Treatment Regimen Adherence in Coronary Heart Disease - Essay Example

"Treatment Regimen Adherence in Coronary Heart Disease" is a remarkable example of a paper on the cardiovascular system.
Research evidence reflects that there is inadequacy in heart-healthy lifestyles among adults in the US especially young men (Robin, et al, 2008). The adherence to a combination of recommended healthy behaviors within a medical regimen is also said to be far low among young men who have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease. For example, a study carried out in 2005 among US adults with coronary heart disease postulated that 80% of the patients were adherent to recommendations for no smoking but only 20% adhered to a combined regimen of exercise and fruit and vegetable diet (Rosalie, et al, 2005). The research found out that when the three behaviors were combined, only 5% of the patients adhered to the regimen (Rosalie, et al, 2005). It is in this regard that adherence to the medical regimen for coronary heart disease is argued to require the attention of the stakeholders.

Justification

Unhealthy diet, smoking, and physical inactivity are described to be the major contributors to the prevalence of CHD among young men (Elizabeth, et al, 2012). It is, therefore, necessary for research to be carried out with a view of determining how prevalent these behaviors are among young men. Moreover, the contribution of the unhealthy behaviors to the morbidity, prevalence, and mortality of CHD among young men needs further investigation. It is through the proposed study therefore that the factors which contribute to adherence or non-adherence to medical regimens for CHD can be ascertained. The motivation for the proposed research is due to a lack of adequate research on adherence of CHD patients to a combination of healthy behaviors. Previous studies have concentrated on the individual behaviors that lead to coronary disease. More significantly there is a need for information from the perspective of young men with CHD so that it can be analyzed and its meaning interpreted. It is in this regard that the proposed study is necessary so that recommendations are drawn for all stakeholders in the management of CHD through medical regimens.

Stakeholders

The stakeholders that the research findings and recommendations will target include all individuals, organizations, and agencies that are involved in the management of coronary heart disease. Young men that have newly been diagnosed with CHD are the most significant stakeholders for this research. This is because they will be provided with adequate information on how they would manage CHD through adherence to the medical regimen.  The government agencies such as the department of health are also among the stakeholders. This is due to their contribution of resources to the management of CHD.

Policymakers within the government are also targeted by the proposed research because they make influential health policies that would determine the success of CHD management. Health care organizations such as The American Heart Association, The American Heart and Lung Association, and hospitals are among the stakeholders which the research targets. More significantly are health care professionals such as nurses, cardiologists, physicians, doctors, and social workers as stakeholders of the research. Finally, the families of those that are diagnosed with CHD are important stakeholders because of their contribution to the health behaviors within the medical regimen for CHD.

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of the proposed research is to investigate the adherence of young men diagnosed with CHD to the medical regimen for recommended health behaviors. The research will specifically focus on the adherence to a combination of exercise, a healthy diet, and nonsmoking among the affected young men. The specific objectives of the proposed research will therefore include the following.

1. To investigate the adherence of young men with CHD to the medical regimens
2. To find out the factors which determine the adherence or non-adherence of the medical regimen among young men diagnosed with CHD
3. To recommend ways in which the adherence to the medical regimen for CHD can be improved among young men diagnosed with the disease.