Better DM Improves Health

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Disease management is a structure that is designed to improve a person's health with coordinated interventions from health care providers and where self-care efforts may be implemented. Disease management empowers an individual, who is working with the health care providers to manage (and prevent) his/her disease.

It is designed to help an individual improve their health with any chronic condition and to reduce the costs associated with avoidable complications, like an emergency room visit and hospitalizations.

Disease management includes the following actions:

Identifying patients' affected by the disease.

Determining the most effective ways to treat the disease.

It is more like population-based-care or continuous health care improvement. If properly designed, it works on prevention of complications as well as treatment of chronic conditions.

Conditions most commonly chosen for disease management are Asthma, cardiovascular diseases, Coronary artery disease, Congestive heart failure, Angina, Lipid irregularity, Depressive disorders, Diabetes etc.

What are its benefits?

It improves your health and lets you enjoy a good life. It comes with reduced spending on healthcare costs.

It is created with the complete understanding of the natural course of a disease and the critical areas where more focus is required to reduce the chances of morbidity and mortality.

How can we design an effective disease management program?

DM is a process of reducing healthcare costs and/or improving the quality of life for individuals by preventing/minimizing the effects of a disease usually a chronic condition, through integrative care.

DM consists of two streams

• Managing clinical activities

• Interventions for financial outcomes

The Drivers of a Disease management program and their roles in that program:

Physicians 
The practicing physician's clinical experience and continuing medical education play a big role, but the system develops every day with significant variation in treating each disease.

Medical specialists must collaborate in developing treatment guidelines, or recommendations from experts should be taken into consideration. Once guidelines are prepared, it can be spread through training programs.

Pharmacists 
They participate in formulary decisions, drug treatment protocols, and critical pathway design. Most of these activities involve education and monitoring, for which pharmacists are particularly well trained.

Patients 
Patient education and intervention of the disease is essential and so is his participation in the management plan. It is very important to measure the progress initially and at the end of the program. In this patient is also made aware of the all pros and cons of the disease so he is mentally prepared. Patient has a profound effect on their clinical outcome and should take their responsibility seriously.



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