Newman Medical is honored to be a part of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) #PADPlanInAction campaign, which aims to raise awareness about Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) among healthcare providers and patients.
What is the PAD National Action Plan?
The American Heart Association is pushing to raise awareness for Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) for healthcare providers and patients.
Not enough physicians are aware of the importance of screening, and therefore are not proactively screening for PAD. As a result, many patients with undetected PAD aren’t getting proper care and treatment. This increases the likelihood of that the PAD will get worse and could result in amputation or death. Considering that this treatable and preventable condition causes so much needless suffering and death, the AHA and over 25 collaborating organizations came together to create the PAD National Action Plan.
…but WHY NOW?
- High prevalence and growing incidence
Currently 12.4% of all patients in the U.S. are at high-risk for PAD. By 2050 an estimated 19 million people will have PAD and an estimated 16 million of those will be over 65 years old.
- Significant morbidity
- Lower extremity PAD is associated with significantly reduced function and quality of life, increased risk of hospitalization and amputation, high mortality, and high cost of care.
- Undertreatment
-
- Health disparities, a lack of knowledge (both patient and doctor) about the standards for prevention, early detection, and management of PAD are major contributors to the undertreatment of PAD.
- Low awareness
-
- Despite its relatively high prevalence, there is a significant gap in the public’s understanding of the symptoms and complications from disease. In a 2006 telephone survey of 2,500 adults 50 and older, only 14% knew that PAD could lead to amputations and only 25% knew that it is linked to a higher risk of having a stroke.
RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY to take action and prevent future deaths, amputations, strokes, and heart attacks caused from undetected PAD. The PAD National Action Plan serves as a roadmap for reducing the burden of PAD through a thoughtful approach to six major goal areas:
