Medical Care Taking into Account Chronicity - Essay Example

During my reading of this week’s articles, I was able to establish that older patients perceived the impact of their chronic conditions to be of a lesser degree as compared to what health professionals perceived it to be. This implied for me as a health professional that there is a need to consider not just the professional opinions about the impact of diseases on patients, but also to consider the impact of such diseases on the patients themselves. I have also established from my readings that family physicians have a greater impact and role on disease management as compared to specialists in chronic care.

They are more likely to be trusted by patients because of their community and family-centered approach to care. Finally, I have learned from my readings that the current progress and gains made in medicine are a product of history and that the past and traditional methods of medicine still have a place in contemporary practice when taken in their proper context and in caring for chronically ill patients. Life-limiting illnesses can also limit the productivity of the government due to the reduced productivity of workers.

The above discussion implies how important it is for the government to establish a chronic care program which can address the health needs of these patients and minimize the impact of these life-limiting diseases on the patients, their families, and on the health system as a whole.