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Showing posts with the label Chronic Disease Management

The Evolution of Healthcare: Integrating Lifestyle and Technology

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  The Reality of Aging and Chronic Conditions The Reality of Aging and Chronic Conditions Age does not come alone is a commonly held belief. By mid-sixties many people are already on up to four medications, usually four chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol. Treatments for these conditions are available and take up a significant portion of clinical time in terms of monitoring and adjustment of medicines. They are also conditions where medical compliance is variable, as they are pretty much symptomless until a significant event occurs eg heart attack or stroke. More bizarrely perhaps is that people attend different appointments for different follow ups, meaning any one individual may go to their GP four times a year, just to make sure everything is in order. In parts this is perpetuated by a system that measures the frequency of these check ups to remunerate the surgeries. While this is seen as a preventative measure, it is al...

Hopefully, One Day the Customer will know Best!

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Healthcare Evolution: From Clinical Trust to Self-Driven Care in a Digital Age While having a trusting relationship with a clinical professional remains central to health care, since the pandemic there are clear signs that people are more interested in their health and looking at ways to confidently manage and support themselves, without always needing to seek advice. Many apps support this wish, so now for many, consumerism is coming to health care, in a parallel way to how banking apps have changed the way people handle their finances. When they arrived people feared the loss of privacy and security. Now they are normal practice and writing a cheque is almost obsolete. Will people feel the same managing there own health data? The signs are good. People question and challenge clinicians more, using curated clinical tools and there own self collected data. Post pandemic, virtual visits, especially for routine checks are far more common. But whole scale acceptance of a consumer driven ...

AGETECH: FROM "MAYBE" TO "MUST" FOR MANAGING CHRONIC CONDITIONS.

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The Economic Burden of Chronic Diseases in Aging Populations Chronic diseases are a significant and profound economic issue for individuals, the healthcare system, and society as a whole. With the aging of populations worldwide, the prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing, accounting for  90% of all medical costs in the US  and even greater worldwide. It amounts to $4.1 trillion in annual health care expenditures The presence of multiple chronic conditions in the same individual has profound implications for healthcare costs and utilization. According to the CDC, six in ten adults have a chronic disease, and four in ten adults have two or more chronic diseases in the US.  A Swiss study  found that elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions had healthcare costs 5.5 times higher than those without multiple chronic conditions. Hence, even a small reduction in the prevalence of chronic diseases can result in significant cost savings and a genuine return on in...