Remarkable improvements to healthcare and medicine have resulted in a substantial increase in life expectancy over the last century. For context, the average life expectancy in the United States at birth in 1910 was just 50 years. A century later, in 2010, it had risen to about 79 years.
However, although we’re living longer, we’re also living sicker. In the past 25 years, the quality of life has been on a steady decline due to the prevalence of chronic diseases. According to the CDC, over 45% of adults have at least one chronic disease, which accounts for 7 out of every 10 deaths. Worse, 4 out of 10 adults have two or more chronic diseases.
In this article, we will explore what chronic disease management is and how it can help HR professionals and organizations improve the quality of life of people living with chronic conditions. It’s especially important for HR professionals, as it is a key component of population health management, and population health analytics. We will also delve deeper into how taking a proactive, patient-centered approach to care can help reduce healthcare costs, increase productivity, and improve workforce productivity.
The CDC broadly defines a chronic disease as a “condition that lasts 1 year or more and requires ongoing medical attention or limits activities of daily living or both.”
Examples of chronic diseases include:
Chronic Disease Management is “an integrated care approach to managing illness which includes screenings, check-ups, monitoring and coordinating treatment, and patient education.” In other words, this is the process of managing chronic illnesses through a combination of medical treatments, lifestyle changes, and self-care strategies.
Chronic disease management incorporates five major goals. These include:
Most chronic diseases can be physically, mentally, and emotionally limiting. While some may present outward symptoms, others are more insidious, affecting the patient with invisible symptoms.
Consequently, chronic disease management aims to improve individuals’ overall quality of life by caring for the whole person. This may involve addressing physical, emotional, and social aspects of health, such as pain management, mental health in the workplace support, and social support.
For example, exercise, physical therapy, and medication management can help individuals better manage their symptoms and maintain their ability to perform essential job functions.
Similarly, cognitive-behavioral therapy can help them manage cognitive symptoms such as memory loss or difficulty with decision-making, which can impact job performance. Improving social functionality through social support and other resources can help patients maintain social connections and engage with their colleagues and the broader community.
Most patients with a primary chronic illness are more likely to suffer from other complications like depression. “More typical is a patient with type 2 diabetes who is depressed and obese and has coronary heart disease and osteoarthritis,” observes Kevin Grumbach, MD, in an article in the Annals of Family Medicine.
Some chronic conditions lead to multimorbidity, defined as “multiple comorbidities or chronic conditions.” This is more common in adults aged 65 or older but can also affect younger patients.
Chronic disease management strategies are designed to prevent these complications through regular monitoring and management.
Controlling and minimizing distressing symptoms
Reducing the severity and frequency of symptoms is an important goal of chronic disease management. Even though some chronic diseases may not be life-threatening, many often present ongoing symptoms that can impact daily life.
For example, a lower limb is amputated every 20 seconds due to complications of diabetes. 25.7 million of the 58.5 million US adults with arthritis suffer from arthritis-attributable activity limitation (AAAL). Additionally, over 50% of people with knee osteoarthritis will have a total knee replacement done during their lifetime.
Chronic disease management aims to reduce the severity and frequency of these symptoms through various strategies, such as dietary changes and physical activity. This helps individuals better manage their condition and experience a greater sense of control over their health.
Chronic diseases often involve the gradual progression of the condition. However, a patient’s quality of life can improve with nutritional interventions, lifestyle interventions, and medical management.
The World Health Organization defines that as rehabilitation. This process can help reduce the progression of the debilitating effects of conditions such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. It also reduces hospitalizations and emergency department visits, improves functional status, and increases life expectancy.
Empowering patients to actively manage their chronic conditions significantly contributes to positive behavioral, emotional, and cognitive change. Some solutions include providing in-depth education about their disease, training to self-administer medication, or teaching patients how to track their symptoms and adjust their treatment plans as needed.
However, self-management can’t work in isolation. People with a robust support system often have better health outcomes. Family members or caregivers may help patients manage their medication schedules, prepare healthy meals, or accompany them to medical appointments. Healthcare providers may collaborate with the patient and their support system to develop a treatment plan tailored to their needs and preferences.
Chronic disease management falls under the chronic care model designed by Wagner et al. in the 1990s. The model operates within 6 core elements that make achieving the highest quality chronic disease care possible. These are:
Chronic disease management strategies are approaches used to support patients in managing their chronic conditions and improving their health outcomes. These strategies can be used individually or in combination, depending on the patient’s specific needs and preferences.
Chronic disease management can help your organization in several ways, including:
Even though most of us will suffer from a chronic disease at one point in our lives, we can delay or even prevent most illnesses. The top modifiable causes of chronic diseases are simply unhealthy behavior choices, which we can avoid with a few adjustments. These are:
A wellness program can be a powerful tool to help prevent unhealthy behavior choices and promote healthy lifestyle practices. Here are some ways a wellness program can be designed to address these behaviors:
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