Course of Evidence based chronic illness care

The course Evidence Based Chronic Illness Care (EBCIC) was developed by PAHO and implemented in collaboration with the University of Miami in 2009 and 2011.

The course was also subsequently implemented in Chile in 2011 and in Argentina and Colombia in 2012 in collaboration with PAHO country offices and Ministries of Health. As of January 2013, overall an approximate total of 250 public health officials from the region have taken the program. EBCIC introduces students to the Chronic Care Model and public health aspects of quality of health care improvement. Emphasis is placed on examples of public health interventions for the management of major chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and its application in different scenarios in especial in low resource settings and developing countries.

Topics covered by EBCIC include components within the health care organization, health system design, decision support, clinical information system, self-management support and community resources and policies.

This course provides elements to better understand the role of health policies, access to care, health disparities and health determinants in the quality of care for chronic conditions.