Chronic Illness Management

Research overview

What do diabetes, back pain, depression, and heart disease have in common? They're among a host of chronic health problems and disabilities that have traditionally received too little attention from health care systems — until serious complications develop. Modern medicine tends to focus on detecting and treating acute problems, leaving fewer resources for the needs of patients with chronic illnesses, which may be less urgent but are equally important.

Our population is aging rapidly, and people with chronic conditions are living longer. Chronic conditions now affect more than 145 million Americans. About half of Americans over 65 — our nation’s fastest-growing segment — have at least 2 chronic conditions. As our need for improved chronic care grows, health care delivery systems are trying to correct the many deficiencies in current management of chronic diseases.

For over 2 decades, KPWHRI scientists have been developing, implementing, and promoting better models of care for chronic illness. Much of this work is led by the institute's Center for Accelerating Care Transformation (ACT Center), which is widely recognized for its refinement and dissemination of the Chronic Care Model. The ACT Center continues to work with providers nationwide to develop strategies and tools for health care systems seeking to improve chronic illness care.

Such resources are then shared globally through active engagement with international organizations developing guidance and care recommendations. Providers worldwide continue to adapt materials such as the ACT Center’s Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care and Patient-Centered Medical Home Assessment surveys.

Recent publications on Chronic Illness Management

Nichols GA, Desai J, Elston Lafata J, Lawrence JM, O'Connor PJ, Pathak RD, Raebel MA, Reid RJ, Selby JV, Silverman BG, Steiner JF, Stewart WF, Vupputuri S, Waitzfelder B. Construction of a multisite datalink using electronic health records for the identification, surveillance, prevention, and management of diabetes mellitus: the SUPREME-DM project. Prev Chronic Dis. 2012;9:E110. Epub 2012 Jun 7. PubMed

Cholerton B, Baker LD, Trittschuh EH, Crane PK, Larson EB, Arbuckle M, Hernandez H, McCurry SM, Bowen JD, McCormick WC, Craft S. Insulin and sex interactions in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;31(2):401-10. PubMed

Lyles CR, Harris LT, Jordan L, Grothaus L, Wehnes L, Reid RJ, Ralston JD. Patient race/ethnicity and shared medical record use among diabetes patients. Med Care. 2012 May;50(5):434-40. PubMed

Bradley R, Sherman KJ, Catz S, Calabrese C, Oberg EB, Jordan L, Grothaus L, Cherkin D. Adjunctive naturopathic care for type 2 diabetes: patient-reported and clinical outcomes after one year. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 Apr 18;12(1):44. PubMed

Valkanoff TA, Kline-Simon AH, Sterling S, Campbell C, Von Korff M. Functional disability among chronic pain patients receiving long-term opioid treatment. J Soc Work Disabil Rehabil. 2012;11(2):128-42. PubMed