In a move to standardise healthcare delivery across the country, the Union Health Ministry has called upon all states and Union Territories to implement 157 Standard Treatment Workflows (STWs) developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). These STWs cover 28 medical specialities and aim to ensure uniform standards of care across hospitals while promoting the rational use of essential drugs and diagnostics. In a letter addressed to the principal secretaries (health) of all states and Union Territories, as well as to the National Medical Commission (NMC) for dissemination in medical colleges, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra emphasised the critical need for adopting these guidelines.
What Union Health Secretary said?
Chandra stated that the rapid advances and expanding body of scientific evidence in the field of medicine necessitate that healthcare providers remain updated with the latest treatment protocols and reference materials from across various medical specialities. The Health Ministry's directive is seen as a significant step towards enhancing the quality of healthcare services across India by ensuring that medical practices are consistent and evidence-based.
This necessitates the requirement of a simplified updated approach in the form of a pager app-based tool which can continuously guide the treating doctors as they manage the patient. "Recognising this need, the STW one pager concise document to be utilised at various levels of health care starting from primary to tertiary level care and are made available by Government of India to be adopted and followed by all providers," Chandra said in the letter issued on Tuesday. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA) and the World Health Organization, India Country Office has developed STWs for common and serious diseases encountered by the treating physicians at all levels of healthcare systems.
About Standard Treatment Workflows
A major usefulness of these STWs lies in developing uniform standards of care for the Indian Public Health Care system, he stressed. "These would help in effective management and encourage rational use of essential drugs, essential diagnostics and other healthcare services. These have been prepared by national experts across India who have a cumulative experience of hundreds of patient care with feasibility considerations of the Indian healthcare system," Chandra stated.
STWs are one pager document with key indicative actions. So far, ICMR has prepared 157 STWs in 28 specialties. These are available on the ICMR website and as a downloadable mobile app for android as well as iOS (references-vide infra, weblink & QR codes for app), he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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