Helping patients help themselves

It ’s easy to imagine a future in which we take care of certain aspects of our health independent of healthcare providers. Limitless access to information, wearables and their attendant digital tools are part of the solution, but so is broader over-the-counter (OTC) access to safe and effective medicines.There ’s an opportunity here for health care companies to put patients even more at the centre of care and to help them achieve better outcomes.Self care also has enormous scope to lower the pressures and negative impacts on health systems globally, particularly for non-chronic and non-serious health conditions but also as part of a care package that can prevent more serious outcomes such as emergency room visits.  “Self care should be the future of health,” says Abbie Lennox, Global Chief Regulatory, Medical, Safety& Compliance Officer for Bayer. “It’s about prevention as well as treatment. It encompasses nutritional products and treatment, for example symptom treatment and allergy management to make sure allergic symptoms don’t develop into something more serious requiring a healthcare visit.”The opportunity is global in scope, with the potential to serve the most economically disadvantaged, such as the 400 million people worldwide who lack access to the most essential health services, as well as the rich nations.  Even in developed economies it has taken on a new relevance, says Lennox. “The pandemic has increased the focus on self care as an impor...
Source: EyeForPharma - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news