The Major Behavioral Risk Factor for COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the condition that affects patients’ lower airways and lungs and seriously damaging their respiratory systems. The major signs and consequences of COPD are the shortness of breath that appears alongside such symptoms as progressive coughing with the production of sputum, as well as the inflammatory processes in lower airways of a chronic nature (Herath & Poole, 2013).
The aforementioned inflammatory processes tend to be caused by the frequent inhalation of chemical substances that harm the respiratory system (Herath & Poole, 2013). Under the effect of COPD, the lower airways become narrower due to which the shortness of breath appears (Han, Stoller, & Hollingsworth, 2015). The narrow airways prevent the substantial amount of oxygen from getting in the patients’ blood. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be prevented by medical treatments and changes in behavior.
During the course, it was mentioned that the greatest behavioral risk factor for COPD is smoking. This point of view is supported by the research that was carried out by van Leupoldt, Fritzsche, Trueba, Meuret, and Ritz (2012); the authors specified that tobacco smoking remains the major risk factor for this condition, as well as a poor prognosis for the patients; however, the researchers also pointed out that regardless of this information, about 43% of patients suffering from COPD of mild to high severity, continue their harmful habit.
Moreover, Annesi-Maesano and Roche (2014) reviewed and explored other behavioral factors that could potentially contribute to the development or prevention of COPD such as dietary choices of the patients, their physical activity, and biological predisposition and concluded that diets had very little to no impact on the development of the condition while predisposition and physical activity could be considered the factors aiding the improvement of health in treatments for COPD. However, the cessation of tobacco smoking or exposure to any other inhaled harmful substances is the key aspect of any COPD treatment (Michigan BRFS, 2013).
Fabbri (2016) proposed treating smoking as the disease instead of focusing on addressing its consequences such as COPD and several other dangerous conditions. Also, the researcher stated that there exists a very strong connection between the period for which an individual has been a smoker and their risk of developing these conditions one of which is COPD (Fabbri, 2016). This approach sounds very reasonable; however, as specified earlier, even the diagnosed condition does not serve as a motivator for almost a half of all the population of smokers diagnosed with COPD to discontinue their habit (van Leupoldt et al., 2012). In that way, likely, motivating the existing smokers who have not been diagnosed with COPD to quit their habit for the sake of preventing the development of this (and many other related conditions) would not be very successful.
However, it may make sense to develop the smoking cessation programs and alternatives that could be accomplished more easily so that more smokers succeeded at quitting. Realizing the seriousness of COPD as one of the most prevalent public health issues globally, Kumar and Vijayan (2012) presented a list of options that smokers who would like to but struggle to stop smoking could use to help their conditions and improve their health. Such options include counseling, pharmacotherapy, nicotine replacement therapy, and the use of other drugs (such as anxiolytics, anorectics, and antidepressants to name a few) helping to combat the challenging effects of the cessation.
References
Annesi-Maesano, I., & Roche, N. (2014). Healthy behaviours and COPD. European Respiratory Review, 23, 410-415. Web.
Fabbri, L. M. (2016).Smoking, not COPD, as the disease. The New England Journal of Medicine, 374(19), 1885-1886. Web.
Herath S. C., & Poole, P. (2015). Prophylactic antibiotic therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Review. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Web.
Han, M. K., Stoller, J. K., & Hollingsworth, H. (2015). Patient information: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatments (Beyond the Basics). Web.
Kumar, R., & Vijayan, V. K. (2012). Smoking cessation programs and other preventive strategies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. JAPI, 60, 53-56. Web.
Michigan BRFS. (2013). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among Michigan adults. Michigan Brfss Surveillance Brief, 7(2), 1-2. Web.
von Leupoldt, A., Fritzsche, A., Trueba, A., Meuret, A., & Ritz, T. (2012). Behavioral medicine approaches to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 44(1), 52-65. Web.
Body Mass Index Reduction Program
Executive Summary
The Purpose of the Program
Nowadays, constantly growing Body Mass Index (BMI) is one of the major problems in the United States of America and globally, and many people are considered obese (Frank, 2015). There is a diversity of ways to deal with this issue. For example, this problem can be resolved with the assistance of surgical intervention, dieting, and well-developed exercise program, as only addressing it from dissimilar angles can contribute to the weight loss (Fock & Khoo, 2013).
It could be said that this issue has negative effects on the health, medical condition, and well-being of patients, as they not only become less physically active but also have problems with their self-esteem due to a distorted body image. This issue exists in my geographical area, and the primary purpose of the program is to contribute to the reduction of BMI (making it less than 25), promote a healthy lifestyle, and support the development of new dieting patterns by providing mental support and well-developed exercise and dieting schedules. The program will include the following steps 1) educational classes and exercise (three times a week); 2) individual and group support sessions; 3) consultancy of the specialists; and 4) developing and tracking eating habits.
The Target Population and Audience
As it was mentioned earlier, the issue is highly prevalent in the United States of America, and for many individuals, BMI is higher than 25, while making them obese or overweight (Baptist Health South Florida, 2017). In this instance, the program will target at adults (21-65+ years old), who have BMI higher than 25. Nonetheless, a priority to participate in this program will be given to obese individuals (BMI<30) and people with a low level of income, as these groups of the population can be considered as the most vulnerable due to either inability to invest in healthy dieting or lose weight on their own. In this instance, assisting people in reaching the desired outcomes will help reduce the overall prevalence of obesity in the geographical area and worldwide.
The Benefits of the Program
The previous sections of the executive summary depict that the program will attempt to address the issue from dissimilar sides. In the first place, it will decrease the prevalence of obesity and overweight among adults while positively influencing the well-being of the nation and targeting at global healthcare goals. It will have a positive impact on health and make people more concerned about their dieting and lifestyle. In this instance, it could be said that one of the benefits of the program is its ability to modify people’s physical appearance in a positive way by reducing BMI. Nonetheless, there are also other advantages of this program.
As it was mentioned earlier, this condition has a negative effect on people’s self-esteem. In turn, many researchers state that the interdependence between emotional state and eating habits is one of the triggers of obesity (Silva, 2015). Organizing support sessions assists in resolving this problem and developing new healthy habits. Overall, it could be said that this program not only addresses psychological and physical problems related to obesity and overweight but also assists in developing a healthy lifestyle to mitigate similar risks in the recent future.
The Cost or Budget Justification
On behalf of the Project Committee, I can ensure that one of the goals of the program is to keep costs as low as possible. To attain to this objective, the company will attempt to attract different medical professionals such as dietitians, physiologist, nurses, coach, and nurses to take part in this program voluntarily or receive different awards for these activities such as additional days off. Nonetheless, the payment will be required if the professionals show no initiative in this process.
Thus, it remains apparent that additional resources may be required to spend on marketing to promote the program and contacting participants, preparation of the required educational materials, and renting additional equipment for sports sessions. To minimize the costs, it will be possible to create partnerships with local retail chains to provide necessary food to participants with a low level of income, parks and City Hall to gain additional funding for the program, and sports centers. Generally speaking, the maximum budget for the whole program (21 days) will account for $13,600 (personnel – $12,000, marketing – $100, equipment – $1,000, and materials – $500).
The Evaluation
Eventually, it is essential to conduct a sufficient assessment of the program, as, otherwise, it will be impossible to determine whether the program is successful or not. In the first place, it will be rational to measure BMI while its value under 25 will signify positive results. Nonetheless, this outcome can be considered as the final goal of the project, but any decrease in BMI will imply success of the program.
Measuring pulse and blood pressure can also be viewed as positive, but they will be majorly used to show the participants (50) their progress and encourage them to stay healthy even after the program. Lastly, another measuring instrument is eating diary, but it could be viewed as a motivational tool, as it helps the participants become aware of their eating habits. In the end, it could be said that using these aspects in a combination can help reach the expected outcomes and improve the well-being and health of the nation and develop a program that can be used in other hospitals.
Feedback
The subsequent part of the assignment was to get feedback from the management of the hospital. It could be said that the program would be financed when being presented formally. The main reason is the fact that it addresses one of the most important problems in the United States of America, and trying to change a current situation in a positive way is one of the bright examples of actions that every nursing student has to follow. It will change the hospital’s image in the healthcare market and help it become more community-oriented. Thus, the subsequent paragraph will provide more evidence for making this particular decision.
The main strengths of the project pertain to its reference to the existent situation in the country and the ability of this program to influence health condition in the small geographical area. Another benefit is the sufficient flow of the paper while presenting the maximum funding and proposing creating an array of partnerships make the whole project cost-effective and interesting. In turn, using measurements as motivation tools is also a relevant approach to employ in the selected context.
Nonetheless, apart from a plethora of advantages, the major drawback is the need to provide more statistical information and add visuals to make the executive summary attention-grabbing. Overall, it could be said that this project will be approved by the management, as its benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
References
Baptist Health South Florida. (2017). Obesity overview. Web.
Fock K., & Khoo, J. (2013). Diet and exercise in management of obesity and overweight. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 28(1), 59-63.
Frank, N. (2015). Body mass index: Obesity, BMI, and health: A critical review. Nutrition Today, 50(3), 117-153.
Silva, I. (2015). Importance of emotional regulation in obesity and weight loss treatment. Fractal: Revista de Psycologia, 27(3), 286-290.
Health Care Providers And Patients Communication
Introduction
The aim of this paper is to propose the need for the study of communication between health care providers and patients and its subsequent improvement based on six domains of quality elaborated by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). In particular, the concept of communication is one of the most important and beneficial values in terms of contemporary medicine and nursing (Street, 2013). In my point of view, communication lacks some prospects regarding understanding and openness to patients. In other words, there is a need to build such an environment that would promote transparent, fair, and respectful relationships between patients and caregivers.
Body
The ability to communicate effectively with patients may be referred to as the patient-centered domain of IOM. The patient’s satisfaction with the treatment largely depends on whether the interaction was positive, professional, and responsive or not (“The six domains of health care quality,” 2016). At this point, the most common complaint from patients is the inability of practitioners to listen carefully, provide clear and understandable answers, and, first and foremost, accurately identify those needs, values, and preferences that are inherent to every patient. Thus, ineffective communication is a barrier to quality health care as it creates mistrust and restraint. The misunderstanding in practitioner-patient communication affects the quality of medical care and also the course of the treatment process. As a result, safe and timely health care domains become difficult to implement, while they serve as the key indicators of avoiding harm to patients and the elimination of delays, respectively.
IOM identifies effectiveness as “providing services based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit and refraining from providing services to those not likely to benefit, avoiding underuse and misuse” (“The six domains of health care quality,” 2016, para. 2). Aligning the mentioned statement with communication in the context of both outpatient and inpatient care, one may note that the proper relationships facilitate the implementation of evidence-based solutions, thus contributing to the most qualified treatment. In terms of efficiency that implies avoidance of waste regarding equipment and other resources, communication helps to prevent the use of additional measures to evaluate and treat patients.
The appropriate interaction focuses on the reflection of the core of the problem that the patients have to encounter. Based on the properly structured dialogue and attentiveness to details, a caregiver receives a powerful instrument of leading valuable conversations. More to the point, equitability is also an integral element of health care quality. A caregiver is expected to provide equal care for all patients regardless of their age, ethnicity, gender, and other peculiarities (“The six domains of health care quality,” 2016). It seems to be much easier to ensure such an approach through understanding and honest interest in patients’ needs and preferences in the course of communication.
Conclusion
To conclude, IOM’s six health care quality domains well align with practitioner-patient communication and serve as a guideline on improving the latter. Since both verbal and non-verbal communication forms are relevant to meet patients’ requirements and promote the best outcome possible, there is the need to “account for proximal and intermediate variables that link clinician-patient communication to the outcome of interest” (Street, 2013, p. 290). Considering the enhancement of communication between a caregiver and a patient along with six quality domains is a useful way of increasing health care quality level on practice.
References
Street, R. L. (2013). How clinician–patient communication contributes to health improvement: Modeling pathways from talk to outcome. Patient Education and Counseling, 92(3), 286-291.