Health Informatics and Disease Management and Chronic Care

Health Informatics and Disease Management and Chronic Care

Diseases and chronic conditions come with many costs that cannot all be measured in dollars: physical, emotional, psychological, and more. Yet, for the individuals who have these diseases and conditions as well as their communities, states, and even countries at large, the actual costs of certain chronic conditions and diseases tend to mount, and can drastically reduce savings and coffers. Once individuals get to the point where they can no longer pay for their own care, it often falls to governments and other entities to make up the difference.

Governments and private organizations of all types, then, have a stake in managing the health of populations in order to reduce costs and improve measurable outcomes to these populations. Informatics tools are critical to identifying these populations and providing interventions in many cases. Health informatics tools are also critical to support the ongoing data analysis that occurs when health and demographic data are continuously collected on populations. Similar to the goals of prevention and wellness, it is important to consider the three levels of prevention—primary, secondary, and tertiary—in developing population health informatics strategies related to disease management and chronic care.

For this Discussion, you select a chronic care or disease management challenge. You will use provided data sources in order to describe the scope of the population as well as other relevant aspects. Then, you explain the implications of this challenge to your selected population. Finally, you propose a specific population health informatics strategy that might improve the disease management and chronic health problem and justify why.

To Prepare:

Select an example of an existing population health problem related to disease management and chronic care.

Conduct your own research and select 2 or 3 peer-reviewed articles related to this population health problem.

As you read the articles, consider implications of different levels of prevention to the problem: primary, secondary, and tertiary.

Use the provided data sources, weekly readings, and research to support your Discussion.

By Day 3

Post using provided data sources and readings along with 2 or 3 peer-reviewed articles that you find in the library:

A description of the population and health challenges related to disease management or chronic care that you selected. Include in your description an explanation of the scope of the population (e.g., geographic, demographic) and other specifics about the population.

An explanation of the implications (e.g., economical/financial, societal, cultural) of disease management and chronic care to your population. Be specific and provide examples related to primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention if possible.

Finally, propose one specific example of the kinds of systems and data that can be used to improve the disease management or chronic healthcare problem you selected for your population and justify why.

By Day 5

Respond to at least two colleagues.

Propose another specific example of the kinds of systems and data that can be used to improve the disease management or chronic healthcare problem your colleague selected for their population.