Disease management: a proposal for a new definition

As mentioned by Guus Schrijvers in his recent editorial [1], the term ‘disease management’ is used in different contexts and has several meanings. Besides, given the proliferation of expressions containing the word manage(ment), it is often misinterpreted, especially in non-English speaking countries. We agree that it would thus be very useful to agree on a common and consensual definition of disease management. In addition to the definitions quoted by the Editor, we found that the contribution of the American Heart Association experts panel to principles, recommendations and taxonomy for disease management is worth considering [2]. Moreover, a comprehensive definition and taxonomy may also help considering properly the programmes that fulfil the definition of disease management without being labelled as such.