Australian Domiciliary and Health Care System - Coursework Example

Australian Dormicillary and Health care system Introduction This service was introduced by the Australian government with the aim of improving access to health care and the well being of all people in Australia. They introduced several reforms to enhance these services that included National strategy for an ageing Australia in 2001, the way forward: A new strategy for community care in 2004 and helping Australians with Dementia and their cares in 2005. These strategies were introduced to enhance better population health, increased access to home based care, better primary health and health programs to help the general population in maintaining good health. This methodology has been very effective in ensuring that the health of the Australian people is safeguarded by health promotion, disease prevention, early intervention in cases of disease occurrence and the primary health care provided all over the sub continent. The adoption of these strategies has been faced with some planned course of events and situations (scenarios). Scenarios are utilized by many organizations all over the world including health care systems like that of Australian in order to study how future situations and events may happen. The case studies can be in the metropolitan, regional and remote regions. Home based care has made it possible to get to the people affected by the different diseases and disorders at different levels and it is also possible to curb the disorder with the necessary approaches and forecast of the situation. There are several scenarios based on the area for instance metropolitan, regional and remote areas. Nursing of clients with acute health problems Acute health problems occur very fast or immediately when exposed to especially poisonous products and can easily lead to death. There are many causes of acute health problems like heavy metal and other conditions in which people are exposed to toxic fumes for example those who work in factories and use machineries. Grace is an air hostess and has been experiencing headaches, nausea, breathing difficulties and fatigue after her duties during the flights. This is because of the effect of the burning of hydrocarbons in the airplane’s engine releasing carbon monoxide and organophosphates. These health problems have greatly affected her daily activities since she is not able to work normally especially when attending to the duties delegated in the plane. As a result of these she has also experienced persistent chest infections which are influenced by the conditions above. Grace faints after one of her long flights due to breathing difficulties and we admit her to a local hospital where immediate diagnostic test are performed. Unlike most clients with acute health problems Grace does not need to be operated on. Using information gotten from Grace her family is informed that she is in hospital in a stable condition. She is given the necessary medication, discharged and then taken home by her family members. Most are the times when clients with acute health problems need a lot of attention and they may need blood transfusion and in some cases organ transplants. In cases where surgery is a necessity then the client is given instructions on what to do and what not to do in preparation of the procedure. This is to reduce or to prevent any complications during and after surgery to ensure that the client’s health is safeguarded accordingly. The client has to sign a consent form as a sign that he/ she is aware of any complications of the procedure and has given the consent that it be performed. Physicians and the doctors involved also have to perform some tasks especially if blood transfusion and organ transplants are needed to avoid organ rejection or compromising the health of the client after surgery. Screening of blood is also a requirement to ensure that the blood is safe from diseases like HIV AIDS. Nursing of client with chronic health problems Unlike acute health problems chronic problems occur after a long time with continued exposure after the first time of exposure. That is the client is exposed to a harmful or poisonous agents for a long time in a certain environment. These conditions mostly affect those people who work especially in mines or industries leading to occupational toxicology. Long term effects of the body are multi organ failure which leads to deviation from the normal biochemical and physiological functioning of the body. Heavy metals build up in the body systems and can at times lead to chronic health problems which cannot be cured. This kind of poisoning is found in areas where industries are set up in both developed and developing nations for instance Australia which is characterized by many industries and mines. The impacts can be very severe and at times the affected person cannot even move from place to place on their own or without assistance. Edwin is a casual worker in one of the leading coal mines in Australia in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. This industry produces a lot of green house emissions like heavy metals for instance arsenic. Arsenic is capable of causing poisoning especially when exposed for a long period of time for instance Edwin who has worked and lived in this area for over eight years. Since his sixth year in to his job he started experiencing lower abdominal pains, severe headaches, and sleepiness and breathing difficulties. He went to visit a doctor who performed several test on him. The doctor found out that his kidney and lungs were not functioning normally and as a result he experienced lower abdominal pains and breathing difficulties. According to his occupation the doctor knew very well that these symptoms were related in one way or the other to poisoning as he was a mine worker for a long period and therefore had been exposed to this poisoning for all this period. He visited the doctor at an appropriate time because there were chances of surviving so long as he cooperated. To reduce the exposure he was supposed to move away from this area, sacrifice his job for better health. Chances of getting the cancers associated with arsenic poisoning were greatly reduced and Edwin would be able to live relatively longer. Undertake home visits A home visit for clients is good for those who are unable to travel to the hospitals or doctor’s office or those who would like to have privacy. This is also easy in monitoring the client’s progress or recovery and the doctor can give instructions and directives to the other family members with a lot ease. The client should prepare adequately whenever they are expecting a doctor and should be ready to help the doctor in assisting them to safeguard their health. He should pay attention to the series of symptoms that he is experiencing and any factors that alleviates the symptoms or relieves. One should also prepare appropriate questions that the doctor should be asked. Sandra has type two diabetes and has to be observed all around the clock. However she has to help the physician by saying her felling through a discussion with the doctor being very frank on her symptoms. She has been progressing well however because she has been following all the doctor’s instructions on the diet and according to her she has never missed to take her medicine. Home visit is better for Sandra because she is very free while talking about her condition and the doctor is well prepared with other personnel just in case Sandra’s condition changes and needs to transferred to a hospital right away. The family is informed to take good care of her by ensuring that they do not expose her to conditions that may easily cause her blood pressure to rise. This is a vital preventive measure because most clients with diabetes can easily raise their blood pressure if they are given certain information especially if negative. With visits twice a week Sandra is progressing well and the blood sugar has been on the decrease which is very positive because with time she can even totally heal that her blood sugar returns to normal. Practice in the domiciliary health care environment Domiciliary health care is very effective as it involves visiting the client in their areas of specialization for instance school, place of work or even at home. The nurses involved should exhibit good characters of interacting with the client their families and friends. This should be done by a group of nurses of which each is specialized in a specific area. Nurses in the group should be well experienced in the treatment plans, preventive medicine and emergency care. They are involved in supporting the client his family and friends and teaching them about that particular disease and the conditions under which the client should be exposed to in order to be able to deliver a good health package to the client. The nurses should also give information or refer the clients and the family to specific health care centers in case of emergencies and the nurses or doctor is not available at the time of emergency. There should be at least a nurse or a doctor in the health care center referred who knows the clients situation well. Christine is one of our clients with a mental problem and it is so hard for her to go about her daily activities without monitoring from the nurses or her family. Clients with mental problems have several problems whish are associated with this disorder and may include eating problems, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, personality problems and traumatic conditions or reactions. She has to monitored of the biological dimensions of the condition the trends and reforms of the condition by observing her behavior. Nursing intervention of Christine involved encouragement using passive exercises and using psychological dynamics to help her change her psychological perception towards life and the daily activities. The nursing process aim include changing thoughts, feelings and the general behavior before the condition gets out of hand or uncontrollable. Documenting of the progress in change of the behavior and feelings is also very important in monitoring the change and coming up with other methodologies which can enhance faster change. Monitoring should be over a long period of time until the client changes completely and when the chances of reverting in to the illness are extremely low. The domiciliary health care led to improvement in the behavior of Christine, improved socializing with other people and adolescents and improved intellectual development. Increased parental care was also evident with no stigmatization from the other family members and there was no occurrence of child abuse and neglect towards her. It was also effective in development of Christine as she had changed her behavior perception. This practice has led to reduced mortality in both young people and adolescents because if these conditions are not intervened then they can easily lead to even death. Work in the nursing profession The intensive care of families and the communities in general with the aim of curing and preventing disorders is the nursing practice. Nurses usually work together as each of them specializes in a particular area and cannot be able to deliver all the requirements in order to safeguard the health of clients. They plan, execute and evaluate care to the clients independent of the medical doctors. This is a complex phenomenon that involves both health care principles and wellness principles that have to be followed accordingly in order to ensure the well being of clients and the community in general. Primary health care should ensure that there is sufficient supply of medicine to the community and the financial barriers are removed to enhance accessibility of the drugs without a hitch. Health care should be accessible regardless of the social, employment, cultural and financial status and this is most curbed by the government by subsidizing the prices of medical care and drugs. The clients or patients also have the right to choose where they should be treated or the doctors and physicians they feel that they can treat them or understand their situation accordingly. Health organizations should provide the services to the patients without exploiting them financially that are they should provide the services without making profits out of them. The government also should provide all the necessary resources to ensure that health care services are available to all regardless of their situation. The clinicians and nurses should be guided by the legal, ethical and moral laws to be able to provide the necessary health care to the community. There are also principles of well being which state that all people should have access to life elements which enhance their healthy well being. These elements should enhance the physical and mental health without stressing the environment. The environment in which we live and grow should also be made conducive in order to improve the social and psychological well being of people especially children to keep any mental illnesses at bay. Each and every person has the right to make decisions that affect their daily activities and the community in general. Promotion of mental and social health, strengthening communities by encouraging good relationships among people in the communities, searching for other means other than violence and ensuring that every body is able to express him/ herself. Nurses handle all kind of emotional situations like comforting relatives of the client in cases of for instance death. This should be handled with a lot of care and professionally especially in the way the message should be conveyed to the family members. Each and every person should contribute accordingly to make the project a success by understanding the goal and provide the effort needed to be able to work effectively as a group. Every one should be assigned roles according to their experience and exposure to the different skills. Health care system in Australia is funded by the federal and the states government using funds obtained from the general tax revenue. The government is involved in setting up the fees that should be charged on the clients and some cases the government sets off about 85% of client’s bills through health insurance commission. Medications are also offered at subsidized prices to ensure that health care is accessible to all. There are risk factors associated with sick clients and should be gotten rid off by giving the elderly and the sick leaves to help them recover fast enough to be able to return to their normal livelihoods. Those who are exposed to conditions which adversely affect them for instance industries should leave such areas to avoid persistent exposure. Conclusion Domiciliary health care methodology has proved effective in controlling and reducing morality especially to the elderly and the very young. This has been possible because the much needed healthcare and medication are provided to them right from their homes regardless of their culture, financial situation and the daily activities they are involved in for instance work or studies. References Colin, G. Helen, L. The Australian health care system, 1988. School of Health Administration, University of New South Wales, 1989. Colleen, R. Commissioning Domiciliary Care: A Practical Guide To Purchasing Services. 2nd Edition. Radcliffe Publishing, 1999. Read More

Grace faints after one of her long flights due to breathing difficulties and we admit her to a local hospital where immediate diagnostic test are performed. Unlike most clients with acute health problems Grace does not need to be operated on. Using information gotten from Grace her family is informed that she is in hospital in a stable condition. She is given the necessary medication, discharged and then taken home by her family members. Most are the times when clients with acute health problems need a lot of attention and they may need blood transfusion and in some cases organ transplants.

In cases where surgery is a necessity then the client is given instructions on what to do and what not to do in preparation of the procedure. This is to reduce or to prevent any complications during and after surgery to ensure that the client’s health is safeguarded accordingly. The client has to sign a consent form as a sign that he/ she is aware of any complications of the procedure and has given the consent that it be performed. Physicians and the doctors involved also have to perform some tasks especially if blood transfusion and organ transplants are needed to avoid organ rejection or compromising the health of the client after surgery.

Screening of blood is also a requirement to ensure that the blood is safe from diseases like HIV AIDS. Nursing of client with chronic health problems Unlike acute health problems chronic problems occur after a long time with continued exposure after the first time of exposure. That is the client is exposed to a harmful or poisonous agents for a long time in a certain environment. These conditions mostly affect those people who work especially in mines or industries leading to occupational toxicology.

Long term effects of the body are multi organ failure which leads to deviation from the normal biochemical and physiological functioning of the body. Heavy metals build up in the body systems and can at times lead to chronic health problems which cannot be cured. This kind of poisoning is found in areas where industries are set up in both developed and developing nations for instance Australia which is characterized by many industries and mines. The impacts can be very severe and at times the affected person cannot even move from place to place on their own or without assistance.

Edwin is a casual worker in one of the leading coal mines in Australia in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. This industry produces a lot of green house emissions like heavy metals for instance arsenic. Arsenic is capable of causing poisoning especially when exposed for a long period of time for instance Edwin who has worked and lived in this area for over eight years. Since his sixth year in to his job he started experiencing lower abdominal pains, severe headaches, and sleepiness and breathing difficulties.

He went to visit a doctor who performed several test on him. The doctor found out that his kidney and lungs were not functioning normally and as a result he experienced lower abdominal pains and breathing difficulties. According to his occupation the doctor knew very well that these symptoms were related in one way or the other to poisoning as he was a mine worker for a long period and therefore had been exposed to this poisoning for all this period. He visited the doctor at an appropriate time because there were chances of surviving so long as he cooperated.

To reduce the exposure he was supposed to move away from this area, sacrifice his job for better health. Chances of getting the cancers associated with arsenic poisoning were greatly reduced and Edwin would be able to live relatively longer. Undertake home visits A home visit for clients is good for those who are unable to travel to the hospitals or doctor’s office or those who would like to have privacy. This is also easy in monitoring the client’s progress or recovery and the doctor can give instructions and directives to the other family members with a lot ease.

Read More