Table of Contents Show
Everyone’s life is different; what works for one will not be useful for another. Individual Care Plan uses the same concept to provide patients with a better care plan, which is coming out to be more effective.
As the population grows, simultaneously growth in the number of patients affected by many diseases, common or rare, is being observed. These many patients are surely difficult to handle at once in a hospital. Using the individual care plan somewhat makes it easier as the patients cured at home are provided with a well-designed plan, customized and detailed based on their conditions.
It is cost-effective also, as everyone knows hospital bills are a nightmare, and if you are prone to easily falling sick, they can become a problem. Individual care plan ensures a reduced number of hospital visits with comparatively less expense. The individual care plan is effective for patients suffering from one of these five chronic conditions: heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Chronic diseases are diseases that continue for a long period of time. They can not be cured completely but their symptoms can be managed and controlled. This is done by following a well-defined plan made for individuals by evaluating their health conditions.
Let us now learn more about the Individual care plan.
1. About the Individual Care Plan
Breaking down the words, individual care plan refers to a plan or proposal that provides necessities or measures required to help a specific individual based on their lifestyle and beliefs. Everything is kept in mind, from any minor allergies to your cultural beliefs, while constructing an individual care plan.
Every individual care plan is different for every patient, made by evaluating their condition. It has a combination of needs planned out so that it can be effective for every patient individually. From children to senior citizens, using the care plan has become the need of the hour.
1.1. Comfort
The key concept of making these individualized care plans is that they should not make the patient feel uncomfortable. That’s why getting to know a patient before making the plan is recommended. Every patient wants their every problem to be addressed equally, no matter how small that may be.
It can be just a mild cold or a sprain in the ankle. If the patient knows that their doctor will make them better in no time, half of the doctor’s work is complete.
1.2. Transparent Relation between Patient and Doctor
The process of forming this care plan makes sure that the patient-doctor relationship is transparent. It also includes inputs from the patient’s family that they feel can help make the patient feel good. Everyone likes to think why to go a hospital when you can cure yourself at home? Following an Individual care plan can surely make the above statement true.
As the plan is made by evaluating all the risk factors a person can face, the chances of falling sick will go down drastically. But if you do, it is not a problem as the plan will contain everything you can do to get better at home. Every patient has their own allotted health worker that they can contact at the time they feel that their condition is not good. They will ask you about the symptoms and advise you accordingly.
1.3. Following the Plan Correctly
If you feel that your health conditions are not getting any better, going to a hospital will be your last option. When a patient, despite having an individual care plan, needs to visit a doctor, changes are made to that plan. The first question a doctor would ask would be whether the patient was following the plan.
Making the plan is the health workers’ responsibility, but following it and making it a routine will solely depend on the patient and their family. Family plays an important role in the success of these plans, if the patient is not provided with a well-groomed environment, it can take longer to get them better.
1.4. If the Plan Is Not Working
After ensuring that a patient follows the individual care plan, the doctors will look into what went wrong. It could be a lack of nutrition, heavy medications, or medication that cannot compact the problem. It could be anything, and identifying this cause will be very important to ensure that these events are not repeated.
It is not like an individual care plan is given to a patient, and they are responding positively to it; the doctor’s work is complete. Rather it is half-done, regular check-ups with the patients to check their condition and make changes to the plan will be required. The changes may include less medication and an increase in exercise to check if the body can handle it or not.
2. Importance of an Individual Care Plan
The plausible benefit of an individual care plan is that it not only takes care of a patient after they have suffered from an illness, but it also allows a plan for senior citizens or persons with weak immunity so that they do not fall prey to diseases easily.
2.1. For Older People
The individual care plan is also made for adults who are in the last stages of their lives. Knowing beforehand that your days are limited can be very depressing, which will surely affect their health and worsen their condition. All these adults who know that they will not live long only need care and support from people around them; they need to feel valued.
Making an Individual care plan in this type of situation needs the utmost attention, as the patient should not feel that people around them are being forced to do something because they are going to die. Health workers ensure to collect information from their family members about the patient’s preferences and make sure that all their needs are catered to.
The plan will contain key inputs from the people closest to the patient as they will prove to be the most significant in making these plans work. Providing home health care so that the patients are able to spend their last days with family, allowing the patients to do something that was on their bucket list, keeping in mind that their health does not get affected by what a plan for these adults will look like.
2.2. For Children
The individual care plan is becoming a necessity for children too. Identifying the underlying symptoms in childhood can be very beneficial as the diseases can be tackled pretty early and will not require advanced care or treatment. It also helps children in the growth of their mental, social, emotional, and physical development.
These plans are followed in the early years of childhood, and then a check-up of the children is done. If some child is suffering from some disease, the plan is altered, and changes are made to combat that disease keeping the child’s need in mind. When no signs of any disease are noticed, the plan can be discontinued.
As children can show a tantrum in following a plan, the plan should be made in accordance with their lifestyle so that they don’t have a problem following it. One person does not make these plans; rather, a team is involved, including the family, social worker, school, and the group of doctors advising the plan.
The respective school in which the children are studying should be well notified so that the children do not feel uncomfortable or out of place while following the plan. When it comes to children battling diseases, it can be disheartening to watch, but we should know that the children will perceive the situation as they are made to see it. If they
3. Examples of an Individual Care Plan
Let’s see how patients suffering from chronic diseases can benefit from an Individual Care Plan.
3.1. Diabetes
Diabetes is a very chronic disease that can be life-threatening. It occurs when the body, or specifically the pancreas, cannot produce insulin or is not making good use of it. The most common causes of diabetes are family genes and being overweight. Your lifestyle also plays a major role in being a diabetic.
Once the person is found to be diabetic, nothing can be done to cure it completely. Measures can be taken to control diabetes. That’s where an Individual care plan comes into place. An individual suffering from diabetes needs various aspects to be covered in their plan.
A balanced diet at regular time intervals, exercising, jogging, walking, and yoga will be prescribed to the patients who have diabetes. Stress and lack of sleep can worsen the conditions that the health workers will surely want the patients to avoid.
The plan made by the doctors will ask the patients about their daily routine and add changes to it accordingly. Drastic changes will not be there as the patient should come to terms with the plan first so that they can follow it smoothly.
If a family member has diabetes, you are automatically at a higher risk. Being overweight and having an unbalanced diet will only add up to it.
3.2. Hypertension
Chronic disease can lead to many severe health conditions, even death, if not controlled properly. Hypertension is basically high blood pressure, and most people do not even realize that they are suffering from hypertension. When proper care is not provided, hypertension can lead to many cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and aneurysm.
An individual care plan for a person suffering from Hypertension will outline that the patient should engage in regular exercises. Exercise, yoga, and meditation have many tangible benefits for regulating hypertension and many other diseases. The exercise plan will be made in accordance with the patient’s lifestyle, and his/her time of work will be kept in mind so that their work is not compromised.
The next and crucial point in the individual care plan will be the diet. Reduced salt intake, eating more vegetables and fruits, and less alcohol intake will be the key points for a balanced diet. While discussing the diet, you will be asked about any allergies if they are vegan, or any other specification they would like in their diet so that the diet chart could be made according to it.
Lastly, the individual care plan will have some prescribed medication based on the individual’s condition.
3.3. Asthma
A chronic disease, that cannot be cured, but its symptoms can be controlled. Asthma occurs when the airways, from which the air goes inside our body, narrows or swell, making it difficult to breathe. Gasping, wheezing, shortness of breath, and continuous coughing are some signs of asthma.
As Asthma is a disease that has different effects on every other individual, the Individual care plan for asthma will be more detailed. Some patients suffer from asthma attacks frequently, while some have asthma attacks triggered in certain situations only. Identifying these situations will be the first step in the care plans.
Patients with Asthma require regular checking and monitoring of their conditions as it is a disease that changes its course over time. What causes asthma is still not clear, but family genetics, allergies to airborne pollutants, and other environmental factors contribute to it.
The individual care plan for asthma patients will include all the allergies that can trigger an attack. What to do during an asthma attack and how to avoid it in the future. It is common sense that if you have asthma, then smoking is not allowed, but patients should be careful that secondhand smoke does not reach them.
Second-hand smoke can be as dangerous as smoking on its own. The doctor, patient, and all the people involved in making the individual care plan for asthma patients should know every minuscule detail of what can go wrong so that the plan is effective.
An Excellent Choice
Individual Care plan is being used all around the world to make patient care more constructive and productive. The patients with a care plan also respond positively to it, making it a successful project.
If you liked this article, here is something that you may like.
Also, read:
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology
Author
