Chronic Illness Care

Medicare is the third rail of Canadian politics. Touch it and you die. Every politician knows this truism, which is why no one wants to debate it. Privately, many of them understand that the health care system, which costs about $200 billion a year in public and private money, cannot continue as it is-increasingly ill-adapted to an aging population with public costs growing faster than government revenues. In Chronic Condition, Jeffrey Simpson meets health care head on and explores the only four options we have to end this growing crisis: cuts in spending, tax increases, privatization, and reaping savings through increased efficiency. He examines the tenets of the Medicare system that Canadians cling to so passionately. Here, he finds that many other countries have more extensive public health systems, and Canadian health care produces only average value for money. In fact, our rigid system for some health care needs and a costly system for other needs-drugs, dentistry, and home care-is really the worst of both worlds. Chronic Condition breaks the silence about the huge changes and real choices that Canadians face.

This book offers a comprehensive overview to chronic illness care, which is the coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained response to chronic diseases and conditions by a range of health care providers, formal and informal caregivers, healthcare systems, and community-based resources. Using an ecological framework, which looks at the interdependent influences between individuals and their larger environment, this unique text examines chronic illness care at multiple levels and includes sections on the individual influences on chronic illness, the role of family and social networks, and how chronic care is provided across the spectrum of health care settings; from home to clinic to the emergency department to hospital and residential care facilities. The book describes the organizational frameworks and strategies that are needed to provide quality care for chronically ill patients, including behavioral health, care management, transitions of care, and health information technology. The book also addresses the changing workforce needs in health care, and the fiscal models and policies that will be required to meet the needs of this population, with a focus on sustaining the ongoing transformation in health care. This book acts as a major reference for practitioners and students in medicine, nursing, social work, allied health, and behavioral medicine, as well as stakeholders in public health, health policy, and population health.

This book focuses on optimizing management and outcomes rather than on routine diagnosis of chronic disease. The reader learns proven methods for treating the most common chronic conditions that they see in daily practice. Chapters are structured to help physicians adopt evidence-based management techniques specific for each condition. Special emphasis is placed on the use of action plans and educational resources for promoting patient self-management.

This book addresses the unique healthcare needs of adults with chronic childhood illnesses. It presents a model of primary and secondary prevention for emerging adulthood—primary prevention in which all young adults are screened for high-risk behaviors and health needs and secondary prevention in which young adults with chronic childhood conditions are optimized through coordinated care, connections to community resources and social/family support. This book is organized in five parts. Part I provides a detailed overview of the health care transition from pediatrics to adult medicine from both a policy and practice perspective. In Part II, the concept of emerging adulthood as a developmental period is explored and strategies for providing improved comprehensive care for this age group are discussed. Part III reviews specific chronic childhood conditions, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, cystic fibrosis, and diabetes mellitus, and offers clinical cases and summary reports that can be used as a quick guides to each condition. In Part IV, additional clinical considerations that are not necessarily condition-specific but are highly relevant to the care of young adults with chronic childhood conditions are examined. Part V describes the socio-legal issues involved in caring for this population. Care of Adults with Chronic Childhood Conditions provides primary care providers with a new framework for the care of young adults and identifies opportunities to influence patient health outcomes over a life trajectory.

This publication explores some of the key issues, ranging from interpreting the evidence base to assessing the policy context for, and approaches to, chronic disease management across Europe. Drawing on 12 detailed country reports (available in a second, online volume), the study provides insights into the range of care models and the people involved in delivering these; payment mechanisms and service user access; and challenges faced by countries in the implementation and evaluation of these novel approaches.

In the United States, chronic diseases currently account for 70 percent of all deaths, and close to 48 million Americans report a disability related to a chronic condition. Today, about one in four Americans have multiple diseases and the prevalence and burden of chronic disease in the elderly and racial/ethnic minorities are notably disproportionate. Chronic disease has now emerged as a major public health problem and it threatens not only population health, but our social and economic welfare. Living Well with Chronic Disease identifies the population-based public health actions that can help reduce disability and improve functioning and quality of life among individuals who are at risk of developing a chronic disease and those with one or more diseases. The book recommends that all major federally funded programmatic and research initiatives in health include an evaluation on health-related quality of life and functional status. Also, the book recommends increasing support for implementation research on how to disseminate effective longterm lifestyle interventions in community-based settings that improve living well with chronic disease. Living Well with Chronic Disease uses three frameworks and considers diseases such as heart disease and stroke, diabetes, depression, and respiratory problems. The book's recommendations will inform policy makers concerned with health reform in public- and private-sectors and also managers of communitybased and public-health intervention programs, private and public research funders, and patients living with one or more chronic conditions.

The best-selling Chronic Illness: Impact and Intervention continues to focus on the various aspects of chronic illness that influence both patients and their families. Topics include the sociological, psychological, ethical, organizational, and financial factors, as well as individual and system outcomes. the revised Sixth Edition includes new chapters on palliative care, complementary and alternative therapies, and self-efficacy, as well as added material on culturally competent care. Intended for nurses, social workers, and rehabilitation professionals, Chronic Illness demonstrates how the h