Managing Chronic Conditions

This book brings together the approaches adopted by eight countries to address the policy issues necessary to provide high-quality and affordable health andsocial care for people suffering from chronic disease.

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.

Drawing on input from people with long-term ailments, this book points the way to achieving the best possible life under the circumstances.

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.

"Promoting Self-Management of Chronic Health Conditions covers a range of topics related to self-management-theories and practice, interventions that have been scientifically tested, and information that individuals with specific conditions should know (or be taught by healthcare professionals)"--

A pioneering book to help maximize the quality of life for chronically ill patients Written by a leading authority on chronic illness treatment and management, Managing Chronic Illness Using the Four-Phase Treatment Approach provides evidence-based practice guidelines for clinicians to help their clients with debilitating health problems embrace a new "normal," understand the cyclical nature of their illness, and function at the highest level possible. Patricia Fennell's groundbreaking model for understanding chronic illness identifies and describes four broad phases experienced by the chronically ill: crisis, stabilization, resolution, and integration. Using a broad array of case histories, Fennell vividly illustrates what clients need at each phase and how to assess and respond to them compassionately. Fennell also suggests how clinicians may best use their own changing experiences in their work to help clients transition through the four phases. The goal of the "Four-Phase Model" is to maximize a client's quality of life without offering false hope for a cure, making it an effective treatment strategy for diverse client populations, including people with physiological diseases; patients whose lives are being prolonged by modern medicine; and people who suffer from addiction, post-traumatic stress syndrome, intractable pain, and post-rape and abuse conditions. Complete with detailed treatment protocols for documenting a client's symptoms and quality of life at each phase, Managing Chronic Illness Using the Four-Phase Treatment Approach is a highly practical book for everyone working with chronically ill clients.

This book focuses on young people (12-25 years old) growing up with a chronic somatic condition and/or physical disability, facing different challenges during their transition to adulthood and to adult healthcare services. Becoming an adult often proves extra challenging for them, because the adaptive tasks related to living with a chronic condition can clash with developmental milestones. Finding a good balance and integrating these tasks in daily life is also referred to as self-management. This book addresses self-management and empowerment of young people with chronic conditions as well as the Positive Youth Development concept. It elaborates on theories and approaches and offers a complete overview of self-management interventions for young people with chronic conditions, emphasizing on the tasks of medical, emotion and role management. It also elaborates on the roles and tasks of professionals, as well as the patient-provider relationship; the shifting roles between young people and their parents and the role of peer support. This book is unique in its broad view on self-management, i.e. it goes beyond medical management and focuses on young people achieving their maximum potential and a good quality of life. Furthermore, the book employs a positive youth development approach, focusing on empowerment and growth rather than problems or issues. It offers an overview of the state-of-the-art and evidence concerning self-management support for young people with various chronic conditions. As such it is of benefit for all healthcare professionals working in care for young people, but also for researchers interested in this topic.

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.