New Research Finds Challenges in Symptom Recognition and Diagnostic Testing can impact Patient Satisfaction for People with Vascular Disease

New Delhi, 16 November (H.S): Abbott, a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life, today released new global market research from its Beyond Intervention initiative, the company?s multi-year global research program designed to examine the vascular patient experience from the perspectives of patients, physicians and healthcare leaders. The latest research focuses on challenges that arise for physicians and patients during the earliest stages of the patient journey, uncovering new opportunities for health systems and hospitals to leverage technology, break down existing barriers and improve patient care.

The findings from Beyond Intervention identify several key areas for improvement related to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. These include reducing inconsistencies in patient care delivery, improving access to technology to support accurate diagnosis, and addressing issues of health equity that result in inadequate care for underserved communities. The report also underscores the differences in how patients and healthcare providers perceive the effectiveness of the care being delivered.

“The latest data from the Beyond Intervention initiative reveals diverging views between patients and healthcare administrators on how each views the patient experience and the impact of inequities across the healthcare continuum,” said Nick West M.D., chief medical officer and divisional vice president of medical affairs at Abbott?s vascular business. “This research solidifies the need for physicians to leverage innovative technologies to improve the ability to make and communicate a diagnosis as early as possible in the patient journey.”

The Beyond Intervention initiative secured feedback from more than 1,800 patients with cardiovascular disease, physicians and healthcare leaders. The research uncovered the growing demand for an industry-wide standard in technology to better assess vascular diseases. Insights from this research can help hospitals and physicians improve the patient experience.

Improved patient experiences depend on appropriate intervention in the earliest stages of the healthcare journey. The research suggests that setting industry-wide standards in diagnostic technologies, including tools, processes and training, can optimize the patient experience. This will enable physicians to make faster, more accurate individual diagnoses and referrals, including continuing physician and patient education on disease state awareness and symptom identification.

Health administrators and patients have differing views on the current patient experience. The Beyond Intervention research reveals that healthcare administrators are more likely to rate an experience for people suffering from cardiovascular disease as more positive than the patients themselves. However, both patients and physicians in India see the CAD/PAD experience much better than global averages. With respect to patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) in India, 60% of health administrators consider the patient experience ideal, while 54% of patients believe this to be true.

Lack of electronic medical record interoperability is causing more than patient frustration. Over a third of vascular patients stated they have to “constantly” provide medical history and information to physicians. In addition, 1 in 4 healthcare providers and 37% hospital leaders believe a lack of medical record integration among providers results in a limited exchange of patient history and information, creating inefficiencies and barriers for early and accurate diagnosis of CAD and PAD.