NHS 'can't cope' with multi-disease patients
Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 11:06 pm
The health system in the UK cannot cope with the rising number of under-65s with long-term medical conditions and needs "radical change", says a study in The Lancet.
A team of researchers analysing 1.75 million people in Scotland found that nearly a quarter had two or more chronic diseases.
Their care was often co-ordinated poorly and inefficient, the study said.
The team wants a more personal approach to patients with complex problems.
At present, healthcare services, medical research and the education of medical students are dominated by a focus on individual diseases, the study authors say.
Yet rising numbers of people are living with more than two long-term disorders, called "multimorbidity", which could include coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke and depression.
In general, people with multimorbidity are more likely to live in deprived areas and have a poorer quality of life. Their care is fragmented because they see a number of different specialists.... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/2479