On Thursday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA) and WHO India, unveiled 32 new Standard Treatment Workflows (STWs) for managing common and serious diseases across five medical specialties: cardiothoracic vascular surgery, paediatric cardiology, interventional radiology, neurosurgery, and orthopaedics. This addition builds on the 125 STWs previously released in 2019 and 2022, which covered 23 different specialties.
These STWs offer evidence-based recommendations that simplify treatment procedures in an effort to improve the uniformity and caliber of medical care in India. Every STW is a succinct, one-page document that outlines important steps and protocols for doctors, guaranteeing that patient treatment is consistent throughout the nation’s healthcare system. The goals of this standardization are to support sensible drug use, effective treatment methods, and cost-effective healthcare delivery.
The transformative influence of the STWs was highlighted by Prof. Vinod Kumar Paul of NITI Aayog during the presentation of Volume-IV. He underlined that these recommendations are useful instruments that enable medical practitioners to provide accurate and efficient care, not merely theoretical ones. Healthcare practitioners can improve patient outcomes and provide consistent care by following these guidelines. Prof. Paul emphasized the importance of these STWs in improving India’s healthcare system and called for their inclusion in routine medical practice.
The Department of Health Research’s secretary and the DG of the ICMR, Dr. Rajiv Bahl, emphasized the significance of these procedures in preserving life and raising the standard of treatment. He emphasized the importance of these STWs in medical education and made the case that include them from the outset of training improves the foundation of medical professionals. In order to facilitate a wider implementation of these standards, Dr. Bahl also mentioned the objective of broadly distributing these workflows, especially to medical professional associations and healthcare insurance organizations.
The National Health Authority’s CEO, Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, stated that the partnership with ICMR intends to increase the scope of specializations that STWs cover. Subsequent endeavors will encompass domains such as burn therapy, plastic surgery, and polytrauma. This growth demonstrates a dedication to consistently enhancing patient care by tackling a wide range of medical specialties.
Senior Deputy Director General of ICMR Dr. Ashoo Grover emphasized the profound influence of these STWs on treatment procedures. He underlined that by putting these procedures into place, doctors can provide tailored care, which boosts public trust in the healthcare system.
All things considered, the introduction of these 32 new STWs is a significant step toward harmonizing and enhancing medical procedures throughout India, guaranteeing that patients receive consistent, superior care and strengthening the healthcare system’s resilience.
SOURCE:
MEDICAL DIALOUGES
