will have text, audio and video

information. A registration portal, facility to view
and upload photos/videos, a list of names for the
new arrival, an e-market, selling all the odds and
ends
needed
during
this
period,
a
comments/feedback section, sms service giving
necessary reminders, contact us facility to ease
communication, a search that yields a list of
specialists close by, a consultancy service to get
queries solved, lot of downloadable material, a link
to details about government schemes ,press
releases for the media, a special section for fathers
to be, details of traditional festivities related to
pregnancy & childbirth and more..!
With the increasing penetration of mobile
and internet services, I guess at least 50% of the
pregnant population has access to the net either at
home, workplace or on the cell. All government
offices, grampanchayats, schools, banks, primary
health centers and many shops and small business
establishments have internet access. Although this
mass has access to the net, most; especially
womenfolk; are not proficient in English. They may
access the site but mostly will not be able to follow
all that is there. It is this huge felt need that
potushi.com.com hopes to fulfill.

potushi.com sees itself as a catalyst in

health education. With the interactive features that
will be a part of potushi.com, involvement of the
other members of the family will be encouraged.
The provision to upload and view photos or to look
up names for the new arrival, with their meanings,
will sure draw others in the family to take a look.
Also making all that is worth knowing available at
the fingertip for everyone in the family will
certainly improve the level of care and attention
that a prospective mother receives.
The Medical profession, especially in the
west, has been accused of mystification and
medicalisation of a natural happening such as
pregnancy and delivery. This is true to some extent
even in a society like ours. potushi.com hopes to
reduce both these stigmas. It will educate the
patients, so that, they will be eager and able
partners in their own care rather than simply
recipients of some largesse offered by some
expert.
The Indian medical profession increasingly
finds
itself
lacking
in
counseling
and
communication. The site hopes to address this
issue too by providing material for patient

education which the health care provider/patient

may download.
Doctors can register their patients on the
site, may recommend surfing certain content, and
will keep receiving updates about what the patient
has looked for, what pages were visited etc: This
will make the concept of informed consent more
meaningful.
Patients can register themselves and can
receive meaningful inputs from the site. Right from
reminders about antenatal visits, immunizations
etc: to automated e mails about specific care
during specific weeks of gestations or for specific
conditions in the mother or the fetus.
The material is readily available. There are
open sources like FIGO, FOGSI, WHO, population
council
and
government
of
India
sites.
Organisations devoted to specific diseases like the
Thalassemia society, endometriosis society etc:
have
patient
information
brochures,
pharmaceuticals have handouts; all this material
can be readily used.
Since the site is for lay people preparation
and approval of material will not take very long.

Most of the messages for the lay people are ready,

approved, well thought out and non controversial.
Imagine a couple who has just received an
ultrasound report saying that the pregnancy does
not correspond to the period of gestation.
Obviously the couple will notice that there is some
problem and is bound to fall back on the concerned
consultant for an explanation. In the mean time, if
only they choose to surf potushi.com, they will
have learned what gestational age is, how is it
calculated and how to explain discrepancies when
they appear. A lot of their anxiety will be taken
care of and browsing a few explanatory images will
make them better prepared to understand what the
doctor has to say. Even more welcome will be a
scene when a couple confronted with a report
indicating a baby with say single umbilical artery
will take along a list of possible questions that need
an answer in such cases, with the help of
potushi.com. Over a period of time doctors will be
kept on their toes with searching questions and will
need to update rather than use the white coat as
an immune shield. Even now doctors certainly have
to be more discrete and to the point while
answering queries from the English speaking

patient. potushi.com
linguistic divide.

hopes

to

bridge

this

Many good practices are just not adopted

by the practitioners for concerns about escalation
of cost. A good example is injection of anti D,
used to prevent future mishaps in a woman who is
herself Rh ve, with an Rh +ve husband. This
injection is best given in the antenatal period as
well as post natal period. Usually only the post
natal shot is suggested, ostensibly to cut costs
(one dose costs Rs 2000/-). Though this works,
both the doses would work better; and all standard
recommendations advice so. Couples enlightened
by potushi.com may actually ask for the extra dose
(and may choose to bear the cost). Eventually it is
hoped that offering antenatal dose will become the
standard of care.
Whats more all this will be free of cost for
the patient.
The site will have avenues for income
though. An e market selling sundry goods for the
pregnant mother will earn some revenue. Doctors
can pay for listings; can upload videos for a fee etc:
In the long run all that this site carries can be part
of the syllabus for ASHA workers, for up gradation

of knowhow and skills for ANMs; and this facility

can be charged.
Dr. Shantanu Abhyankar
Modern Clinic
Wai
Satara
PIN 412 803
E mail: shantanusabhyankar@hotmail.com
Mb No 98220 10349