Chronic disease is a world-wide health crisis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes and respiratory diseases, kill more than 38 million people each year worldwide. In the U.S., more than half of all adults suffer from at least one chronic disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Australia has a similar chronic disease burden, with about half of all adults having a chronic disease, and 1 in 5 affected by at least two.
Read More
The ability to provide patient-centered care is key to the provision of high-quality care and better long term health outcomes for the individual. This fact is becoming more widely accepted throughout the healthcare industry. To Aid in developing patient-centered practices and processes, the Picker Institute, an organization that sponsored education and research in the field of patient-centered care, worked with researchers at Harvard University to identify practices that improve the patient experience. According to the Institute, researchers used relevant literature and focus groups that included patients, family members, physicians and hospital staff in defining seven primary dimensions of patient-centered care. In 1987, an eighth dimension was added, and the list published as the Eight Picker Principles of Patient Centered Care.
Read More
The face of healthcare is changing. One of the more important changes seen in recent years is a shift in the concept of service. What is the focus of professional service in healthcare settings?
In 2017 we are all talking about patient-centered care. But is it a new idea that the patient is the focus of the healthcare service? Not a new idea. We would all agree that a physician working with a patient has that patient in their focus. This is a concept of professional quality of the healthcare service rather than how the patient perceived the service. The current healthcare system has traditionally focused on primarily treating acute pain/suffering and the many illnesses/conditions we call medical emergencies. Now in the last years of healthcare costs and questions, we are to broaden the approach of the healthcare system to now to have more emphasis on treating individuals, not diseases. This is the increasingly complex presentation of chronic disease in the individual. Given the increasing prevalence of behavior-induced chronic health conditions, this emerging system of healthcare is requiring other services to be increased: screenings for prevention, education at home and self-behavioral changes for effective management. Improving the health behaviors of individual healthcare consumers is key and healthcare IT tools can support sustainable behavior changes in your patients; again it is all about them and how they feel you are changing your health.
Patient-centered care is now prevalent as a 'discussed' model of delivery; the many stakeholders across the healthcare industry talk to its value. It has become clear that the average healthcare consumers are more satisfied with their care when they feel valued as an important member of their own healthcare team; considered and asked to be involved in critical decisions. Communication is key to building the solid, collaborative healthcare relationships that lead to those feelings of empowerment and engagement. Patient portal software gives providers the means to open the lines of communication, sometimes slowly at first and then increasing the frequency and quality of interactions between themselves and their clients.
Read More
The healthcare industry has seen broad changes in recent years, as government health plans, employer groups, health insurance providers and other purchasers of healthcare demand higher quality at lower cost in the delivery of care to individual healthcare consumers. Those demands have given rise to value-based care delivery models, which call upon healthcare providers throughout the continuum of care to take a more patient-centered and collaborative approach to care. Successful implementation of this integrated approach relies heavily on the ability to collect, manage and share information efficiently and effectively throughout the care process, which depends upon innovative software solutions.
Read More
The landscape of healthcare has been shifting over recent years, moving ever more markedly towards a more patient-centric approach. This shift has been heavily influenced by the changing attitudes of today's healthcare consumers, who demand a more collaborative approach than was common in the provider/patient relationships of years past. It has also been influenced by modern healthcare providers, who have seen the need for a longer consultation to be able to start to support wellness initiatives in a patient and an approach to clinical care that is more personalized. Many providers embrace this new approach in greater numbers due to mounting evidence of the importance of patient engagement as a factor in improving health outcomes.
Read More