TABLE 2.
Characterizing Population Segments by Health Priorities
| Population Characteristics | Priority Concerns for This Population | Major Components of Health Care | IOM/AHRQ/FACCT Goals for Health Care |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Healthy | Longevity, by preventing accidents, illness, and progression of early stages of disease | Physicians' offices, health clinics, occupational health, and health information available to the public | Staying healthy |
| 2. Maternal and infant health | Healthy babies, low maternal risk, control of fertility | Prenatal services, delivery, and perinatal care; fertility control and enhancement | Staying healthy |
| 3. Acutely ill, with likely return to health | Return to healthy state with minimal suffering and disruption | Emergency services, hospitals, physicians' offices, medications, or short-term rehabilitative services | Getting well |
| 4. Chronic conditions, with generally “normal” function | Longevity, limiting disease progression, accommodating environment | Self-management, physicians' offices, hospitalizations, and ER visits | Living with illness or disability |
| 5. Significant but relatively stable disability, including mental disability | Autonomy, rehabilitation, limiting progression, accommodating environment, caregiver support | Home-based services, environmental adaptation, rehabilitation, and institutional services | Living with illness or disability |
| 6. “Dying” with short decline | Comfort, dignity, life closure, caregiver support, planning ahead | At-home services, hospice, and personal care services | Coping with illness at the end of life |
| 7. Limited reserve and serious exacerbations | Avoiding exacerbations, maintaining function, and specific advance planning | Self-care support, at-home services, 24/7 on-call access to medical guidance, and home-based care | Coping with illness at the end of life |
| 8. Long course of decline, from dementia and/or frailty | Support for caregivers, maintaining function, skin integrity, mobility, and specific advance planning | Home-based services, mobility and care devices, family caregiver training and support, and nursing facilities | Coping with illness at the end of life |