Journal Article Review: When I'm 64 how the boomers will change health care - Essay Example

Journal Article Review The report in question has been produced by the American Hospital Association and discusses how the health care will change as baby boomers come to an age where they require healthcare services to the level of today’s senior citizens born during the 40s and 50s. Not only does the report suggest that there will be major changes on how health services are demanded by the baby boomers, it also notes that the manner in which hospitals respond will also change significantly.

The first demand made by baby boomers would be an increased level of access to information through the developments which have taken place in IT. Web based services and health related information will be demanded by them and already hospitals are gearing up to offer health advice as well as individualized services to their clients over the internet (Norwell, 2006). However, many hospitals lack the technical knowhow and are not aware of the developing situation with privacy concerns and information access tools (Rogers, 2006).

The AHA (2007) reports that by the time the year 2030 comes around, more than 70 million Americans will be considered senior citizens and at that age, their health needs will be significantly different compared to the health services which are being offered at the moment. Further, the trends of supply in terms of doctors and nurses shows that the services level which are maintained at the present time may not remain the same in the future as a shortage of doctors, nurses and other health staff is looming (Singh et. al. 2003).

In terms of disease, diabetes, arthritis and obesity will figure largely in the future since the majority of the population of present day baby boomers is likely to develop these problems as they get older. In fact, this is expected to put tremendous pressure on the social security system as well as medicare services since the government simply may not be able to provide quality services to so many millions of people who demand them. Further, doctors and nurses will need to be trained in providing care for the elderly since half of all medical admissions in America would be the baby boomer population.

As far as outpatient visits go, forty percent of those will be made by baby boomers. The report warns that even though the government and the healthcare system still has time to respond to the situation, the reality shows that the system may be woefully inadequate. Clogging of the health system and a reduction in the quality of services would be inevitable if nothing is done to handle this fast developing situation. The solution to the problem is also given in the report which recommends increased attention to managing health care services, more nurses and doctors to be recruited in colleges and the creation of comprehensive patient regimes that the patients can follow at home if they have chronic problems.

Overall, the article is quite realistic in its approach and the data given by the AHA is sobering enough to be seen as a wakeup call. Works CitedAHA. 2007, When Im 64: How Boomers Will Change Health Care. American Hospital Association.Norwell, N. 2006, ‘Confidentiality risks for electronic patient data’, General Practitioner, 21 Apr., p. 60-61.Rogers, W. 2006, ‘Pressures on confidentiality’, Lancet, vol. 367, no. 9510, pp. 553-4.Singh, J. et. al. 2003, ‘The Ethics of Nurse Poaching from the Developing World’, Nursing Ethics, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 666-670.