Chronic Disease Management

Noreen M. Clark & Melissa A. Valerio

Disease management means taking actions to ensure the best possible level of health and functioning for the individual and the least amount of disruption of daily life. Implicit in the concept of chronic disease is the idea that no cure for the given illness is available and the condition must be managed to reduce its impact on the patient, family, and society. Management strategies comprise an individual's means to keep the disease and its effects under control (Clark, 1998; Karoly & Kanfer, 1982). These strategies may be effective or ineffective and may be consistent with clinicians' recommendations or not. Some people left to themselves will derive ways to achieve disease control that physicians or health educators would applaud (e.g., a susceptible asthma patient removing environmental precipitants to symptoms from the living quarters). Many do not (e.g., the person with asthma overusing bronchodilators in an effort to reduce symptoms). Effective disease ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.