ABSTRACT
Healthcare seeks to improve an individual's physical and mental well-being through a well-considered, consistent program of diagnosis and treatment. However, a recent study of consumer healthcare by McGlynn et al. (2003) found that adults in 12 U.S. metropolitan areas received about half (54.9%) of the recommended care processes. Receiving half of the healthcare treatment that has been prescribed has significant implications for patient health, particularly when treating chronic conditions. In the case of diabetes, for example, routine blood sugar monitoring is essential to assess treatment effectiveness, in order to ensure appropriate responses to poor glycemic control and to identify complications of the disease early enough to prevent serious consequences. Yet, only 24% of participants in the study who had diabetes received three or more glycosylated hemoglobin tests over a two-year period. In McGlynn et al.'s study, there was little difference among the proportion of recommended preventive care (54.9%), acute care (53.5%), and care for chronic conditions (56.1%).
