Should disease management be feared? (1) : hospital care
Gaspoz, J.M.; Rutschmann, O.
Revue Medicale Suisse 1(42): 2712-2714; 2716
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 1660-9379 PMID: 16366445 Accession: 060247208
The goals of disease management are: (1) an integrated health care delivery system; (2) knowledge-based care; (3) elaborate information systems; (4) continuous quality improvement. In-hospital disease management and, more specifically, critical pathways, establish standardized care plans, set goals and time actions to reach these goals. They can reduce variations in practice patterns and resource utilization without compromising quality of care. Such strategies participate to quality improvement programs in hospitals when they involve and empower all actors of a given process of care, are not imposed from outside, and use sound and rigorous development and evaluation methods.