Strategies for Encouraging Patient Ownership of Health, as Suggested by the Institute of Cardiology
Empowerment for Better Health: Medical Professionals and Patients joining Forces
In the modern world, health is a collaboative effort, with individuals playing a significant role in their own well-being. As Jean de La Bruyère once said, "Health is what people desire most and care for the least." But it's time to change that narrative!
Healthcare professionals aim to help patients understand their responsibility in their health journey. Raushan Kasymovna, the head of the regional department at the Research Institute of Cardiology and Internal Diseases, aptly puts it: "We, medical professionals, want to teach our patients to take care of their health, so they understand that they are responsible for their own health, listen to their doctors' recommendations, and lead a lifestyle that won't harm their health."
Kazakhstan has been working on this goal since 2013 through the Disease Management Program (DMP), which focuses on chronic diseases such as arterial hypertension, chronic heart failure, type 2 diabetes, and recently, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The DMP emphasizes the partnership between the informed, active patient and the specialists at the clinic. This alliance is crucial for managing chronic diseases, reducing the number of complications, and maintaining overall quality of life.
The key to success lies in the effective interaction between the patient and the specialists, who provide them with self-help skills and help control factors affecting their health. By reducing the number of exacerbations, emergency medical calls, and home visits by doctors, and increasing personal responsibility for one's own health, the DMP aims to improve patients' health outcomes significantly.
Empowering patients involves various strategies: skill-building, digital integration, peer networks, participatory governance, chronic disease program enhancements, digital modernization, policy alignment, and more. For instance, leveraging AI-driven platforms for real-time health tracking, establishing community groups for knowledge-sharing, and creating local health councils involving patients, practitioners, and policymakers are all critical steps.
A positive attitude towards learning and treatment leads to good results. Patients realize that they are responsible for their own health, they start eating properly, learn to perform physical exercises, acquire skills in primary aid, and know how to help themselves in case of health deterioration and prevent complications. This shift toward joint health responsibility, as aligned with Kazakhstan’s CSHI principle, addresses both clinical needs and the social determinants exacerbating chronic diseases in the region.
Specialist training continues to be key in ensuring the success of these empowerment strategies. Despite the pandemic, healthcare professionals have adapted to online learning, and over 1200 specialists have been trained remotely in 2020 alone.
This partnership approach between medical professionals and patients promises to yield better results in managing chronic diseases. Through education, skill-building, digital integration, and policy changes, the pursuit of health well-being becomes a shared responsibility like never before!
- Raushan Kasymovna emphasizes the importance of patients understanding their responsibility in their health journey, urging them to take care of their health and listen to doctors' recommendations.
- The Disease Management Program (DMP) in Kazakhstan focuses on chronic diseases and emphasizes the partnership between the informed, active patient and the specialists at the clinic, as this alliance is crucial for managing these diseases.
- Improving health outcomes significantly can be achieved by reducing the number of exacerbations, emergency medical calls, and home visits by doctors through effective interaction between patients and specialists.
- Empowering patients involves various strategies, such as skill-building, digital integration, peer networks, and policy alignment, with the goal of reducing complications and maintaining overall quality of life.
- A positive attitude towards learning and treatment leads to good results, as patients start eating properly, learn to perform physical exercises, acquire skills in primary aid, and know how to help themselves in case of health deterioration.
- Continuous training of healthcare professionals is essential to ensure the success of these empowerment strategies, with over 1200 specialists having been trained remotely in 2020 alone.
