I've been thinking about an easy description to share with patients to help them understand the difference between acute care and chronic care. I'm not there yet. It is actually the topic for our support groups in September. Jana and I will be working on it between now and then. If you have any ideas you would like to share with us, please feel free to let me know. You can post on this blog or send an e-mail to me at
Brenda.09pres@gmail.com
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Here's an idea for patients...
ReplyDeleteAn acute problem is one that can be treated quickly & full recovery occurs. An example is strep throat. A sort course of an antibiotic leads to full recovery; no further treatment is needed. One returns to his usual state of health. A chronic problem requires attention for the remainder of life to maintain health. While a chronic disease can be controlled, it can never be completely cured.
Thanks -- I'll adopt that scenario in my next discussion. But I feel like this statement is just a portion of the understanding. Perhaps the biggest portion has to deal with changing the mindset of how 'good health care' is defined. In acute care - the healthcare professional is authoritative and directive, the patient is passive and 'compliant'. In chronic care, the patient must be actively involved in learning a new set of self-management skills and the healthcare professional must learn to be a coach of behavior changes. I think there is a big leap from acute care to chronic care and many individuals do not even acknowledge the need for two very different approaches. What do you think?
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