An ambulatist is a licensed
health care
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
provider who specializes in the prevention, management, and care coordination of
ambulatory patients with chronic diseases by using lifestyle medicine and drug therapy.
History
Nearly half of all Americans live with at least one chronic condition and ~70% of all American deaths can be attributed directly to chronic diseases. Care coordination is necessary to curb the progression and cost associated with chronic disease in The United States.
The ambulatist model of care coordination began in 2008 at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. The Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Prog ram (CVRRP) and Diabetes Risk Reduction Program (DMRRP) are employee wellness benefit programs for Creighton employees with the diagnoses of
hypertension
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...
,
dyslipidemia
Dyslipidemia is a metabolic disorder characterized by abnormally high or low amounts of any or all lipids (e.g. fats, triglycerides, cholesterol, phospholipids) or lipoproteins in the blood. Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for the development of ...
and/or
diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
.
The programs are run by a health care specialty position called the "ambulatist". An ambulatist can be any licensed health care provider who receives training in direct patient care and lifestyle medicine. The areas of lifestyle medicine emphasized can include physical activity, nutrition, weight control, stress management, sleep success and tobacco cessation.
Creighton University
Creighton University () is a private research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate ...
is now developing an ambulatist training program to expand the use of ambulatist services across a variety of practice settings.
Goals and responsibilities
The goals of an ambulatist include:
* Advocacy for improved patient outcomes.
* Integrating services and resources.
* Avoiding duplicated, contraindicated or incompatible treatments and unnecessary costs.
* Improving patient and caregiver education.
* Enhancing the overall care of the patient.
The responsibilities of an ambulatist include:
* Designing and implementing individualized lifestyle medicine programs consisting of physical activity, nutrition, weight control, stress management, sleep success, alcohol moderation, tobacco cessation and others.
* Designing and implementing individualized health behavior change strategies.
* Acting as an advocate for the needs of the patient and as a liaison for the patient's health care providers.
* Facilitating inter-professional health care on behalf of the individual patient including effective communication and coordination of treatment and prevention strategies.
* Monitoring outcomes and resource use.
* Ensuring patient adherence to individualized lifestyle programs, drug therapy, and other prescribed interventions.
* Communicating with the family members of the patient to inform and educate.
See also
*
Ambulatory care
Ambulatory care or outpatient care is Health care, medical care provided on an outpatient basis, including diagnosis, observation, consultation, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation services. This care can include advanced medical technolog ...
*
Primary care
Primary care is a model of health care that supports first-contact, accessible, continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated person-focused care. It aims to optimise population health and reduce disparities across the groups by ensuring equitable ...
*
Reason for encounter
Reason is the capacity of Consciousness, consciously applying logic by Logical consequence, drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activit ...
*
Health care provider
A health care provider is an individual health professional or a health facility organization licensed to provide health care diagnosis and treatment services including medication, surgery and medical devices. Health care providers often rece ...
*
Ambulatory care nursing
Ambulatory care nursing is the nursing care of patients who receive treatment on an outpatient basis, ie they do not require admission to a hospital for an overnight stay. Ambulatory care includes those clinical, organizational and professional act ...
*
Ambulatory as a medical term
*
National Association for Ambulatory Urgent Care
The National Association for Ambulatory Urgent Care, or NAFAC, is a national professional organization for ambulatory care clinic owners and physicians specializing in ambulatory care. The association was founded in 1973. As of July 2006, the group ...
References
{{Reflist
Health care occupations