How to deal with a chronic disease during the Covid-19 pandemic

How to deal with a chronic disease? This is the question that has been circulating more and more forcefully within the health sector. In Europe, chronic diseases account for 75% of health budgets and about 85% of premature deaths (data updated from 2019).

In Italy, we are familiar with this issue; however, as the years go by, there are increasingly overwhelming doubts about the sustainability of a sector ( that of the national health system ), which oftentimes cannot keep up with the times and innovations.

In this article we want to examine how to deal with a chronic disease thanks to the support of telemedicine, an indispensable tool, destined to play a leading role even with the end of the pandemic.

In this article we want to examine how to deal with a chronic disease thanks to the support of telemedicine, an indispensable tool, destined to play a leading role even with the end of the pandemic.

What are chronic diseases?

Among the chronic pathologies we find:

• heart disease
• cancer
• vision and hearing defects
• diabetes
• respiratory diseases
• musculoskeletal disorders
• gastrointestinal disorders
• other genetic diseases

Difficulties inherent in a chronic disease

One of the main difficulties revolve around the acceptance phase. The change imposed from the outside (in this case, the disease), has many similarities with the process that takes place in a phase of mourning. To help patients cope with this type of situation, the support of a psychologist is fundamental.

As a result of the diagnosis, numerous subjects express a tendency to isolation, thus rejecting the possibility of establishing emotional relationships. In these moments it could be useful to turn to support groups and/or people who have faced the same issues.

How to deal with a chronic disease? The revolution of the National Health System

It is clear that, for the NHS, managing these patients can become burdensome and unsustainable.

The Ministry of Health is gradually focusing on how to deal with chronic diseases using digital health. Investing in these types of innovative solutions would strengthen the entire healthcare system and would, as a result, optimize the medical/patient relationship.

Mario Draghi has expressed his support towards the enhancement and use of digital healthcare, as a tool which will be able to transform the patient’s home in a place where the utmost care can be provided.

This health reform is now possible thanks to telemedicine and integrated home care, exploiting these tools, to strengthen and reorganize the health care in our country.².

The benefits

A significant decrease in the death rate due to chronic diseases would be the direct consequence of home monitoring. Thanks to this kind of services, doctors are able to keep in close contact with the patient and follow them in all the different phases of treatment:

• diagnosis
• monitoring
• disease management

ICT (Information and communications technology)

Thanks to tools and systems that use ICT as a communication tool, it has been possible to reach a reasonable degree of timeliness in informing about situations of danger or urgency. While these tools can provide an answer on how to deal with a chronic disease through continuous control, they also allow families to feel supported.

Bibliography

1. Ippocrate AS | Malattie croniche: e-health e gestione del paziente cronico. Agosto 2019
2. Il Sole 24 ore | Territorio e telemedicina: la riforma della sanità post Covid secondo Draghi. Febbraio 2020