Amy, Thanks for your interest. I was a consultant for a company producing home test systems for diabetes (now sold by Johnson & Johnson). I thus became familiar with the public health impact of diabetes, and the fact that most people did not fully manage their condition (most did not test their blood sugar frequently enough.) Because blood sugar tests could generate a test result as a number, this seemed to make it easier for doctors and patients to evaluate the condition. Diabetes is a fairly advanced market and the poster child of chronic disease management.
In parallel, I have been involved in publishing patient handbooks for people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or sleep apnea. These books combined the insights and experiences of a person living with the condition, and the best current medical information. As much as these books were an important help to patients, I felt that a broader system was needed.
That led me to research the management of chronic disease, and of course much of that field is colored by the experience of diabetes. The commonalities among various chronic diseases: apnea, COPD, diabetes, and others should lead to a new model of care and treatment that enables patients to better manage their conditions. For an outline as I see it, please see: The Chronic Disease Crisis: a white paper
A report like that on diabetes by Ian Urbina in the N Y Times demonstrates a growing awareness of the limitations of our present methods, and encourages me to believe that change will become possible soon.
Diabetes, the Chronic Disease
Amy, Thanks for your interest. I was a consultant for a company producing home test systems for diabetes (now sold by Johnson & Johnson). I thus became familiar with the public health impact of diabetes, and the fact that most people did not fully manage their condition (most did not test their blood sugar frequently enough.) Because blood sugar tests could generate a test result as a number, this seemed to make it easier for doctors and patients to evaluate the condition. Diabetes is a fairly advanced market and the poster child of chronic disease management.
In parallel, I have been involved in publishing patient handbooks for people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or sleep apnea. These books combined the insights and experiences of a person living with the condition, and the best current medical information. As much as these books were an important help to patients, I felt that a broader system was needed.
That led me to research the management of chronic disease, and of course much of that field is colored by the experience of diabetes. The commonalities among various chronic diseases: apnea, COPD, diabetes, and others should lead to a new model of care and treatment that enables patients to better manage their conditions. For an outline as I see it, please see: The Chronic Disease Crisis: a white paper
A report like that on diabetes by Ian Urbina in the N Y Times demonstrates a growing awareness of the limitations of our present methods, and encourages me to believe that change will become possible soon.