How to Overcome Health Care Barriers to Manage Chronic Illnesses

According to the World Health Organization on chronic illnesses, over 41 million people suffer and die from chronic conditions. Also known as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), these issues mainly affect older people, but as many as 17 million NCD deaths occur before the age of 70. The article “Breaking Down Chronic Illnesses in Asia” notes that around 60% of adults around the world have at least one chronic illness. Common conditions include cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, or diabetes — many of which stem from lifestyle choices like unhealthy diets, poor physical fitness, and smoking.

Once developed, these sicknesses can last the remainder of a person’s life. These illnesses aren’t easy to deal with as they often come with symptoms and other complications that cause pain or hinder day-to-day activities, making healthcare necessary for easing these problems. However, many problems come with receiving healthcare for NCDs. In this article, we’ll visit some healthcare barriers patients must overcome and how they can manage their chronic illnesses:

Medication affordability

With managing chronic conditions, prescription drugs are a vital part of a patient’s life. These medications can help control chronic conditions, decrease symptoms and complications, and improve overall health. However, low-income persons may struggle to sustain medications on top of other needs. This may leave them with no choice but to skip necessary medicine due to finances, worsening their health and potentially leading to higher medical costs in the long term.

Our article “Affordability” visits different solutions for lowering drug costs tackled by Pharmacy Times and Forbes magazine. The first solution involves each country paying a fair share to purchase medication from a pharmaceutical company, helping ease production costs, and lowering drug prices. On the other hand, there is also the potential to cut out the Pharmacy Benefits Managers who act as middlemen between drug companies and patients. Greater transparency on drug costs can ensure that consumers aren’t burdened with overinflated prices and can afford medication to treat their chronic conditions.

Health literacy and knowledge

To take control of their well-being, patients need to be health literate and knowledgeable about their chronic conditions. Without a proper understanding of health-related information, patients may struggle to manage NCDs and engage in activities that may potentially hurt their health, leading to increased hospital stays and compromised health.

A rising solution to improving health literacy and knowledge is eHealth. As noted in a study on eHealth interventions by the Life journal, digital tools and platforms effectively give reliable, personalized care for chronic conditions. Telemonitoring has boosted healthcare provider and patient communication, improving self-maintenance and enabling early detection of complications. Furthermore, eHealth resources and technologies have enabled patients to be more knowledgeable about their health, allowing them to make more informed decisions. Although additional challenges exist in using digital technologies, especially among older patients, these digital tools can significantly reduce avoidable hospitalizations and improve self-care.

Cultural and illness stigmatization

Another significant barrier in chronic illness treatment is the stigmatization of patients. In some countries, minority races and ethnicity and minority sexual orientation groups have been treated with strong negative attitudes. In worse cases, they have been discriminated against from receiving proper healthcare. People suffering from certain illnesses are also not spared — like patients suffering from obesity facing much judgment and stereotyping. All these negative experiences have discouraged patients from consulting medical professionals, slowing their treatment process and recovery.

As part of overcoming these biases, more governments and organizations are implementing healthcare policies. Australia is dealing with stigmatization on mental health conditions, a major NCD group, already has more than 60 programs and initiatives to fight against the stigma of mental illness. These include training and education programs for healthcare providers, helping eliminate stigmatization in managing patients suffering from these sicknesses. With extensive public support, more patients can get the quality care they need to manage chronic diseases.

Specially written for VAICA.com

By: Relena Josie