More than half of patients assessed by general practitioners (GPs) under a new chronic disease programme have been identified as being at high risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes, according to new research.
The Health Service Executive on Thursday published the first report of the Opportunistic Case Finding Programme at its national conference on integrated care.
Under the programme, GPs conduct specific assessments on patients they believe may be at a high risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes when they attend for another reason.
Since it commenced two years ago, GPs have assessed nearly 200,000 patients as part of the programme. Of these, 105,569 were found to be at high risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes and there were a further 6,000 previously undiagnosed cases of chronic disease.
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Furthermore, one in seven of those assessed under the programme (26,000 people) were identified as having undiagnosed chronic kidney disease, almost 2,000 of which were severe cases.
Dr Orlaith O’Reilly, HSE lead for the GP Chronic Disease Management Programme, said about a third of people with chronic disease are walking around undiagnosed in this area.
“That’s until it gets to an emergency point,” she said. “But a lot of damage can be done by then. If we take diabetes, for example, it can silently begin and cause significant damage to the eyes, feet, many things.”
Dr O’Reilly said a high identification rate should be regarded as a positive thing as it allows for early intervention and treatment, preventing the disease from progressing or, in some cases, enabling patients to reverse their diabetes. The patients identified are now receiving medical intervention.
She called for the programme to be expanded to include a number of other conditions, including chronic kidney disease and genetic high cholesterol.
Speaking at the conference, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said Ireland’s ageing and growing population “poses new and significant challenges for the health service”.
“The demand for health services will continue to grow, while the range of services required will expand,” he said. “Ireland’s preparedness for dealing with this challenge from a health service perspective will be key to ensuring people not only continue to live long but live well.”
HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster highlighted the ongoing efforts of healthcare workers and said working in the health service comes with “unique challenges and rewards”. He said there had been improvements in the health service over the past year, with a 20 per cent reduction in the number of patients on trolleys between January and May.
“As we look ahead, the road is undoubtedly challenging. Our programme of transformational change and regional reform will modernise how we provide healthcare so that we are equipped to deal with the increasing demand and allow us to integrate acute and community care locally across the country.”
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