GREAT BAY– The Island Government of St. Maarten is in the process of developing a Care Standard system for the community.
Dr. Javier Asin from Advanced Care Solutions and Insights for Optimization (ACSION), has been contracted by the government to carry out the necessary groundwork with respect to developing a care standard system for the island.
In 2009 the Preventive Health Department continues with the initiative to develop a Diabetes Mellitus Management framework. After consultation the scope was later broadened to cover other cardiovascular diseases and include it into a Cardiovascular Risk Management (CRVM) system.
Cardiovascular diseases rate high in the cause of death in St. Maarten and the number of people with cardiovascular risks is increasing.
The CVRM enables inclusion of patients who need the same treatment and care even though they are not yet diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. The CVRM Care Standard is the basis and starting point for the programmatic approach in providing treatment to the patient.
It defines the norms of optimal care in a partnership between physician and patient where two treatment portfolios are decided upon and given. The Care Standard describes the necessary steps in the care continuum on the basis of evidence based medicine, insights from the practice and patients.
The process of establishing the standards consist of various local health care providers in the medical field coming together to discuss the medical and psychological conditions of the patients, identify the risks and the respective treatment describing how optimal care is organized and implemented, how to involve patients in the care process and how policies and reimbursement can facilitate and encourage optimal care.
The St. Maarten Health Survey in 1999 revealed unhealthy lifestyles such as only 24 per cent of the people exercises regularly; a minority, 37 per cent consumes vegetables and 34 per cent fruits every day. This has lead to obesity of not less than 74 per cent of the population.
Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for considerable loss of quality of life. The people who die from cardiovascular diseases are in most cases the principal cost winner of the family. The loss of their love ones has a huge impact on the income of the family and the development of the children and their chances to escape poverty.
Cardiovascular diseases place a major burden on the healthcare budget of a nation. When measures are not taken, health care costs can spiral out of control for a small community such as St. Maarten. Appropriate treatment and monitoring to prevent complications, will reduce the pressures on healthcare and in particular the unnecessary burden of disease.