A study published in The Lancet has revealed that the NHS is struggling to co-ordinate care for people with multiple conditions.

Approximately 1.75 million people in Scotland were analysed in the study, of which it was found that nearly a quarter had “multimorbidity”, meaning that they suffer from two or more chronic diseases. These conditions were found in many cases to include Coronary Heart Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, Stroke and Depression.

The authors of the study state that care for patients with multiple disorders was often co-ordinated poorly and inefficient, with the focus of research and education for medical students on single diseases only. The report stated that in general, people with multimorbidity are more likely to live in deprived areas and have a poorer quality of life. As a result, their care is likely to be fragmented because they see a number of different specialists.

Bruce Guthrie, Professor of Primary Care Medicine at Dundee University who led the study asserted that the current approach towards treating multimorbidity needs to change. “Existing approaches need to be complemented by support for the work of generalists, providing continuity, co-ordination, and above all a personal approach for people with multimorbidity” he said.

Graham Watt, Professor of General Practice at Glasgow University, said that rather than more specialists, patients with multiple conditions “need someone who can oversee all the problems of a patient”.

“These patients need continuity, and we need ways of measuring how well care is joined-up” Watt said.

In order that clinicians can adequately manage patients with multiple disorders, Therapy Services should look towards the implementation of collaborative systems. An Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system such as Therapy Manager is highly focused on efficiently capturing clinical activity within Therapies. It enables therapists across all professions to view all aspects of the patient journey, including Referrals, Notes, Assessments, Letters and Discharges. The Therapies Viewer can also be used by any healthcare professional, allowing the sharing of information and collaboration around treating multiple conditions.

Original Source BBC News

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.