International Survey: Many Physicians Ill-Prepared to Manage the Sickest Patients
<p>Nearly a quarter of U.S. primary care doctors report their practices are not well prepared to manage care for patients with multiple chronic illnesses, and four of five have the same concerns for patients with severe mental illness, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey findings published in <em>Health Affairs</em>. </p><p>In analyzing responses from more than 11,000 primary care doctors in 10 high-income nations, researchers find that practices across the globe struggle to coordinate care and communicate with other health and social service providers—both keys to managing complex patients. For example, many primary care doctors are not notified when their patients are discharged from the hospital; in the U.S., just one of three primary care doctors say they are always notified when patients are discharged. </p>
<p>Prior research has shown that despite being a younger nation overall, the U.S. has a higher share of patients with multiple chronic illnesses than any of the other nine nations surveyed. </p>
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