Abstract
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have become the major contributors to death and disability worldwide. Nearly 80% of the deaths in 2010 occurred in low- and middle-income countries, which have experienced rapid population aging, urbanization, rise in smoking, and changes in diet and activity. Yet the health systems of low- and middle-income countries, historically oriented to infectious disease and often severely underfunded, are poorly prepared for the challenge of caring for people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease. We have discussed how primary care can be redesigned to tackle the challenge of NCDs in resource-constrained countries. We suggest that four changes will be required: integration of services, innovative service delivery, a focus on patients and communities, and adoption of new technologies for communication.
Publication types
-
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
-
Chronic Disease* / economics
-
Chronic Disease* / epidemiology
-
Chronic Disease* / prevention & control
-
Chronic Disease* / therapy
-
Community Health Workers / economics
-
Community Health Workers / standards
-
Community Health Workers / trends
-
Comorbidity
-
Cross-Cultural Comparison
-
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / economics
-
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / standards*
-
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / trends
-
Developing Countries / economics
-
Developing Countries / statistics & numerical data
-
Family Practice / economics
-
Family Practice / standards
-
Family Practice / trends
-
Humans
-
Mass Screening / economics
-
Mass Screening / methods
-
Pain Management / methods
-
Pain Management / standards
-
Patient Care Team / economics
-
Patient Care Team / standards*
-
Patient Care Team / trends
-
Primary Health Care / economics
-
Primary Health Care / standards*
-
Primary Health Care / trends
-
Quality of Life*
-
Risk Factors
-
Telemedicine / economics
-
Telemedicine / standards
-
Telemedicine / trends