Addressing Chronic Disease According To Population Health

Addressing Chronic DiseaseAccording To Thepopulation Healthcourse Text

Addressing Chronic Disease According to the Population Health course text, “Roughly 40 million Americans are still uninsured and 112 million Americans (almost half of the U.S. population, 45%) suffer from at least one chronic condition” in the United States, an estimated 125 million persons have at least one chronic condition, and half of these persons have multiple chronic conditions (Fabius, and Pracilio, Nash, Clark, 2015, p. 4). This week’s Learning Resources examine numerous health problems that result in a need for ongoing care. As you have explored this week, many costs are associated with chronic disease—both in terms of lives lost and socioeconomic burden. What can be done to help reduce chronic disease at the population level?

For this Discussion, you will take an in-depth look at chronic disease, and you will evaluate ways to address this issue through the application of chronic disease models and frameworks. In addition, you will consider the impact of the challenges of managing chronic disease on quality of care delivery. To prepare: Review the application of chronic disease models as a method for managing chronic diseases at the population level. Consider characteristics of chronic disease models and how to apply them as presented in the Learning Resources. Consult Figure 13–7 (p. 267) in Population Health: Creating a Culture of Wellness and consider examples of determinants and outcomes of population health with chronic diseases in a specific subpopulation. Then, select one chronic disease on which to focus for this Discussion. Ask yourself, “What are the challenges of managing this chronic disease? How do these challenges limit the ability to deliver effective quality care?” Conduct additional research using the Walden Library and credible websites as necessary. By tomorrow 05/01/2018 3 pm, write a minimum of 550 words in APA format with at least 3 scholarly references from the list of required readings below.

Include the level one headings as numbered below†Post a cohesive scholarly response that addresses the following: 1) Identify your selected chronic disease (refer to attached article). 2) Describe the application of a chronic disease model to address this disease at the population level (refer to attached article). Include your rationale for selecting this particular model. 3) Discuss one or more current challenges related to the management of the chronic disease and explain how these challenges limit the ability to deliver effective quality care.

Paper For Above instruction

Chronic diseases pose a significant challenge to public health in the United States, accounting for a substantial proportion of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. For this paper, hypertension will be the selected chronic disease due to its high prevalence, associated complications, and the complexities involved in its management at the population level. Applying the Chronic Care Model (CCM), which emphasizes productive interactions between informed patients and proactive healthcare teams, provides a comprehensive framework for addressing hypertension across diverse populations.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects nearly 45% of adults in the U.S., contributing to increased risks of stroke, heart attack, and kidney disease. Its management requires continuous monitoring, medication adherence, lifestyle modifications, and regular medical interventions. The CCM, developed by Wagner et al. (2001), is particularly suitable because it integrates community resources, healthcare organization, self-management support, delivery system design, decision support, and clinical information systems—elements essential for effective hypertension control at the population level.

The rationale for selecting the CCM stems from its holistic approach, which addresses the multifactorial determinants of hypertension. It emphasizes proactive, planned, patient-centered care and facilitates altering the healthcare delivery process to better support chronic disease management. The model's focus on integrating community resources and personal health information systems aligns with the need for comprehensive interventions that extend beyond traditional clinical settings to include community-based initiatives and mobile health technology (Bodenheimer et al., 2002).

Despite the applicability of the CCM, managing hypertension remains fraught with challenges. One major issue is medication adherence, often compromised by factors such as side effects, cost barriers, and health literacy limitations. Poor adherence can lead to uncontrolled blood pressure, increasing the risk of adverse health outcomes and reducing the effectiveness of treatment programs. Moreover, disparities in healthcare access among underserved populations further complicate management efforts (Krousel-Wood et al., 2011).

Another challenge lies in the tracking and monitoring of blood pressure control across populations. Although clinical information systems are designed to facilitate data collection, disparities in technological infrastructure and data sharing between healthcare settings hinder continuity of care. This leads to missed opportunities for early intervention and inconsistent management strategies. Consequently, these issues hinder the ability to deliver high-quality care, which is essential for improving patient outcomes and reducing the socioeconomic burden associated with hypertension.

To address these challenges, strategies such as integrating community health workers into care teams, expanding use of telehealth and mobile health apps, and implementing policy measures to reduce medication costs could enhance hypertension management. Policymakers and healthcare providers must collaborate to develop tailored interventions that promote medication adherence, improve data sharing, and reduce disparities in access to care. Only through such comprehensive, system-wide efforts can the full potential of models like the CCM be realized to effectively reduce the burden of hypertension at the population level.

References

• Bodenheimer, T., Wagner, E. H., & Grumbach, K. (2002). Improving primary care for patients with chronic illness. JAMA, 288(14), 1775–1779.
• Krousel-Wood, M., Thomas, S., Muntner, P., & Morisky, D. (2011). Medication adherence: A key factor in achieving blood pressure control and reducing cardiovascular risk. Current Hypertension Reports, 13(4), 318–325.
• Wagner, E. H., Austin, B. T., & Von Korff, M. (2001). Improving outcomes in chronic illness. Managed Care Quarterly, 9(2), 10–25.
• Fabius, R. J., & Pracilio, V. (2015). Population health: Creating a culture of wellness (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
• United Nations. (2011). Non-communicable diseases deemed development challenge of ‘epidemic proportions’ in political declaration adopted during landmark general assembly summit. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/healthcooperation/ncds.html