Health for Community and People across Lifespan - Essay Example

Health for community and people across lifespan Overview In this paper I will discuss therole of a nurse in the society not only as a healthcare service provider, but also as a teacher that will teach the society certain basic principles and techniques to treat and take care of their relatives as a professional carer. I will also discuss different aspects and factors affecting the healthcare industry and public health department and also provide a number of evidences and factual data to support our statements. I will also provide a brief discussion regarding the impact of social and behavioural sciences over the public health and community healthcare culture. In order to understand and evaluate the challenges those are presently faced by the public health and community healthcare, being a nurse, I have taken an understanding and in-depth analysis of the other professionals engaged in the public health sector, i.e. physicians and paramedical staff working in the mental care departments, childcare and adult nursing. This will help me in understanding the needs and requirements of different sectors of the public and community health departments and provide an insight of the problems and their possible solutions. (Atwal and Jones, 2009) Aims The basic purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possible challenges and problems in the course of public and community health care development. It will also help us to observe the role of a nurse in the development and promotion of public and community healthcare culture. After evaluating and understanding the role and responsibilities of a nurse and the influence of their role in establishing the inter-professional working relationships with the other workers and segments of the society, this paper will provide a brief recommendation towards the betterment and prevention of certain potential flaws in over the health care system. (Atwal and Jones, 2009) Introduction The essay relates to the duties and responsibilities of a full time nurse and addresses the given scenario with respect to the professional and ethical norms of the nursing profession. In the given Scenario Gladys has been vested with the responsibility of looking after as a full time carer for her father-in-law and her granddaughter. As she has been divorced by her husband and is unable to earn a high standard of living, therefore it will be difficult for her to continue as a full time nurse for her father-in-law and granddaughter throughout their lifespan. This paper will discuss a number of ethical, health and behavioural science theories to support the situation and footings of Gladys and provide her a number of advices that will help her in managing her life and her commitment to take care of her father-in-law and granddaughter. In order to understand different institutions and their respective roles in the society, it is necessary to situate them historically. This means that just like other things of the society the roles of different institutions and professions also changes with the passage of time and one can only get an insight and understanding of different aspects of that particular institution through understanding the historical generalization factor that have contributed to the changes that are occurred over the time. If we take into account the historical generalization factor of the nursing profession, we will get to know that it has experienced an upward development and progression over time. (Mason-Whitehead, 2008) In the past, most of the nurses were considered to provide only labour work for the help and looking after of a patient in the hospital, but with the passage of time their role has been changed from an individual hospital working nurse to a community nurse, where they are vested with certain additional responsibilities along with their existing responsibilities of taking care of the patients. The community nurses are promoting the health care awareness and basic health care knowledge among the people of different communities and especially among the backward and potentially ignored segment of the society, i.e. the women. They act as an educator in the society and teach the basic healthcare issues and incorporate the health promotion and disease prevention. With the help of their efforts and contribution to the healthcare sector every house will get a trained and educated nurse to look after and take care of the elders and children of their family. This has changed the overall culture of the nursing profession and helps the society to improve their living standards by having an educated and well trained nurse in every house for their lifespan. (Lee and Collin, 2005) The paper will further discuss the importance of healthcare knowledge and its implication throughout different stages of a person’s life, i.e. from birth to older adults because the World Health Organization (WHO) has defined the health as “the state of a person’s mental, physical and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or illness from his body”. This means that a person’s health condition can be strongly affected by the socio-economical and political conditions of the society. The paper will help us in understanding these different social factors of the community that can directly influence the healthcare of the people. (Malotte et al., 2000) Factors affecting the community and public health services There are a number of social and political factors that can directly affect the health care sector of a society, we will here discuss each factor in detail to get an in-depth understanding of their influence over the community and public health care sectors of the society. (Koplan and Fleming, 2000) Education: - Education plays an important role in the development of almost all the sectors of a society because an educated person can deal with different sort of problems and situations with a high level of confidence and expertise as compared to the uneducated one. Similarly, in the case of health care industry educations plays a vital role because it has made the people aware about the basic health care needs and pull them out of the traditional health care settings. In order to educate the major portion of the society, the regulators and government bodies should integrate certain basic educational and training programs regarding the healthcare industry into the primary level educational institutions. It will help them to increase the awareness among the children about their healthcare activities and will be capable to provide well trained and educated professional to the society in the future. (Kronenfeld, 2008) They should also increase the awareness of community based health care services through different seminars and workshops among different communities of the society and increase the awareness regarding public health care services. The Government should require the public health care organizations to work in collaboration with the private sector organizations for the promotion of the healthcare education and wellness of the society. Although, the healthcare industry has achieved astonishing progress in the past few decades, but there are still a number of problems that are needed to be addressed in order to achieve a high level of net gain. The statistical data of the world, literacy rate shows that about 66% of the women are illiterate and on the other hand it shows the literacy rate and statistics of the United kingdom which is far better than the underdeveloped or developing countries of the world. (See Appendices). Most of the underdeveloped countries are still required to spread the basic knowledge of healthcare among their residents, but due to lack of resources and the availability of proper planning and experts they are unable to achieve this objective. (Wallace et al., 2000) Government should encourage different community health care programs because this is the only way to increase awareness among the masses and helps the potentially ignored population of the country to lead a healthy and progressive life. Diversity and the increase in population Another factor that can directly influence the community based health care services is the rapidly increasing population of the world and increasing diversity. Due to the limited number of resources the increasing number of the population has an adverse affect over the quality of health care in the country. The community health care efforts require the consensus of the members of the community towards a particular course of action and due to the diverse nature of the population, it is very difficult to achieve a common goal within the limited number of resources. Apart from these issues, the increasing population and demand for health care service has increased the competition of health care institutions and service providers in the society, which has made it a profit generating profession and changed the concept of healthcare provision and wellbeing of the society. (Kronenfeld, 2010)However, most of the public healthcare institutions are still working for the betterment of the common man and the progress and wellbeing of the society, but the increasing competition is making trouble in their course of action. The table given in the appendices shows that how rapidly the world’s population is increasing by the end of every day. (Glanz and Maddock, 2000) On the other side due to the increasing diversity, the world has become a global village, which has certain positive and negative effects over the healthcare industry. If the increasing diversity on one side increased the market competition and cultural conflicts among the members of a community, then the same factor has also increased the awareness among the members about each other and about different innovative and unheard treatments and healthcare information through a productive discussion among them. They have understood the culture of different races and the hereditary and biological makeup of their families and the extent of healthcare issues faced by them. However, in order to improve the culture of community healthcare among a diverse group of people it is necessary to convince them about the need of community healthcare services through different educational and training activities. They should also be briefed about the benefits of community healthcare services over their lives throughout their lifespan. (Guttman, 2000) Socio-Cultural and Political Factors These factors are directly influencing the day to day lives of the people, because social factors and norms are those traditions and virtues, which are followed by the members of the society to achieve certain common objectives. It is the flexibility in the social norms of the society that enables an individual to change his/her behaviour regarding the traditional ways of perceiving healthcare knowledge and practicing it in their lives and make them capable to adapt their lives according to the community healthcare norms and practices. Although, different regions of the world have different social norms, but the basic necessities of all people are same, which means that they have the same rights and obligations regarding the basic healthcare necessities. Therefore, being a global village the world is now capable of dealing with serious health issues by discussing and helping different nations of the world. On the other hand politics has a great impact over the regulatory framework and requirements of the healthcare industry. Research has shown that from the very beginning politics played an important role in the development and progress of the healthcare industry, i.e. in the past, most of the scientists were given certain privileges for the other day to day chores of their lives, so that they can focus upon their research work and develop something useful for the society. (Bywaters and McLeod, 1996) Due to the increasing trends of globalization the world politics has played a vital role in the development of global healthcare activities, i.e. the establishment of WHO and a number of other international public welfare organizations like the red crescent society, etc... This has encouraged the local level non-profit organizations as well to increase the awareness among local communities regarding the community healthcare culture, so that they can work for the betterment of public healthcare services and the improvement of living standard of their members. (Health Knowledge, 2014) From the above analysis, it is clear that being a nurse, I have to gain high healthcare education and training because in today’s modern world of technology, it is necessary for a nurse to be equipped with high technical education and training, so that she can be capable of running any sort of medical equipment. I should also take care of the cultural, social and political norms of the community in which I am practicing as a nurse because a patient can be cured more with affection and love as compared to the mere medication. I should also take care of the cultural differences in a diverse environment because in the modern globalized world we have to work with people from diverse background, therefore in order to keep a productive environment with them we have to adopt a friendly approach towards them. (Dawson and Morris, 2009) Social and behavioural sciences contribution towards public health Public health is a very complex and important field of practice that requires the professionals to get engaged in a number of research activities to determine possible solutions for the changing health demands of the population at a larger level. According to the research work of the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), behavioural and social sciences is one of the four important pillars of the public health. The scientific task here is to comprehend and clarify the nature and components of the individual, societal and institutional conditions and constraints that focus upon well-being status, health related conduct, and the association, procedure and results of the public health as a set of practices for anticipation and mediation. (Hershey, 1979) The most significant and successful public health projects and activities are focused around an understanding of health practices and the connection in which they happen. Therefore, intercessions enhance health behaviour could be better planned with an understanding of pertinent theories of behaviour change and the capacity to utilize them skilfully. Theories that gain recognition in a particular field are useful in defining the nature and scope of the practice and helps in understanding the capabilities of the professionals regarding the training and socialization of their profession. (DiClemente, Salazar and Crosby, 2013) Today, due to development in technology and exposure of countries and regions to the rest of the world no single theory and framework can define the public healthcare industry and the extent of their services towards the stability and progress of the society. However, the reviews of different newspapers and journal articles that were published in the past two decades have revealed the most suitable and often used theories in health research behaviour and different trends in practice. There are numerous theories used in different publications, but the following four theories are the most suitable theories to explain the implications of behavioural sciences over public health. (Naar-King et al., 2006) 1. The Health Belief Model (HBM) The Health Belief Model was developed with a purpose to help the people in understanding that why they did or did not use the preventive healthcare services that were offered by the public health departments in the late 1950’s, and evolved a number of new approaches and concerns towards the prevention and detection techniques that could be used in the public health sector, i.e. Influenza Vaccines and mammography screening, etc... It also helps the individuals in understanding different lifestyle behaviours, i.e. the injury prevention and sexual risk behaviour. (Becker, 1974)This theory states that people usually have different beliefs regarding different things that whether or not that particular thing is a risk for a health problem or disease and once they perceive a risk from anything, they would take action to avoid them and this shows the readiness of their actions. This theory is basically used in those circumstances where the major concern is related to the prevention of a disease, i.e. early detection or prevention of cancer and the earlier screening of hypertension before it results into any sort of major loss such as brain ham ridges or heart attack. (Cerkoney and Hart, 1980) (See Appendices) 2. Transtheoretical Model / Stage of Changes This theory states that long-term changes in the health behaviour of a person can only be incorporated through a number of adaptations and actions over time. People have different perceptions towards the adaptation of a change, i.e. some people are reluctant to change and they are afraid of changing their adapted routine, whereas other people have an open mind towards the acceptance of a change and they perceive it as a positive and favourable approach towards their career growth and interpersonal development. The key element of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behaviour change is the construct of “stage of change”. It further states that people are at different levels of readiness to adopt a change or stage of change in order to make their life healthier by predicting and expecting changes for a number of behaviours, including eating habits, smoking and physical activities. (VanRooyen and Leaning, 2005) (See Appendices) 3. Social Cognitive Theory It is based upon the cognitive formulation of social learning theory, which has been articulated by Bandura, and explains the behaviour of human beings in terms of three ways, i.e. such type of a dynamic, reciprocal model in which there is a continuous interaction between the environmental influences, personal factors and behaviour. (See Appendices). It is designed to synthesize processes and concepts from behaviouristic, emotional and cognitive models of behaviour change, so it can be helpful in applying towards such situations which involves counselling interventions for disease prevention and management. (Van Doorslaer et al., 1997) This theory further states that people are not supposed to only learn from their own experiences, but they can also learn a lot of things from the actions of others and the results of those particular actions. SCT states that it is the person’s self confidence level that enables him to take any action, irrespective of the challenges and obstacles that would occur to him in his course of action and irrespective of the results and outcomes of that particular action. The theory emphasizes upon the concept of Reciprocal Determinism, which means that the person can act both as an agent of change and responder to that change. (Wallace and Davies, 2009) 4. Social Ecological Model It helps to understand those factors that can affect the behaviour of an individual and also provide such guidance that will help him in developing a successful program with the help of the environmental implications. It emphasizes upon the fact that the behaviour of an individual is designed with the influence of multiple factors of the environment, i.e. organizational, individual, public policy, interpersonal and community. The principles of this model are very consistent with that of the social cognitive theory because it suggests that by creating an environment that is cognitive to change can make it easier for the people to adopt a change of healthy behaviour. (Kazak, 1989) (See Appendices) After critically analysing the four different theories of behavioural and social sciences, it has been evaluated that behavioural sciences have a great influence over the public and community healthcare services. It helps us in understanding the responses of different individuals and their perceptions towards the healthcare industry and the nursing profession. Factors affecting the inter-professional working in public health Inter-professional working is key to conveying positive public well-being outcomes and decreasing health disparities, which requires an entire framework exertion. Health visitors are key public well-being practitioners who can make a huge commitment to inter-professional groups working with people, families and groups to enhance public health. However, still the inter-professional connections in a health visiting context are not well understood. However, it is important to have an understanding of the inter-professional working rules and regulations in the healthcare industry because the increasing popularity and need of the community healthcare culture can only be achieved through better inter-professional working relationships between the visitors and staff of the healthcare service providers. Research has showed that the inter-professional collaboration improves the communication, and coordination among different staff members, which ultimately results in the provision of quality services and the safety of patient care. It actually helps the individuals to utilize both the individual and collective efforts and expertise of the team members, which allows them to achieve better results and deliver a higher level service than each would working alone. (Holt et al., 2010) Being a nurse, I would like to make healthy inter-professional relationships with the visitors and the internal staff members of the healthcare institution because a nurse is the only responsible personnel of a healthcare institution that have to deal directly and for most of the time with patients and their relatives. This will help me in making different types of referrals, which can benefit me in the long run in different other aspects of life. (Strecher and Rosenstock, 1997) In order to make healthy relations with the patients and their relatives, I would have to provide them extra care and attention because being a nurse it is my duty and this would also benefit me in my social contracts and dealings. (Kelly and Symonds, 2003) Conclusion On the basis of the above analysis and from the critical evaluation of different academic contents, it has been concluded that nursing and community healthcare culture is the most important factor in the development of the public health department of any country. It is also observed that most of the problems related to public health can be resolved through education and training of the healthcare personnel and especially the nurse because they are the most important and integral part of the public health sector. It is also evaluated that in order to improve the inter-professional working relationships, the community healthcare service providers and the public health departments should focus upon the training and educational development of their nurses and provide them opportunities to take some innovative and healthy steps towards the development of their profession and overall healthcare industry. Appendices Statistics Verifications of the literacy rate of the world. Statistic Verification Source: U.K. Department of Education, National Institute of Literacy Research Date: 4.28.2013 .S. Illiteracy Statistics Data Percent of UK adults who can’t read 14% Number of UK adults who can’t read 32 Million Percent of UK adults who read below a 5th grade level 21% Percent of prison inmates who can’t read 63% Percent of high school graduates who can’t read 19% Global Illiteracy   Number of people worldwide who can’t read 774 Million Percent of the worlds illiterate who are female 66% The table showing total population and growth rate of the last five years Table 1329. Total World Population [As of midyear (6,853 represents 7,156)] Year Population (million) Average annual \1 Growth rate (percent) Population change (million) 2010 6,853 1.1 76.1 2011 6,929 1.1 75.7 2012 7,005 1.1 75.4 2013 7,080 1.1 75.3 2014 7,156 1.0 75.0 SYMBOL:       NA Not available. FOOTNOTE:       \1 Represents change from year shown to immediate succeeding year. Health Belief Model (HBM) Transtheoretical Model/ Stages of Change Stages of Changes in heuristic model Behaviour change stages and their characteristics Pre-contemplation No recognition of needs for or interest in change (In the next six months) Contemplation Thinking About changing (in the next six months) Preparation Planning for change (generally within the next month) Action Adopting New Habits (for at-least six months) Maintenance Ongoing Practice of new, healthier behaviour (over six months and chances to return to old behaviour are few) Social Ecological Model Social Cognitive Theory References Atwal, A. and Jones, M. (2009). Preparing for professional practice in health and social care. 1st ed. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell. Becker, M. (1974). The health belief model and personal health behaviour. 1st ed. Thorofare, N.J.: C.B. Slack. Bernstein, H., Cosford, P. and Williams, A. (2010). 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Wallace, L., Buckworth, J., Kirby, T. and Sherman, W. (2000). Characteristics of exercise behaviour among college students: application of social cognitive theory to predicting stage of change. Preventive medicine, 31(5), pp.494--505. Read More