REJUVENATING CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT IN MALAYSIAN PRIVATE GENERAL PRACTICE

• Main Authors: PITERMAN L, WIJESINHA S, RAMLI AS
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia 2010-01-01
• Series: Malaysian Family Physician
• Subjects: Chronic disease management; chronic care model; private general practice; Malaysia.
• Online Access: http://www.e-mfp.org/2010v5n1/pdf/Rejuvenating_chronic_disease_management.pdf

Rapid epidemiological transition globally has witnessed a rising prevalence of major chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, obesity, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers over the past 30 years. In Malaysia, these conditions are commonly managed in primary care and published evidence has consistently shown suboptimal management and poor disease control. This in turn, has led to the massive burden of treating complications in secondary care, burden tothe patients and their families with regards to morbidity and premature death, and burden to the country with regards to premature loss of human capital. The crushing burden and escalating health care costs in managing chronic diseases pose a daunting challenge to our primary care system, as we remain traditionally oriented to care for acute, episodic illnesses. This paper re-examines the current evidence supporting the implementation of Wagner Chronic Care Model in primary careglobally; analyses the barriers of implementation of this model in the Malaysian private general practice through SWOT(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis; and discusses fundamental solutions needed to bridge the gap to achieve better outcomes.