Gap in care coordination in chronic illness PDF

Preview

Summary

This short paper outlines the history and problem of care coordination gap with people who have chronic illness
...

Description

There are a lot of gaps relating to the quality related to care coordination for individual’s with chronic illness. The specific gaps between these are lack of communication, lack of knowledge or understanding on the patients front, access to proper healthcare or any at all, and the cost of rising healthcare including procedures medication and visits. All of these leads to the poor quality that people who have chronic illness. All ages are affected but the most effected would be 65+ at 81%, 45-65 is 50% and 18-44 is 18%. Patients with chronic conditions are more likely to experience poorly coordinated care, which can lead to adverse drug interactions, unnecessary or duplicate tests or procedures, conflicting information from multiple providers, and increased health care costs (McDonald 2007). Patients with chronic illnesses see multiple doctors to figure out a diagnosis by being referred to one by one by different specialist, are prescribed multiple prescriptions that have a chance to counteract with the others pills that have been prescribed along with undergoing multiple procedures. Most patients with chronic illness have longer times for diagnosis, multiple treatments and multiple doctors and trying to coordinate all this information is the future of medicine. The socioeconomical background of this issue is mostly derived from out lack selfdiscipline when it comes it our health. The lack of diet and exercise and the increase rate of obesity is what is making chronic illness a major problem for our society. Along with our mental stability all of those factors determine our own percentage of the chance of having a chronic illness. These factors are indications of our life, like where we have grown up, what state and counties we lived in is the biggest factor. Access to healthcare or knowledge about self-care or healthcare are limited in many counties with little to no education on them. Three economic

measures were used to create county economic status unemployment rate, per capita market income, and 5-year poverty rates (Shaw, Theis, Self-Brown, Robin, & Baker, 2016). When implementing care coordination for patients with a chronic illness we need to involve the patient as much as possible, if they are more aware and involved, they seem to understand their needs. There is strong evidence that a key to successful chronic care management is engaging patients in their care (Audet, 2012). They also understand what is going on with their care and can communicate that with other physicians or specialists. On the physicians end, 41 percent of U.S. physicians say their practices function without non-physician staff, such as social workers or nurse case managers, to help manage the care of their patients (Audet, 2012). Which has worked out in their favor because most physicians see themselves as a solo entity so their communication with others is hard and lacking at the patient’s expense. I believe that if we don’t not start focusing on care coordination for patients that we as a society are going to see a huge impact on our society. Most patients trust their doctors and will follow the instructions given but when it starts to mess with the function of their health there will be consequences. Some may not see a doctor; others may not follow proper treatment. I have seen this in two personal cases of my own about the lack of care coordination and the effect it has on the patient along with the families. It took my mother in law about five years to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis because of all the different doctors who pawned her off on other specialist to try to figure out what was wrong with her. It finally took one neurologist who committed her time to Tami and got things figured out and the diagnosis. No one should have to wait years to figure out what is wrong with them if we all worked as a community to help each other in the medical professional world it would save time and a lot of money for everyone.

Audet, A.-M. J. (2012, February 21). The Care Coordination Imperative: Responding to the Needs of People with Chronic Diseases. Retrieved from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2012/care-coordination-imperative-responding-needspeople-chronic-diseases

McDonald, K. M. (2007, June). Background: Ongoing Efforts in Care Coordination and Gaps in the Evidence. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44011/

Shaw, K., Theis, K., Self-Brown, S., Robin, D., & Baker, L. (2016, September 1). Chronic Disease Disparities by County Economic Status and Metropolitan Classification, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2013. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2016/16_0088.htm...