Management of Non-communicable Diseases in Primary Care

The rising healthcare burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has become a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. NCDs encapsulate a range of non-infectious, chronic diseases that are influenced by a plethora of epigenetic, sociodemographic and behavioural determinants. To address the NCD burden, a holistic collaboration of health clinic services, population-wide preventive initiatives and information advocacy is of vital importance. A key facilitator of this integrated process can be conducted through primary care. The primary healthcare approach prioritises strategies related to preventive screening, comprehensive care and service accessibility. Subsequently, this can minimise adverse complications, improve prognosis and minimise the long-term prevalence of NCDs. There has been growing interest in exploring various modes of primary healthcare infrastructure across countries, showing varying degrees of success in improving NCD-related outcomes. However, poor communication across multidisciplinary teams, ineffective allocation of critical resources and the absence of rigorous service standardisation are the key challenges in primary care. Hence, this chapter aims to review the current literature exploring the use of primary care services in NCD management. Current research studies suggest that improving the standard of primary care services is positively associated with reduced mortality rate, increased cost-effectiveness and quality of care.