Curriculum for General Practice - The Royal New Zealand College ...

Long-term Conditions
L
Long-term Conditions
Long-term, or chronic, conditions as they
are often called, are defined by the World
Health Organization as having one or
more of the following characteristics: they
are permanent, leave residual disability,
are caused by nonreversible pathological
alteration, require special training of
the patient for rehabilitation, or may be
expected to require a long period of
supervision and care. 1
The New Zealand National Health Committee (NHC) in 2007
defined a chronic condition as any ongoing, long-term or
recurring condition that can have a significant impact on
people’s lives. 2
Long-term conditions (LTC) and their management place a
significant burden on health services in New Zealand. ‘Two
in every three New Zealand adults have been diagnosed with
at least one long-term condition and long-term conditions
are the leading driver of health inequalities.’ 3 Long-term
conditions account for more than 80 percent of deaths. 4
Primary care has an increasingly important role in longterm
condition management with the move to provide
services closer to home and, in particular, to shift services
from secondary to primary care. This is a key part of the
Government’s policy. ‘Primary health care has a part to
play in helping reduce acute demand pressure on hospitals
by better managing chronic conditions and proactively
supporting high need populations.’ 5 85
1
WHO. 2005. Preventing Chronic Disease: A vital assessment. Geneva: World Health Organization.
2
http://www.nhc.health.govt.nz/resources/publications/meeting-needs-people-chronic-conditions
3
Ministry of Health. 2008b. A Portrait of Health. Key Results of the 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey. Wellington: Ministry of Health cited in http://www.health.govt.nz/
publication/report-new-zealand-cost-illness-studies-long-term-conditions
4
National Health Committee. 2007. Meeting the Needs of People with Chronic Conditions: Hāpai te Whānau mo Ake Ake Tonu. Wellington: National Advisory Committee
on Health and Disability. Cited in http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/report-new-zealand-cost-illness-studies-long-term-conditions
5
http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/primary-health-care/better-sooner-more-convenient-primary-health-care
6
http://www.improvingchroniccare.org/index.php?p=The_Chronic_Care_Model&s=2
7
http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/primary-health-care/primary-health-care-services-and-projects/care-plus
8
http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/diabetes/get-checked-programme
www.rnzcgp.org.nz
Curriculum for General Practice