Analyzing Health Psychology in Australia - Essay Example

Analyzing health psychology in Australia al affiliation Analyzing health psychology in Australia The use of telemedicine in Australia Telemedicine is a revolutionary feature in the global healthcare system, and like many other countries, Australia has embraced the use of this technological feature in the delivery of healthcare. According to Moffat & Eley (2011), telemedicine in Australia particularly offers practical solutions to the challenges presented by poor health status of rural Australians. Evidence shows the following advantages of using telemedicine in Australia. Telemedicine, according to Georgeff (2007), in Australia facilitates the provision of healthcare services where previously unavailable. This is because information on healthcare issue is available to anyone from any location. According to Moffat & Eley (2010) increased access to healthcare services in areas that previously had limited access is one of the advantages of using telemedicine in Australia. In essence, rural Australians have been able to gain more access to clinical services, a factor that may eventually lead to a reduction in the discrepancies between urban and rural healthcare quality in Australia. The cost-effectiveness of telemedicine in Australia cannot be underestimated. Georgeff (2007) writes that the use of telemedicine could save the government approximately 1.5 billion U.S dollars that are used per annum to treat people with chronic illnesses. Moffat & Eley (2010) add that apart from reduced costs on the part of the government, patients have also had to pay less for clinical services. In addition, the burden of having to physically go to a health center in order to get clinical services has been reduced. This is especially so, for the aged and for people suffering from chronic illnesses. On the other hand, there are several barriers that limit the uptake of telemedicine in Australia. Funding, as Robertson et.al states (2011), is a major hindrance as most practitioners use outdated resources to conduct consultations due lack of funds to buy and update resources. Consequently, many practitioners prefer to use paper formats that are provided freely by pharmaceutical companies. Additionally, practitioners claim that there are no financial incentives in telemedicine, as most consultations conducted using this method are not reimbursed and extra time is not compensated (Moffat & Eley, 2011). Time- It requires a lot of time for a telemedicine consultation, thus increasing the workload of doctors. According to Robertson et.al (2011) doctors would prefer that clinical information be integrated into their normal clinical software, since logging in and off while searching for information is tiresome. As Moffat and Eley (2011) add, the time taken for consultation in telemedicine is usually longer than traditional consultations, without factoring the fact that the practitioner has to consult and give prescriptions at the same time. Insufficient and outdated equipment particularly in rural areas where access to computers is limited, in addition to inadequate access to internet services leads to poor use of telemedicine in Australia (Moffat & Eley, 2011). In addition, preferences for traditional approaches hinder the full implementation of telemedicine as many rural folks do not feel the need to learn the computer, and even if they do, they experience lots of difficulties in acquiring the skills. This means that most rural people still prefer going to health centers and receiving medical aid physically. 2. Strategies for controlling alcohol and drug abuse among indigenous Australians In rural Australia, alcohol consumption and drug abuse are prevalent practices, especially among the youth. Georgeff (2007) writes that a positive correlation has been established between living in the rural areas and involvement in drug abuse among Australian youths. However, drug abuse and alcohol consumption, especially the latter, has been reported to be higher among the youth, the elderly and people living in rural Australia. Studies show that early use of drugs and alcohol increases the chances of dependency, addiction, and health problems in later life. Accordingly, one of the strategies that have been employed in Australia touches on managing drug abuse and alcohol consumption among the youth in rural Australia. Community policing involves collaboration between the police and the local leaders in creating forums for condemning drug abuse (Putt & Delahunty, 2006). One of the ways to achieve this, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology is recruiting more police officers to be stationed in the rural areas, thereby maximizing effectiveness. However, the police alone cannot tackle this problem, thus the need to involve local leaders, who in turn mobilise the local people to act against drug and alcohol abuse. Using this strategy, educational sessions on the harms of drug and alcohol abuse take place and the communities come up with plans to combat this vice. The role of the local community is to give information on drug circulation in the local areas and across borders and regions. This leads to easier apprehension of drug dealers, thus reducing the circulation and usage of such drugs. This strategy has been in use and has worked in such initiatives as Substance Abuse Intelligence Desk (SAID). SAID, through collecting of intelligence from local communities, has been able to seize drugs and make arrests, thus limiting drug trafficking in rural Australia (McAtamney & Willis, 2010). However, this strategy could be improved by ensuring that different Australian states have compatible drug regulation laws. Sometimes, it becomes hard to prosecute a dealer who operates across states because the laws are different (McAtamney & Willis, 2010). In addition, the penalty for anyone found guilty of drug dealing should be increased in order to pass a strong message. Currently, as quote writes, the penalty is too lenient, making it insufficient to deter attempts to engage in drug-related activities. The lack of common laws on drug dealing, coupled with lenient sentences for offenders makes policing work hard. Quote also argues that this strategy would be more effective if intensive educational programs were conducted at the community levels, in order to make the locals fully aware of the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, especially among the youth. If the local communities fully understood the implications of drug use on general community life, then they would be more willing to collaborate with the police in stopping the vice (McAtamney & Willis, 2010). However, as it is now, most communities in rural Australia are ignorant of the dangers of drug use. Consequently, they are not usually very cooperative in divulging information to the police. 3. Factors contributing to non-adherence to treatment regimens among female diabetic adolescents Female adolescents who have type 1 diabetes may find it difficult to adhere to the recommended treatment regimen. One of the factors contributing to non-adherence during this period is weight gain which is attributed to insulin injections. For adolescent females, body image is very important, thus if insulin causes them to gain weight, then majority are bound to fail to adhere to the treatment. Another factor that is linked to body image concerns eating disorders. Just like every other adolescent, females with diabetes want approval from the society on what attractiveness means. Unfortunately, the society has misguided adolescents to equate beauty with being slim. This makes adolescents who have more weight to feel unattractive and they end up dieting to manage weight. However, dieting does not go well with the regimen used to treat diabetes and could, therefore, cause harm to the diabetic adolescent females. Dieting among diabetic adolescent females may lead to ketoacidosis, nephropathy, retinopathy, and hospitalization, among others (Jack, 2003). Stress management is a touchy issue among all adolescents, diabetic or not. However, inability to manage stress among diabetic adolescent females may cause them to engage in behaviors that will compromise their health. For example, the adolescent may engage in such behaviors as smoking or taking alcohol as a way of alleviating stress. As Jack (2003) states, smoking and alcohol consumption leads to poor metabolic control for diabetic people. If this kind of stress is not properly managed, the adolescent can easily become depressed and it becomes even harder for them to follow the regimens. While trying to fit among their peers and gain acceptability, adolescent females who are diabetic often fail to follow their regimen fearing the reaction form their peers concerning the regimen. According to Jack (2003), peer pressure can cause these adolescents to be involved in hazardous behaviors such as alcohol use or eating sweets. Even though they know the implications of such behaviors, these adolescents still go ahead and engage in these behaviors, in order to ensure a place in the peer group. Failure to take regimens in the presence of peers and partaking of substances that could endanger the health of diabetic adolescents is, therefore, a factor that needs to be addressed by both healthcare professionals and parents. Family interactions has also been termed as one of the reasons as to why female adolescents fail to adhere to the recommended regimens for treating diabetes. Unfortunately, when one member of the family has diabetes type 1, it tends to affects the whole family in one way or the other. Accordingly, the way family members respond to the needs of diabetic adolescents contributes a lot to whether or not the adolescent adheres to the regimen or not (Jack, 2003). Of particular concern is how emotionally available parents are for these adolescents in matters concerning self-confidence and encouraging their diabetic children. In addition, parents should help their children in the administration of the recommended treatment, in addition to managing the levels of sugar in the blood sugar. The claim here is that overly anxious mothers and fathers who are inattentive to the needs of these adolescents contribute a lot towards failure to adhere to the regimen. S References Australian Institute of Criminology. (2007). Policing Substance Misuse in Rural & Remote Communities: A Good Practice Framework. Retrieved from: www.aic.gov.au Georgeff, M. (2007). E-Health and the Transformation of Healthcare: Australian Centre for Health Research. Retrieved from: http://www.achr.com.au/ Jack, L. (2003). Bio-psychosocial Factors Affecting Metabolic Control Among Female Adolescents With Type I Diabetes. Diabetes Spectrum, 16, 154-159. Mcatamney, A., and Willis, K. (2010). Policing Cannabis and Other Illicit Substances in Remote Indigenous Australian Communities. Criminal Justice Bulletin Series. Retrieved from: www.ncpic.org.au. Moffatt, J., and Eley, D. (2010). The Reported Benefits of Tele-health for Rural Australians. Aust. Health Review 34, 276–281. -------------- (2011). Barriers To The Up-Take Of Telemedicine In Australia - A View From Providers. Rural and Remote Health, 11, 1581. Putt,J., and Delahunty, B. (2006). Illicit Drug Use in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities. Retrieved from: www.aic.go.au. Robertson, J., Moxey, A., Newby, D., Gillies, M., Williamson, M., and Pearson, A. (2011). Electronic information and clinical decision support for Prescribing: State Of Play in Australian General Practice. Family Practice, 28, 93-101. Read More