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Qualities of an Effective Disease Management Program

As of 2010, chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes and some forms of heart disease can't be cured, they can only be managed. Effective disease management enables patients to live with their disease, getting on with their life without being incapacitated. Good disease-management programs may involve drugs, other medical treatments and also changes in patient behavior.

  1. Education

    • The most important tool for managing a chronic illness is the patient's knowledge of the disease, its consequences and what can be done to improve things, according to the Texas Association of Counties. Many patients are ignorant about the effects of the disease and what they can do to minimize its impact on their lives, so education is essential to good disease management. Diabetics who don't know how to keep their condition from getting worse, for example, can suffer damage to the nerves, heart and kidneys, as well as blindness.

    Lifestyle Changes

    • Giving up unhealthy activities and adopting a healthier lifestyle is another key to effective disease management, according to American Family Physician magazine. Doctors routinely recommend changes such as exercising more, eating less, eating healthier food, quitting smoking and drinking and taking prescribed medication regularly. According to the magazine, patients will often go through a process: refusing to change; considering change; making small changes; adopting the full program for controlling their disease; and then maintaining the program despite the temptation to backslide.

    Intervention and Coaching

    • Doctors and nurses will often have to intervene and nudge the patient through the process of change, then coach them to keep going. There's no universal approach, according to American Family Physician; medical professionals must adapt their intervention to the patient's attitudes and situation. A basic first step is to give simple advice--to quit smoking or exercise more, for instance--and see how the patient reacts. A patient who insists he knows lots of smokers who are healthy is at a different point in the process than someone who's trying to quit but can't break the habit.

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