Childrens and Young Peoples Nursing - Essay Example

Children and Health The purpose of this paper is to complete two activities and give a short personal reflection on issues that I have learned regarding these activities. The first activity to address is to give some insight on some of the issues facing children’s and young people’s nursing specifically in relation to long term care issues. The second activity that will be addressed will be for a short piece on health promotion and its relation to children’s and young people’s nursing issues. Whilst this paper will primarily be based on what the academic literature has to say on these matters it is also the case that this paper will also provide some personal insight into the effectiveness as well as the relevance of these issues in our modern society. Topic #1) Children’s and Young People’s Nursing For the purpose of this paper the focus of children and young people will be on people aged four to eighteen or as the NHS classifies as being juniors, kids and teens. According to an article published by Paediatrics (2009) one of the major issues facing Paediatric cancer survivors is long term follow care. According to the article it was the case that prior to the 1970’s most children dealing with cancer died as a result of the primary disease however as a result of improvements in medical technology the survival rates have increased dramatically. However as a result of this, what we can say is that long term care literature has only been developed in the last forty years. What was proposed by the article was a so called “Shared-care model” in which the duties of long term care is split between primary care providers as well as the cancer specialists postulating that routine health maintenance and meeting the emotional needs of survivors should be the responsibility of the primary care providers. Under this model the oncology specialist should be available as part of a routine to provide ongoing care in regards to any uncertainties that should arise with the long term care. Topic #2) Health Promotion and Children’s and Young Peoples Nursing. One of the most persistent issues of health promotion amongst juniors through teens is proper nutrition and exercise. On the Great Ormond Street Hospital (2010) there is a link to the healthy eating sections for each age classification for younger people (Juniors, kids and teens). Furthermore there are guidelines for these younger people and how they can adopt an exercise regime that can be best suited to their needs given a number of input variables (Current weight, current activity levels etc.) Lastly there is the promotion of an oft not quoted subsection of youth health which is mental health. There is little question that today’s youths face a unique set of challenges and fortunately it is the case that the Great Ormond Street Hospital offers a clear outline of information that young people should examine regarding mental health. The website puts in simple terms what most young people want to learn about mental health, by first providing a clear definition of what a mental health problem is, defining who it can affect, covering the mental health spectrum and what to do in the event that a youth believes they are experiencing mental health issues. Topic #3) Personal Reflection. There is little question that understanding long term care critically important for today’s youth. It is the case that as long term care for youth cancer survivors is a relatively new phenomenon so it is likely that much of the literature on the topic will likely be evolving as more information comes to light. What is important to recognise is that the medical journal Paediatrics (2009) has recommended a increased specialization regime that in my opinion not only alleviates some of the stress that young people will be affected by but will also improve the working conditions for the health care providers by letting them focus on what they know best. By letting the primary healthcare providers give most of the follow up support increased attention can be spent on training these specialists so that they are better equipped to meet the emotional needs of the affected youths. By allowing the oncologists to focus more on the medical issues that the youths may be affected by and allow for the care delivery in the hands of primary care providers one could argue that the patient gets the best of both worlds. Furthermore it is the case that the affected youths may be able to establish an emotional bond with their primary care providers which in that circumstance would be beneficial insofar as the a relationship of trust can be established. In my opinion one of the most important issues facing youths today is health promotion. It has been argued that preventative care is bet established through primary prevention which is based on establishing good health promotion policies (MESH, 2009) In this regard one could argue that by reinforcing positive life habits such as healthy eating, regular exercise, regular checkups, alcohol and tobacco avoidance and positive mental health awareness, younger people are less likely to face much more serious illnesses in their future. By pursuing more positive health outcomes it is the case that as young people mature they will be less likely to place burdens on the NHS with preventative diseases, which has positive budgetary repercussions but more importantly makes for a much healthier individual. It is exactly this sort of proactive approach to health that is likely to create for more self aware individuals that give greater care to their long term health outcomes, rather that retroactively looking at health issues as “Problems.” In conclusion it is the case that we are facing unique health issues in primary care but through implementing a continual learning process and by promoting positive health awareness we can expect a much more sympathetic health care providing and receiving environment. References Great Ormond Hospital (2010) Hompage. [online] Available at http://www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk/ Accessed on February 8th 2010. MESH (2009) National Library of Medicine - Medical Subject Headings. Primary Prevention. [online] Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2009/MB_cgi?mode=&term=Primary+Prevention Accessed on February 8th 2010. Paediatrics (March, 2009) Long-term Follow-up Care for Pediatric Cancer Survivors. Vol. 123 No. 3, pp. 906-915 Read More