Non-physician work force can help control cardiac diseases

New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) A new healthcare model that empowers the non-physician work force to diagnose individuals at a high risk of cardio-vascular diseases has considerable potential, a study has found.

"Models of care that empower the non-physician health care workers to work alongside physicians and support them to diagnose and manage high-risk individuals appears to have considerable potential to deal with the growing burden of cardio-vascular disease in resource poor settings," a series of studies done at the George Institute for Global Health, Hyderabad, said.

Based on the results of the Rural Andhra Pradesh Cardiovascular Prevention Study (RAPCAPS), the George Institute for Global Health has launched a project called SMART Health, a release said here Tuesday.

The project will explore the use of technology along with a proper mechanism of task sharing between the physicians and the non-physician health force that can provide the way forward for managing cardio-vascular diseases.

"We need to innovate models of care that train and empower Non-Physician Health Workers (NPHW) to diagnose and treat high-risk individuals with cardio-vascular disease," D. Praveen, senior research fellow George Institute for Global Health-India, said.