Preventing and Managing Chronic Diseases: Key Strategies for Health Professionals

Tony Brennan

As we are all too aware, chronic diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and they impose a significant burden on patients, healthcare systems, and societies. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes, are responsible for 71% of all deaths globally.

In the United States, chronic diseases affect more than half of the adult population, and they account for an incredible 90% of the nation's healthcare spending.

In Africa, chronic diseases are responsible for an estimated 46% of the disease burden and 60% of deaths, and they are projected to account for more than three-quarters of all deaths by 2025. It's worth noting that the burden of chronic diseases in Africa is high and increasing, which underscores the need for effective prevention and management strategies to address this growing challenge.

Chronic diseases are also significant public health challenge in Asia where they account for an estimated 86% of all deaths and 77% of the disease burden in the region.

Health professionals play a crucial role in preventing and managing chronic diseases, and they have several key strategies at their disposal to do so.

Preventing chronic diseases is essential because it reduces the burden of disease and saves lives, and it is cost-effective in the long term. Health professionals can use several key strategies to prevent chronic diseases, such as education and awareness, lifestyle changes, screening and early detection, and vaccination.

From my point of view, education and awareness are critical for preventing chronic diseases because they empower patients to make informed decisions about their health and reduce the risk of disease progression. For example, a study conducted by the National Cancer Institute found that women who received educational interventions about breast cancer screening were more likely to undergo mammography than those who did not.

Managing chronic diseases is equally important because it improves patients' quality of life, reduces complications and disability, and lowers healthcare costs. Health professionals have several key strategies for managing chronic diseases, such as medication adherence, lifestyle changes, regular monitoring and follow-up, and patient education and support.

Medication adherence is a critical strategy for managing chronic diseases because it improves treatment outcomes and reduces hospitalisations and emergency department visits. For example, a meta-analysis of 47 studies found that improving medication adherence in patients with hypertension reduced the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality by 15% and 10%, respectively.

Implementing key strategies for preventing and managing chronic diseases in practice requires a patient-centered, collaborative, and technology-enabled approach. Health professionals can create patient-centered care plans, work collaboratively with other health professionals, use technology to support patient care, and continuously monitor and evaluate care.

Creating patient-centered care plans is essential for implementing key strategies in practice because it ensures that patients' goals, preferences, and values are taken into account and that care is tailored to their individual needs. For example, a randomised controlled trial found that a patient-centered care intervention for patients with diabetes resulted in improved glycemic control and patient satisfaction.

Proactive care and patient engagement are crucial for preventing and managing chronic diseases because they shift the focus from disease treatment to health promotion and self-management. Health professionals can encourage proactive care and patient engagement by promoting healthy behaviours, providing patient education and support, and involving patients in shared decision-making.

Now this isn't rocket science but clearly patient engagement is essential for preventing and managing chronic diseases. It improves patient outcomes, reduces healthcare costs, and enhances patient satisfaction which is exactly what we are looking for. A study conducted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement found that involving patients in shared decision-making about their care led to better treatment choices, higher adherence rates, and lower healthcare costs.

Preventing and managing chronic diseases is a critical global challenge for health professionals, patients, and society. Health professionals have several key strategies at their disposal for preventing and managing chronic diseases, such as education and awareness, lifestyle changes, medication adherence, and patient-centered care. Implementing these strategies in practice requires a patient-centered, collaborative, and technology-enabled approach that promotes proactive care and patient.

If you want to talk to us about supporting you with education initiatives relating to chronic disease, reach out and start the conversation.

"Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes, are responsible for 71% of all deaths globally." - World Health Organisation. (2020). Noncommunicable diseases. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases

"In the United States, chronic diseases affect more than half of the adult population, and they account for 90% of the nation's healthcare spending." - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Chronic Diseases in America. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm

"A study conducted by the National Cancer Institute found that women who received educational interventions about breast cancer screening were more likely to undergo mammography than those who did not." - Rimer, B. K., Halabi, S., Sugg Skinner, C., & Kaplan, E. B. (2002). Factors predicting repeat screening mammography. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 94(9), 670–679. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/94.9.670

"A meta-analysis of 47 studies found that improving medication adherence in patients with hypertension reduced the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality by 15% and 10%, respectively." - Chowdhury, R., Khan, H., Heydon, E., Shroufi, A., Fahimi, S., Moore, C., Stricker, B., Mendis, S., & Hofman, A. (2013). Adherence to cardiovascular therapy: A meta-analysis of prevalence and clinical consequences. European Heart Journal, 34(38), 2940–2948. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/eht295

"A study conducted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement found that involving patients in shared decision-making about their care led to better treatment choices, higher adherence rates, and lower healthcare costs." - Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2011). Better patient and population health through engagement and activation. http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/Publications/BetterPatientandPopulationHealththroughEngagementandActivation.aspx

World Health Organisation (2019). Noncommunicable diseases country profiles 2018. https://www.who.int/nmh/publications/ncd-profiles-2018/en/

Bloom, D. E., Cafiero, E. T., Jané-Llopis, E., Abrahams-Gessel, S., Bloom, L. R., Fathima, S., Feigl, A. B., Gaziano, T., Mowafi, M., Pandya, A., Prettner, K., Rosenberg, L., Seligman, B., Stein, A. Z., & Weinstein, C. (2011). The Global Economic Burden of Noncommunicable Diseases. World Economic Forum. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Harvard_HE_GlobalEconomicBurdenNonCommunicableDiseases_2011.pdf

World Health Organisation (2020). Noncommunicable diseases. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases

World Health Organisation (2014). Noncommunicable diseases in the Western Pacific region: A profile. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/149216/9789290616734_eng.pdf?sequence=1

World Health Organisation (2018). Noncommunicable diseases in the South-East Asia region: Situation and response 2018. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272673/9789290226245-eng.pdf?ua=1

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Preventing and Managing Chronic Diseases: Key Strategies for Health Professionals

Preventing Chronic Diseases: Education, Lifestyle Changes, Screening, and Vaccination

Managing Chronic Diseases: Medication Adherence, Lifestyle Changes, Monitoring, and Education

Implementing Key Strategies in Practice: Patient-Centered, Collaborative, and Technology-Enabled Care

Proactive Care and Patient Engagement: Promoting Healthy Behaviours and Shared Decision-Making

The Wrap: Taking Action to Prevent and Manage Chronic Diseases

Preventing and Managing Chronic Diseases: Key Strategies for Health Professionals

Preventing Chronic Diseases: Education, Lifestyle Changes, Screening, and Vaccination

Managing Chronic Diseases: Medication Adherence, Lifestyle Changes, Monitoring, and Education

Implementing Key Strategies in Practice: Patient-Centered, Collaborative, and Technology-Enabled Care

Proactive Care and Patient Engagement: Promoting Healthy Behaviours and Shared Decision-Making

The Wrap: Taking Action to Prevent and Manage Chronic Diseases

Sahjogita Kathuria

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