Chronic Disease Management

It is easy for patients to become overwhelmed with management of chronic conditions. The other day I saw a middle aged woman in follow-up. She had initially presented for an acute respiratory illness. She was overweight and blood pressure was elevated. She mentioned that she would like to lose weight, quit smoking, eat better, and become more active. We discovered with routine labs that she was also diabetic! We treated for acute illness and began to help her with lifestyle changes. I quickly referred to to our Patient Educator for free help with tobacco cessation, weight loss, diabetic education and overall wellness. The patient educator helped her to quit smoking via the "Quit Now" program. They met weekly for education and support. She was able to begin losing weight, getting her sugar under control, and begin an exercise program. During follow-up her blood pressure was controlled, her sugar was controlled on diet alone, and she continued to be a non-smoker! "I could not have done it alone!" She told me.