NEW DELHI — The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has released 32 new Standard Treatment Workflows (STWs) for common and serious diseases.
The STWs, developed in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA) and WHO India, span five specialties: Cardiothoracic vascular surgery, paediatric cardiology, interventional radiology, neuro surgery, and orthopaedics.
The new list adds to the 125 STWs previously released across 23 specialties in 2019 and 2022, and is aimed at promoting optimal treatment practices, rational drug use, and efficient healthcare services.
Each concise one-page document outlines key actions for physicians, ensuring uniform healthcare standards in India's public healthcare system.
“These vital tools have been the guiding light since inception, shaping a resilient future. These evidence-based and trusted workflows ensure that patients receive the right treatment, while standardisation helps healthcare professionals follow guidelines effectively. Transformative and reliable, they guarantee accurate patient care,” said Prof. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member, NITI Aayog.
“Standard protocols save lives and improve the quality of care. By incorporating these workflows into medical education from the beginning, we strengthen the foundation of our healthcare professionals. We also aim to disseminate these workflows to healthcare insurance companies, healthcare centres, central health systems, and medical professional bodies,” added Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary - DHR and DG ICMR.
The experts further plan to develop treatment workflows for specialties such as burn management, plastic surgeries, and polytrauma to help streamline healthcare in India.
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