Liver Foundation Meeting

Dr Sanjeev Arora, noted Hepatologist and researcher from USA was recently in Lucknow as a visiting professor at SGPGI. He is the innovator of ECHO project. One of the most innovative way to take management of complex diseases to smaller towns has been devised through ECHO project running successfully in US. Addressing a group of 85 Gastroenterologists and physicians at Liver foundation meeting on 25^th Feb at Hotel Clarks avadh, Dr. Sanjeev Arora, director and principal investigator of Project ECHO described how this project is helping various patients of liver disorders. 
Dr. Sanjeev Arora is Professor of Internal Medicine at University of Mexico Health Sciences Center, USA. He has provided a unique project known as ECHO project for which he is internationally known. The ECHO project helps interactions between doctors, specialists and patients and has been immensely successful in extending care and improving community Healthcare outcomes. He discussed this innovative strategy that may help us towards improved care of liver patients in U.P.

This project helps take management of complex diseases to smaller towns under the co supervision of specialists. ECHO is one model of care coordination, with primary and specialty care providers working together to care for patients using tools such as videoconferences and shared electronic records. Because of severe shortages of specialty providers in rural areas, people with complex conditions such as hepatitis C or several other chronic diseases often have to travel long distances or wait months to get treatment.

An innovative project conducted by Dr. Sanjeev Arora in New Mexico uses telemedicine, case-based learning, and disease management techniques to expand access to care for patients with hepatitis C and other chronic, complex diseases. Specialty providers based at the University of New Mexico help guide rural community health providers in applying best practices to manage care towards the rural patients. They create local specialists who by this process of monitoring learn to provide a high standard of care to patients attending their centers. Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (Project ECHO) is designed to enhance the capacity of community health care providers to safely and effectively treat chronic, complex diseases such as hepatitis C in New Mexico's rural and medically underserved communities.  Project ECHO has expanded access to care for hepatitis C patients who otherwise would not have received treatment.

This system also has a Force Multiplier Effect. According to this more people can be treated using similar high standard protocol. Project ECHO recently launched a program to use the Knowledge Network model to train community health workers throughout the state. Project ECHO demonstrates that care delivered by primary care providers in rural areas and prisons can be as safe and effective as that provided by specialists in academic health centers. The goal of the project is for community providers to gain enough knowledge of hepatitis C care to become self-sufficient, though they can continue to access the Knowledge Network clinics as needed.

Dr Sanjeev Arora’s visit and talk have generated enthusiasm as SGPGI is gearing up to join the project from Lucknow.

by  Ankita Parihar