Integrated approaches to prevention and control of chronic conditions

Abstract

Chronic conditions currently account for more than 50% of the global disease burden, and this figure is projected to continue to rise. Yet, around the world, health care systems are not organized to provide effective and efficient care for chronic health problems. Health care systems have evolved around the concept of acute, infectious disease, and they perform best when addressing patients' acute and urgent symptoms. Without change, health care systems will grow increasingly inefficient and ineffective. Effective prevention, management, and rehabilitation of chronic conditions require an evolution of health care, away from a model that is focused on acute symptoms toward a coordinated, comprehensive system of care. The results of this shift include less waste and improved efficiency. Integrated health care models that transcend specific illnesses provide a feasible solution. The World Health Organization's Innovative Care for Chronic Conditions Framework provides a flexible but comprehensive model to build or redesign health systems in accord with local resources and demands. © 2005 by the International Society of Nephrology.