Keywords: Family Medicine, NCDs, COVID
Introduction:
The COVID pandemic has disrupted and uprooted the normal flow of life. It has overburdened the health system resulting in increased morbidity and mortality along with interruptions to chronic care, psychological trauma, burnouts and financial losses. There has been an increase in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) which has been overshadowed by the pandemic.
To address the above issue it is important that patients should seek the help of their family physician. A family medicine specialist is best suited to address the NCD issue at the root level as they are the first point of contact for the patient. They can counsel them holistically adhering to and applying the principles of family medicine without stigmatisation of the patient. Every consultation should be seen as an opportunity to educate the patient. We need to focus on the behavioural principles by being specific and taking small steps. We must make the patient and family understand why a particular NCD is important (In the background of COVID), what needs to be addressed and when. A patient-centred practice along with a shared decision-making approach will increase compliance.
In this presentation, based on a literature review of peer-reviewed articles, I will start by discussing the growing burden of NCDs, then move on to describe the role of the family medicine specialist and conclude by integrating the important effects of early prevention, healthy eating and non-medical approaches to overall good health.
Method:
Literature Review
Results:
Conclusions:
#21