The History and Perspectives of Healthcare - Essay Example

Perspective on Healthcare affiliation Perspective on Healthcare Provision of healthcare has been practiced from times immemorial. The healthcare field has evolved significantly. Today, healthcare system is characterized by many inventions and technological advances. Most changes are caused by advancing and emerging trends. Apart from technological changes, healthcare has seen the emergence of different groups of professions in the field. For instance, nursing has seen the cropping up of different groups from the profession. APNs, RNs, and Nursing practitioners are examples of groups that have emerged from the nursing profession. These advancements have made the field more consumer-friendly and efficient in terms of provision of healthcare. However, the importance of history on the field cannot be overlooked. According to Elton & Higgins (2008), it is the great medical inventions made in the ancient centuries that have made healthcare provision reach its scaling heights. In my opinion, the generational shift makes the field of medicine very interesting and significant. The history of healthcare is very rich, ranging from inventions and skills to the realization of diagnosis tools. Analyzing the history of healthcare provision, I learned several facts that intrigued me. Many scientists hail from the field of healthcare, leaving behind very significant inventions. These inventions captured my interest. The most significant of them were the invention of surgical skills and procedures. This invention forms the basis of all major operations in the medical field. The fact that individuals came up with anesthesia directed my interest towards the invention. The inventors used nothing advanced. They had only natural herbs. The herbs formed the main ingredient of all medicines. These inventors captured my interest deeply due to the fact that they had to test the drugs with a succumbing patient. The ingredients used then form the basis of all advancements coming up in the medicine (Elton & Higgins, 2008). In the invention of surgery, the major skills used have been carried forward from the ancient days. Surgery used to be done on individuals even without anesthesia. But this was short lived, and soon anesthesia was invented to ease pain during the surgery. Without anesthesia and blood control equipment, ancient doctors and scientists were able to develop surgical procedures which till today are very significant. Their abilities of invention and creativity interest me most as far as the history of healthcare is concerned. As regards the choice of a career in healthcare, my preference would be nursing. Apart from saving lives, nurses are more inclined to human emotion. Nursing is more involving and interactive than any other healthcare profession. Additionally, nursing provides many options of professionalism. As it offers a great deal of careers, one can always choose an appropriate one in this field. Over the years, nursing has been the most significant profession in healthcare. As much as doctors hold great importance in the field, nurses are the backbone of any doctor’s success. Nurses are also enabled to run their own medical practice, since they have a vast knowledge in patient care, administering of medication, and ill health analysis. Nursing is more of an entrepreneur venture. Nursing will also give me an opportunity to deal with human emotion and understand human psychology (Elton & Higgins, 2008). This is made possible because nurses spend most of their time caring and looking after patients. It gives me the feeling that, apart from the profession’s obligation, it is more of a personal duty to provide patients with the required help, as far as healthcare is concerned. This intimate relation between patients and nurses was one of the reasons for me to pursue nursing as a healthcare profession. There are many negative healthcare outcomes related to demographics. One of the most significant and sensitive outcomes is the increasing numbers of hospitalized patients due to drug and alcohol abuse. These numbers have increased significantly in years. According to Elton & Higgins (2008), these individuals suffer from liver failures, throat and lung infections, and heart failures. Another astonishing statistics is that this condition is rampant in young people. Looking at these statistics, one has a reason to worry. With these numbers increasing, the society will be without a certain age group in the generation. The society is losing a lot of young people due to drug and alcohol abuse. The burden placed on hospitals to save these lives and look for organ donors have increased significantly. With reduced number of organ donors, many people are expected to succumb to organ failure caused by drug and alcohol abuse. Efforts by government to change this trend have failed, leaving the society with no hope of the statistics changing. On a positive note, the realization of the importance of healthcare provision to the aged has been sensitized (Elton & Higgins, 2008). The number of homes for the old has increased. Additionally, more nurses are being assigned to these homes. This shows that people are starting to respect and worry about the old in the society. Governments have also played a major role in the realization of these perception changes. Medical libraries are the most reliable sources of information on healthcare. Apart from medical libraries, medical journals and books still contribute heavily to the provision of information on medicine and healthcare. Books by great scientists provide the most reliable information on history and inventions. Additionally, government sources like “cancer. gov” provide appropriate information on the history of healthcare. The evolution of healthcare has come a long way to reach the modernized medical structure the society enjoys today. Due to the creativity of ancient scientists, we enjoy the best inventions in the field of medicine. As all nations around the world experience technological advancement and development, the global society will continue to enjoy medical innovations. References Elton, S. & Higgins, P. (2008). Medicine and evolution: Current applications and future prospects. London: CRC Press. Read More