The Institute of Medicine’s New Report on Living Well With Chronic Illness

October 19th, 2012 9:16 am ET -

ESSAY

Jeffrey R. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA; Robert B. Wallace, MD, MSc

Suggested citation for this article: Harris JR, Wallace RB. The Institute of Medicine’s New Report on Living Well With Chronic Illness. Prev Chronic Dis 2012;9:120126. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd9.120126

In the United States, chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and chronic lung disease account for 70% of deaths and 75% of health care costs (1,2) and have received attention in the professional and lay literature. Although efforts in managing chronic illness typically originate in the health care system, governmental and community-based public health organizations play an important role in helping people with chronic illness maintain optimal health. To help advance the chronic illness programs and policies of public health organizations, the Institute of Medicine (IOM), with the sponsorship of the Arthritis Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has produced a new report, “Living Well With Chronic Illness: A Call for Public Health Action” (3). In this essay, we highlight findings from the report related to the consequences of chronic illness, the need for enhanced surveillance, the state of interventions and policies to decrease the effects of chronic illness, and the need for coordinated action in both health care and community-based settings. We close with a discussion of the report’s implications for public health organizations.