The Impact of Long Term Conditions Flashcards
What is patient centred care and who is in the position to make decisions about treatment?
The provision of care which places the patient at the centre ensuring that the healthcare system is designed to meet the needs and preferences of patients.
Only the patient is in a position to make a decision on what patient centered healthcare means to them, the treatments of their condition and the living of their life.
What are the 5 principles of the IaPO Declaration on Patient-Centered Healthcare? - RICAP
- Respect.
- Information.
- Choice and empowerment.
- Access and support.
- Patient involvement in health policy.
Why have long term conditions become more common
Acute illnesses have become short lived and amenable to cure allowing long-term conditions to become more prevalent
Who are long-term conditions more common in
Older people
More deprived groups
What percentage of GP appointments account for long-term conditions
50%
What percentage of outpatient appointments account for long-term conditions
64%
What percentage of all inpatient bed days account for long-term conditions
70%
What is the meaning of incidence
The number of new cases of a disease, in a population, in a specified period of time
What is the meaning of prevalence
The number of people in a population with a specific disease at a single point in time or in a defined period of time (existing cases)
What does incidence tell us
About trends in causation and the aetiology of disease so can be helpful when planning:
i.e. , if the number of new Diabetes diagnoses per year in a particular practice is known, then we can plan staffing and services for the future
What does prevalence tell us
About the amount of disease in a population
Is useful in assessing the current workload for the health service but is less useful in studying the cause of a disease
What are long-term conditions usually the end-result of? (aetiology) (2)
A long term, complex interaction of factors:
- genetic
- environmental
- both or neither
What is vulnerability
An individual’s capacity to resist disease, repair damage and restore physiological homeostasis.
Certain organs can vary in vulnerability - i.e. liver & brain
What are the different progressions of diseases with examples (3)
Acute onset - MI, stroke
Gradual with a slow or more rapid deterioration - angina
Relapse and remission - cancer
What must be considered in the treatment of long-term diseases
May be aimed at the disease, or the effects of the disease
In order to treat, the chronic nature must be realised
Both patient and doctor must admit failure in cure or diagnosis
The burden of treatment - how are patients or caregivers often put under enormous demands by the healthcare system (4) - CMTA
- Changing behaviour or policing the behaviour of others to adhere to lifestyle modifications
- Monitoring and managing their symptoms at home
- Complex treatment regimes and multiple drugs (poly pharmacy)
- Complex administrative systems, and accessing, navigating and coping with uncoordinated health and social care systems
What is Bury’s meaning of biolographical disruptions
The experience of a long term condition (chronic illness) leads to a loss of confidence in the body, and from this follows a loss of confidence in social interaction or self-identity
What does biological disruption reveal (4)
- Brings into focus the meaning of illness for the individual
- May involve `re-negotiating’ existing relationships at work and at home.
- The chronically ill and disabled person also needs to be able to make some sense of their condition before they can begin the process of `adjusting’ to it.
- Involves redefining ideas of what is
good' andbad’, such that the positive aspects of their lives are emphasised, and the negative impact of the illness lessened.
What strategies can be used to cope with the stigma of long-term conditions (2)
Making a decision about whether to either:
- disclose the condition and suffer further stigma
- Attempt to conceal the condition / aspects of the condition and pass for normal
What are the different impacts of a long term condition (3)
- On the individual – can be negative or positive. Can include denial, self pity and apathy.
- On Family – can be financial, emotional and physical, other family members may become ill as a result.
- Community/society. Isolation of an individual may result.
What is an expert patient
Where a patient understands more about their disease than the doctors, nurses and other health professionals who undertake long-term follow-up and care them
- i.e. diabetes mellitus, arthritis or epilepsy
- “my patient understands their disease better than I do.”
- They can become key decision-makers in the treatment process.
Dictionary definition of disability
Lacking in one or more physical powers such as the ability to walk or coordinate ones movements
Legal definition of disability
Difficulty can be physical, sensory or mental. A disability that makes it difficult for them to carry out normal day to day activities, ongoing for more than 12 months
WHO Definition of disability: ICIDH – International classification of Impairments, Disability and Handicap. (3)
Body and Structure Impairment - abnormalities of structure, organ or system function (organ level)
Activity Limitation - changed functional performance and activity by the individual (personal level)
Participation Restrictions - disadvantage experienced by the individual as a result of impairments and disabilities (interaction at a social and environmental level)
