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Health information management (HIM) encompasses a field that primarily relies on the combination of different aspects of information technology, business, and science to conduct, engage in the analysis, and secure data that is associated mainly with the prospects of patient care.
Given that the amounts of data that are currently under management within the healthcare sector have outgrown the measures used by medical institutions over the past few decades, HIM professionals have found a fundamental role in the daily operations and management of databases that aid in the storage of critical information that include the use of the Electronic Health Records with the intent of ensuring that the patient’s personal data remains protected.
Currently, given the significant growth of COVID-19, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) provides a collection of different medical systems, applications, and devices that play a critical role in the connection of health IT systems through the use of online computer systems and networks (Owusu Kwateng, Appiah & Atiemo 2019).
In other words, medical systems are currently connected through the use of Wi-Fi systems that allow the process of machine-to-machine communication, a factor that provides and forms the basis for the IoMT. Besides this, IoMT systems and devices are equally linked to the cloud platforms that include the Amazon Web Services in which he captured patient’s data is stored and later analyzed through the systems.
Reports from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a current widespread reliance on the integration of the electronic health records (EHRs) that continues to create a significantly high demand for management and healthcare professionals to engage in the acquisition of knowledge required in the organization, management, and implementation of these health records across different areas of the health industry. Van Der Volgen & Zha (2019), therefore establishes that both technology and health jobs are currently in high demand, with medical records as well as health information professionals currently on a pedestal demand.
Currently, these professionals are primarily found within different settings that include the clinics, medical institutions, as well as in private practice—a fundamental factor that plays a critical role in the connection of health administrators, clinical team members, as well as other stakeholders en route towards the enhancement of the proper management and the protection of health information systems. Given this, nurses currently play a critical role in building interactions with the HIM professionals, as this remains the epicenter of healthcare.
In connection with the role of nurses in the implementation of HIM systems and engagement with the professionals, there is a need to underscore that the inclusions of the IoMT systems and devices are currently used in the clinical as well as administrative functions, a factor that provides the caregivers the opportunity to connect and communicate through the use of telehealth systems and models.
In this regard, nurses are currently tooled with the skills requires in the running of the point-to-care devices and systems that significantly differ from the traditional systems that relied on the provision of physical services as the nurses can currently be located remotely through the systems (Van Der Volgen & Zhao 2019).
An instance of this can be typified in the reliance on a cloud-based examination system and platform primarily designed for nurses and physicians with the intent of mainly assessing the patients at any point of care. On the other hand, ThinkLabs stethoscopes and the inclusion of telehealth patient examination systems and devices are currently used by nurses in the assessment of their patient’s lungs, heart, throat, and ears. Skin, as well as the abdomens, through the determination of the temperatures.
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is a for-profit organization headquartered in Minnesota, United States of America. The firm offers both insurance services and healthcare products to Americans in different states. By 2020, United Health Group had grown to become the second-largest healthcare provider in the United States behind CVS Health. However, the company has also had numerous challenges that have negatively impacted its operations. The company serves millions of people not just in America, but also outside America, in particular, the Americas (UnitedHealthCare, 2021). In 1998, United Healthcare group realigned its business operations to incorporate a collection of five independent subsidiaries. The purpose of this paper is to assess the organization’s preparation and readiness to meet the healthcare needs of the population it serves.
Different contemporary organizations operating in the healthcare space tend to employ varied techniques and strategies to meet their service delivery objectives. Business diversification is the strategy used by United Health Group to stay afloat while meeting the needs of the customers. The conglomerate serves over 6 million clients within the United States and over 130 million customers across the world. Through diversification, the company has two divisions that run its businesses. Optum is the branch that deals with different lines of businesses, and UnitedHealthCare is the branch that deals with benefits (Che, & Liebenberg, 2017). Under Optum, UnitedHealth Group has several lines of business such as mail-order pharmacy, health savings account, and a payment processor service for healthcare providers. These business divisions ensure that United Healthcare does not only stay afloat businesswise but can cater to the needs of its customers even in the future.
United Healthcare’s business model that is forward-looking and supports its existing streams of income does seem to prepare it to meet the needs of the citizen in the future. The company uses a mixture of value proposition and revenue models to meet its business objectives (Gyan et al., 2017). In the case of the revenue model, the company identifies viable sources of revenue to pursue. For instance, the company has two subsidiaries that deal with different lines of businesses. United Healthcare is a branch that deals with benefits for example health insurance. Optum is the new branch that has three lines of business-Optimum Insight which is a service that processes payments for other healthcare providers. OptumRx is a mail-order pharmacy branch while Optum health is a branch that deals with health savings. UnitedHealthCare accounts for about 80% of the group’s total revenue (Gyan et al., 2017).
UnitedHealthCare also uses a value proposition model to ensure that it keeps its customers while attracting new ones. The value proposition model is a business model in which a firm finds a way of making its products/services attractive to customers (Gebauer et al, 2017). Through strategies such as pocket-friendly pricing and quality services, UnitedHealthCare can attract more customers while retaining their current ones. Through relevancy, quantified value, and differentiation, UnitedHealthCare has been able to withstand pressure from its competitors. These are the same strategies that the firm will continue to leverage and remodel to make the business adaptable for ensured business continuity and to ready itself its clients’ future healthcare needs.
America, like most developed countries, has been hit by a shortage of qualified nursing personnel that negatively affects the quality of care delivered by healthcare providers. To address the issue of the nursing staff shortage, UnitedHealthCare is involved in numerous programs to help increase the number of nurses in the country to plug the deficit. An excellent example of a program that UnitedHealthCare is involved with concerning the shortage of nursing staff is sponsorship programs so that more students take up a nursing course to fill the shortages. Such an approach of guaranteed incentive, as Park and Yu (2019) observe, can create a long-term solution to the problem by ensuring a steady supply of trained workforce, though it must be complimented strategies to ensure long-term retention. Nonetheless, the organization’s intervention to solve nursing workforce shortage compliments the government’s multidimensional approach to solving the problem.
UnitedHealthCare works with healthcare facilities to improve the working conditions of health practitioners across the country and beyond. Today, many nurses work long hours under stressful conditions that create a high turnover. Many others quit nursing because of poor remuneration, fatigue, stress, and the excessive nurse-patient ratio. To encourage nurses to stay in their jobs, the network works closely with hospitals to bring change to the nurses’ working environment. Through educational programs, the network sensitizes healthcare facilities about the importance of improving the working conditions of nurses. For those facilities that are in dire need of nurses, the network works with hospitals to sensitize them about outsourcing nursing staff from other parts of the world. For example, the network has deep roots in the Americas and is involved in the training and facilitating the transfer of nurses where the shortage is acute.
UnitedHealthCare works closely with hospitals to ensure that these facilities meet key parameters about patient satisfaction. One of the critical issues that the network addresses with hospitals is the provision of quality care. A critical factor in the improvement of quality care is the availability of highly trained nursing staff. The network works with healthcare facilities to ensure that hospitals acquire highly trained personnel to improve the quality of care given to patients. Further, the network has resource centers that nurses and other medical professionals can use to expand their knowledge and skills.
UnitedHealthCare has had a troubled past concerning its management that impacted negatively on its corporate culture. Unfortunately, the network has been one of the firms previously investigated by authorities in America for client fraud. The company was accused of creating an elaborate scheme to defraud customers through inflating customary rates and manipulating rates. Other corporate malpractices such as overbilling, denial of treatment, backdating lawsuits, and compliance issues are some of the problems that have bedeviled the firm in the past and which has impacted negatively on its corporate culture and standing. For example, in 2018, UnitedHealthCare was fined $2.5 million by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (2018) for issues concerning compliance. All these ill practices committed by top directors have made both employees and external customers have a negative perception of the company.
The best model that can help UnitedHealthCare to support the implementation of its strategic plan is the issue-based Strategic planning model. This model is the best for the network because it compels the stakeholders to identify the major issues as well as realign its goals. Besides, this model allows the firm to review and re-evaluate its values, mission, and vision. A review of the company’s values will help the firm to create a strong and positive culture that will in turn positively influence its employees and customers.
Most importantly, the issue-based Strategic planning model contains the SWOT analysis (Ginter et al., 2017) through which the firm can re-examine its weaknesses, strengths, the opportunities available to it, and the threats to the business. One of the critical weaknesses is bad governance over the past years. Poor governance has caused UnitedHealthCare millions of dollars in needless lawsuits and compensations/settlements. Through SWOT analysis, the company has the opportunity to rectify these blunders/mistakes. Lastly, through SWOT analysis, UnitedHealthCare has the chance to evaluate its current position and what to do to ready itself to meet people’s healthcare needs in the future.
UnitedHealthCare is a conglomerate headquartered in Minnesota that provides health care services and products to millions of clients in the Americas. In the United States alone, UnitedHealthCare serves over six million customers while across the world, the firm serves over 130 million people. In terms of revenue, UnitedHealthCare is only second to CVS health that occupies the top spot in terms of profitability.
Through diversification, the company has two divisions that run its businesses namely Optum, which runs different lines of businesses, and UnitedHealthCare, which handles client benefits. Based on this analysis of the organization’s needs, the best model for UnitedHealthCare to support the implementation of its strategic plan is the issue-based Strategic planning model. This model emerges as the best for the organization as it compels the stakeholders to identify the major issues as well as realign its goals.
Health and wellness are broad topics that lend themselves well to persuasive speeches. After all, we all want to lead longer, healthier, happier lives.
Effective health persuasive speeches provide intriguing new perspectives on relevant health issues that engage audiences. A good speaker breathes life into health topics using rhetorical techniques, factual evidence, and passion to change minds or prompt action.
This article provides a vast selection of compelling, persuasive health speech topics suitable for diverse audiences and speaking occasions.
Here are some key components of an effective persuasive speech:
A persuasive speech should use sound reasoning and evidence to build a logical argument. Solid facts, statistics, examples, and expert opinions help form a rational basis for accepting your viewpoint. As you write a persuasive speech, a reasoned, and logical appeal makes your position more convincing.
While passion is important, ethical persuasion relies on truth, integrity, and legitimacy. Avoid false logic, distortion of facts, or manipulation. Persuade through ethical means focused on benefits to others versus self-interest.
Connect emotionally with your audience by vividly painting a picture of the future you envision. Appeal to desires, fears, and frustrations through rhetorical devices, imagery, and anecdotes that ignite feelings and imagination. Emotion complements logic.
Blending rational arguments, ethics, and emotional resonance provides the most persuasive impact. A comprehensive approach covering logical, ethical, and emotional dimensions makes your speech most compelling.
Here are 180 potential health-persuasive speech topics suitable for various audiences:
Persuasive speeches aimed at college students allow speakers to address wellness issues relevant to campus life. They include:
These look beyond typical health topics to find creative arguments on interesting, persuasive essay subjects. They include:
Persuasive speech topics about mental health can bring much-needed attention to overlooked issues. They include:
Fun, engaging persuasive speech topics about health can educate young audiences. They include:
Complex medical research issues provide impactful subject matter for persuasive speeches. Some good nursing speech ideas include:
These include local health policies and initiatives that make strong topics for speeches aiming to persuade communities. They include:
A touch of humor helps engage audiences on persuasive health topics. Some of them include:
Straightforward health topics are easier for newer public speakers. They include:
Thought-provoking health issues can captivate audiences. Health related topics for speech include:
Exercise and wellness present many options for assignments. Some good ideas for persuasive speech topics on health and fitness include:
Hot-button health issues invite debate but require careful handling. They include:
Flaws and potential improvements in healthcare systems offer simpler, persuasive speech ideas. Speech topics for nursing students include:
For beginner public speakers, opting for relatively simple, straightforward topics related to health and wellness can be a good strategy. Speaking about basic topics such as the benefits of exercise, healthy eating habits, stress management, or getting enough sleep allows new speakers to focus more on developing their delivery skills rather than getting bogged down in complex research. Easy topics provide a more accessible starting point.
Effective persuasive speeches often address current trends in the news or social media. Choosing hot-button issues on people’s minds helps connect with audiences who are likely already engaged with the topic. Timely, relevant issues can make speeches more impactful. Just ensure the trending topic has some longevity and is not just a fad.
While simple topics have their place, choosing a unique, creative, or unexpected health-related topic often results in higher audience engagement and interest. Think outside the box for perspectives on issues people may not have considered. An interesting angle or approach to a familiar health topic can catch listeners’ attention and curiosity.
First, pick a topic that genuinely excites your interest and attention. Choose an issue you care about enough to research and speak on at length enthusiastically. Passion for the topic comes through in delivery, making your speech more energetic, convincing, and memorable. Your enthusiasm shines.
Be aware of overdone, predictable health topics that have become a bit clichéd due to repetitive overuse in speeches. While classics like exercise, nutrition, and stress can work, try to put a fresh spin on them or find an angle that makes them feel new. Originality goes a long way.
Strong persuasive speech topics tend to lend themselves to debate and discussion rather than just reciting factual information. Seek ideas that invite subjective arguments from various perspectives. Leave room for listeners to draw their conclusions after weighing different viewpoints.
Describe what specific resources or federal agencies that you will utilize to remain informed and current in public health trends and practices.
Among the imperative goals of advanced nurse practitioners (ANP) is the need to stay abreast with global health trends and practices. Having current information regarding nursing practice ensures that ANPs remain relevant and valuable, and capable of administering advanced healthcare services with great benefits to the patients (Alving, Christensen & Thrysøe, 2017). Arguably, numerous resources and federal agencies exist that can help ANPs stay informed with global trends and practices in the respective fields. Among these include the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institute of Health (NIH), etc.
With the global population currently battling the COVID-19 pandemic, such platforms as WHO, CDC and HHS have been crucial in providing up-to-date information regarding different aspects of the pandemic both domestically and on the international platform. For instance, with the roll-out of vaccines for public administration, one can easily track COVID-19 vaccinations in the US through the CDC’s COVID data tracker, which currently shows that while about 55 million doses have been distributed, only 33 million doses have been administered (CDC, 2021). Learning about the vaccine reach in the country helps us understand the extent to which the country’s response mechanism is delivering on the projected goals.
The agencies also provide ANPs with vital information and data regarding different emergent and existing diseases, their dynamics as well as interventions so far taken to manage them. For instance, an ANP can obtain critical information regarding such diseases as Ebola, Influenza, Hepatitis and Corona Viruses, among others, from the WHO website. Case in point is the WHO continuous updates on clinical management of COVID-19.
In its last review and update of the said guidelines, the WHO (2021) recommended the conditional use of thromboprophylaxis dosing of anticoagulation as opposed to intermediate or therapeutic dosing among hospitalized patients. Such information and the accompanying easy access boosts collaboration among different practitioners on the national and global platform, thus ensuring better health outcomes for patients.
Date:
The Honorable ________
Office Address:
United States House of Representatives/United State Senate
City, State, Zip
Dear Representative/Senator ______________:
This letter calls your attention to challenges with the current national strategies for managing childhood obesity. Evidently, caring for pediatric patients gives an insight into the maladies that children face. One of the conditions that have been on the rise in the recent past is malnutrition, and particularly obesity in children. Skinner et al. (2018) report that 41.5% of children between ages 16-19 years battle obesity with about 4% of such cases having Body Mass Index (BMI) more than 40.
Because such individuals tend to present with multiple issues, including coronary artery disease (CAD), instituting appropriate health policies is necessary for the management of this condition. These policies not only focus on recommending a healthy meal but also on the promotion of physical activities.
The farm to school advocacy program designed to alleviate childhood obesity, despite the milestones made, continues to receive little support. This policy encourages the farmers to grow organic foods that are more nutritious and that can be taken in schools to provide a balanced diet; fruits and vegetables are particularly emphasized. The program also encourages physical activity, an aspect equally covered in the school programs and teaching curriculum (Muckian, Snethenm & Buseh, 2017).
The program has greatly impacted society as evidenced by the improving student scores, reduced malnutrition cases, and reduced food wastage (Washington State Department of Agriculture, n.d.). For this reason, better political support of the initiative could translate into better results.
Government involvement in policymaking and implementation takes different methods including tax exemption, provision of subsidy, and population education. There should be tax relief to the farmer who produces healthy foods to attract more individuals to the sector. Population education should be geared towards a change of consumer behavior so that healthy farming and eating methods are adopted (Mozaffarian et al., 2018). There is a need to increase government funding to research institution to enable them to fast-track the achievement of a healthy society.
Thanks for being considerate. Looking forward to a fruitful interaction on this subject.
Sincerely,
Name:
Title:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone Number:
Children within the age bracket of 2-19 years living in abject poverty are susceptible to chronic illnesses such as malaria, tuberculosis (TB), and ubiquitous malnutrition. According to a 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) Report, 30,000 children living in poverty die yearly (Cox, 2018). As of 2019, WHO documented that globally, approximately six million children have died in the last five years from preventable diseases such as malaria and Tuberculosis. The most vulnerable age groups are children 1-11 months and 12-16 years (Cox, 2018).
Health stakeholders need to develop a promotion and disease prevention program to mitigate child deaths associated with impoverished conditions. Therefore, what optimal health policies are targeted at improving the health conditions of children living in destitution? Children from low-income families are entitled to health promotion and disease prevention plans from health agencies to reduce early mortality rates.
My population is children in black and Hispanic Black low-income communities. The aforementioned two communities mostly live in neighborhoods such as Detroit where the median income is consistently 11000 lower than the income of similar neighborhoods with white families (Moffat, 2020). African American girls and boys aged 2-19 years living in such poverty conditions are predisposed to malnutrition, malaria, and Tuberculosis.
Both the black and Hispanic Black’s spiritual needs are interconnected to the sufferings of the black community during the great depression era. In this regard, the key spiritual need of the African American community is the holistic concern of the social status of their people as well as the fundamental belief in the existence of a supreme God. The central healthcare need of African Americans living in poverty is the establishment of a high-quality pediatric center. Thereafter, the children require urgent health interventions for mitigating the three aforementioned recurrent child diseases.
The following 3 interventions are necessary to reduce health disparities between African American children living in poverty and white children. First, specific mental health diagnostic groups require special programs that offer therapeutic programs for autism, and Attention-deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADH) (Moffat, 2020). Health Agencies should identify areas with widespread child mental health cases before developing the therapeutic centers. Second, community providers should attend vocational programs, webinars, or seminars where they are trained on how to treat and communicate with children from black communities.
Also, the health department should partner with schools to train teachers how to handle African American children with special needs. Lastly, providers should advise the children to use alternative mobile telehealth apps such as what’s up and Mood kit (Englander, 2018). Whereas the former uses cognitive therapy to alleviate depression and anxiety, the latter uses the same therapeutic framework to develop the user’s positive attitudes and self-awareness.
Concisely, Health providers should enroll in educational programs and incorporate telehealth platforms to treat both the mental and physical health of children living in poverty conditions. The mainstream society should support health providers to safeguard the health of African American children living in abject poverty by providing financial donations to needy families.
A person can be defined as Hispanic/Latino if he is of Cuban, South or Central American, Mexican Puerto Rican, or Spanish culture (US Census Bureau, 2020). Studies have associated Hispanics with relatively poor health compared to people of non-Hispanic origin (Owen, Carmona & Pomeroy, 2020). According to the CDC, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, kidney failure, tuberculosis, cancer, and obesity incidences are higher among the Hispanic/Latinos. An adult living in the US has a 40% probability of developing diabetes, while a Hispanic/Latino has a 50% probability. Hispanics have a higher incidence of diabetes at a younger age. In addition to the increased risk, Hispanics also have a higher risk for developing diabetes complications such as vision loss, blindness, and diabetic kidney disease (Chobby, 2017). The Hispanics are thus at more risk of health problems and complications that arise from the health conditions when compared to persons of non-Hispanic origin.
The Hispanic/Latinos accounted for 27% of the total newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases in the United States in 2018 (CDC, 2020). The percentage is relatively high compared to the Hispanic population percentage in the United States. Studies have shown that non-Hispanics are associated with non-compliance to treatment (Owen et al., 2020). A large portion does not retain antiretroviral treatment. Those who take HIV medications are less likely to achieve satisfactory viral suppression (CDC, 2020). The Hispanic population has a higher incidence of sexually transmitted infections than non-Hispanics (Guillamo et al., 2020).
According to CDC (2020), TB incidences are higher among ethnic and racial minorities. The incidences are relatively high among the Hispanic/Latino population, accounting for 29% of the total number of patients diagnosed with TB in the US. The Hispanics have more than eight fold risk of contracting TB compared to the non-Hispanic population, studies reveal (McDonald & Paulozzi, 2019)
Among the Hispanics, taking food that is rich in calories and fats is a common practice. The Hispanic culture also promotes overindulging in food. It is not taken kindly when an individual refuses to take food. It is perceived as disrespect or impoliteness (Villegas, Coba?Rodriguez & Wiley, 2018). The Hispanics are also less physically active. The physical inactivity coupled with the feeding habits culminates in an increased incidence of obesity among the Hispanics compared to the non-Hispanics (Hales et al., 2017).
Mortality secondary to Acute Kidney Injury and diabetes is high among Hispanics/Latinos. Measures that reduce diabetes incidences would be integral in minimizing mortality due to kidney failure (Chobby, 2017). Actions such as educating the Hispanics on healthy eating habits, promoting exercises, and proper balanced diet help control diabetes. Other measures in the prevention and management of diabetes include intake of unsaturated fats, minimizing intake of saturated fats, reducing sugar intake, increasing body activity, and taking fiber-rich diets (Chobby, 2017). Effective management of diabetes would effectively minimize kidney failure and subsequently reduce mortality.
When controlling diseases and associated comorbidities, primary prevention is vital as it prevents a healthy individual from contracting diseases, thus reducing injury associated with the disease. As seen earlier, Hispanics have a higher risk of contracting diseases such as tuberculosis, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and obesity. These diseases can be prevented by engaging in activities that minimize the risk of contracting them. For example, educating them on practicing safe sex can reduce the risk of contracting STDs such as HIV/AIDS, syphilis, and gonorrhea (Guillamo et al., 2020). The Hispanic population can also be educated on pre-exposure prophylaxis to minimize the spread of HIV/AIDS (Page et al., 2017). Also, intake of a healthy balanced diet and regular exercises are instrumental in reducing the risk of contracting diabetes and reducing comorbidities associated with diabetes. Sensitizing them on their susceptibility (perceived susceptibility) can improve their desire to live healthy lives and desire preventive health activities (Green, Murphy & Gryboski, 2020). Availing services such as cancer screening and free TB screening can be instrumental in the prevention of diseases and their comorbidities.
Health-seeking behavior among Hispanics is inhibited by several factors such as language and cultural barriers, lack of access to health care, poverty, poor access to health promotion services such as health screenings, education disparities, and a biased medical profession. Language barriers inhibit the doctor-patient interaction impacting how the patient reports their symptoms and understands the diagnosis and treatment (Green et al., 2020). The language barrier acts as a discouragement to many Hispanics who lack effective communication skills minimizing access to health care. Most Hispanics are low-wage employees, while some are self-employed, denying them access to public health programs. These factors all culminate into poorer health status compared to their counterparts, the non-Hispanics.
Culture plays an integral role in health promotion among Hispanics. Culture is indispensable in the provision of quality health care. Hispanic culture is relatively the least understood, and this should not be the case. Culture-sensitive interventions should be provided because culture affects the decision-making process among Hispanics. Thus, it is imperative for health care providers to be familiar with the diverse Hispanic culture to provide holistic and best quality care. Care that impinges on culture can negatively affect the patient’s cognition and attitude towards health care (Kwabi, 2017). This, in turn, affects patient cooperation and, consequently, patient healing.
Health care providers should consider several factors during the treatment of Hispanics. This is majorly due to their various culture and origin and associated beliefs, lifestyles, customs, socioeconomic classes, education levels, and attitudes towards health care. There exist substantial within-group subdivision variations among the Hispanics. The differences arise due to their different origins (Caribbean, Mexico, and South America). The healthcare provider should thus consider a person’s origin during care and treatment.
A family is a fundamental unit among the Hispanic cultures. Healthcare providers should consider the family and most certainly involve the extended family during a patient’s care (Murillo et al., 2020). Extended family members often accompany their family members to the hospital. The Hispanics hold on firmly to their cultural beliefs and protect their families by virtual culture. Family members are very supportive of their own and are actively involved in decision-making and availing of necessary resources (Murillo et al., 2020). Hispanics have a long history of being caring to their own. Folk medicine is still firmly rooted in their culture and plays a significant role in managing Hispanic patients. Family members avail necessary resources and assist the patent in choosing the most effective treatment.
The Hispanic populations can be termed as at-risk ethnic groups. They have an increased risk of contracting acute and chronic illness, poor access to medical services, and high incidences of common diseases that healthcare providers should understand and incline their support. Barriers to basic and advanced health care access should be addressed holistically to improve their health statuses. Health care providers should provide holistic care that is culture-sensitive to Hispanics. Cultural diversity obstacles should not be barriers to the providence of quality care to the people.
On the Healthy People 2020 website, the 2020 LHI topic, Social Determinants, explains that a national indicator of health is measured by “Students who graduate with a regular diploma 4 years after starting 9th grade” (para. 11).
According to the data, are we improving or declining as a nation, and why is this important to our health as a country?
P.S, please follow the instructions as it asks and answer the question.
I only need half-page and two references from Potter, P A., Perry book, and Scholar articles under five years of publication.
Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Over the past few years, the number of tobacco users has decreased. Statistics show that China has the highest number of tobacco smokers, and India has the highest number of non-smoke tobacco users globally. The number of men smoking is relatively equal to the number of men. Tobacco contains carcinogenic compounds that are harmful to individuals. Studies show that as the total number of smokers decreases, the number of adolescents and young adults smoking tobacco has been rising.
These findings prompt research into the causes and ways to decrease young adults and adolescents smoking. Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable diseases, disability, and death in the United States. This paper aims to develop a tobacco cessation plan among adolescents and the youths, highlighting objectives and expected outcomes.
Tobacco use entails abusing the various products of tobacco plant leaves. Tobacco is used in various ways, such as smoking, chewing, or sniffing. Tobacco is most often smoked compared to other means of tobacco use. The healthy people 2020 initiative identifies tobacco use as one of the significant factors affecting community health and wellness. The initiative entails goals, discussed later in this paper, that address tobacco use.
The CDC associates tobacco use with various illnesses and a primary causative agent of various conditions such as many types of cancers, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, asthma, osteoporosis, and cataracts. Statistics claim that over 34 million people in the U.S. are active smokers and many others are passive smokers. Tobacco use affects active and passive smokers at relatively similar rates. Non-smoke tobacco use is associated with increased incidences of mouth cancer.
Tobacco is a stimulant whose effects only last for a short time. Most of the time, people use tobacco due to addiction and dependency (Eaton et al., 2018). Most people who have used it for a long time claim to desire to stop using it, but they cannot stop due to its withdrawal effects, such as severe migraines. They claim not to ‘function effectively’ when they have not smoked (Eaton et al., 2018).
As mentioned earlier, the number of adolescents and young adults smoking has been rapidly rising. Studies have associated the rise with indulgence in variant forms of pleasure-seeking behaviors such as e-cigarettes and smoking shisha. Peer pressure has played a huge role in seeing many young adults into tobacco use through these variant forms. The CDC states that peer pressure has also been the leading cause of starting smoking behavior (CDC, 2020b). Peer pressure is usually at its peak in adolescence and young adulthood when the students are trying to fit in, be conspicuous, or just curious.
Tobacco use is notorious for causing dependency and addiction. The development of tobacco dependency occurs after a short period of frequent use (Eaton et al., 2018). The chemicals in tobacco, nicotine, are notorious for causing dependency. Management of tobacco dependency is quite complex, time-consuming, and high because it requires rehabilitation services. Once the young generation starts the smoking behavior, it is usually challenging to stop, and continue with it into adulthood (Eaton et al., 2018).
Virtually everyone is affected by tobacco use directly or indirectly. Statistics claim that men and women use tobacco in relatively similar percentages with only slight variations in different nations (Healthy People 2020 n.d.). People are affected directly as active smokers and indirectly as passive smokers. Society suffers when affected people suffer morbidities or are deceased. The widespread reduction in the number of smokers can be attributed to population sensitization and implementation of tobacco use reduction initiatives.
These include mass media education on tobacco effects. According to CDC statistics, the number of active smokers has decreased from 20.9% in 2005 to 13.7% in 2018 (CDC, 2020b). Among the 13.7%, the number of young adults and adolescents is considerably high, an issue of significant concern (Peacock et al., 2018). Global statistics claim that over 11% of the youth smoke tobacco. Managing tobacco use of individuals in this age bracket is critical in promoting tobacco use cessation (Peacock et al., 2018). Once the behavior is mitigated at an early age, the individual is highly unlikely to indulge in tobacco use again and thus. They are also able to avoid diseases associated with smoking.
Over 99% percent of the population make their first smoking attempt by 26 years of age, which has a significant bearing on smoking behavior (Peacock et al., 2018). If the first smoking attempt is prevented, the smoking behavior would be conclusively managed/mitigated (Groner and Balks, 2020).
From the evidence presented in the paper, the young population often decides to start using tobacco due to peer pressure and misinformation. When the young population is equipped with adequate information, they will most likely make sound decisions, cease smoking, or fail to attempt smoking. Thus, the number of youths smoking shall significantly reduce (Groner and Balks, 2020). The education sessions are tailored to help young adults and adolescents stop tobacco-using behavior. The health belief model is instrumental in creating a theoretical framework for the educational sessions.
The sample population shall be two institutions with tobacco-using students. The participants are active tobacco users. The two institutions, Forever Young High School and Achievers College are the best decision because they contain the desired age groups, that is, the adolescents and the young adults. The education sessions shall inform the students on the health risks associated with tobacco use and the benefits of living a tobacco-free life.
The education sessions shall relay information to the students present, which shall further be relayed to other society members, especially the young population reducing smoking significantly. The education sessions shall also involve providing relevant contact when an individual needs help with rehabilitation and smoking cessation.
The health promotion’s main goal is promoting tobacco use cessation among adolescents and young adults. Another goal is influencing behavior change among active smokers. Sensitizing the young generation on complications associated with tobacco use is another goal. The goal is to ensure informed decision-making of current and future generations. The constructs of the health belief model are instrumental in reinforcing people’s behavior. When the young are aware of the risks associated with tobacco use (perceived severity) and benefits of cessation (perceived benefits), they are likely to stop the tobacco use behavior.
The main objective is meeting the goals outlined in the health promotion plan. Other objectives include increasing health education participation and promoting smoking cessation among the students (adolescents and young adults). The education sessions shall also seek to determine the reasons why people decide to start smoking. The reasons can thus be addressed directly, leading to decreased tobacco use. The education sessions shall also help the youth develop personal goals that align with health promotional goals. They shall help create good relationships with the youth and lay a foundation for developing new ways of reducing tobacco use among the young generation.
Different evaluation methods are employed in assessing the outcomes of the health promotion plan. As aforementioned, each participant shall fill in a journal denoting the progress throughout the sessions. The participant can express their subjective experience, feelings, and lessons from the educations lessons. After every session, the participants are allowed to ask questions which are promptly answers. A survey on the progress is carried out every two weeks to showcase the participants’ population’s general progress. Evaluation of progress is critical in showing the impact of the education sessions, denoting areas of improvement, and aligning the session to the health promotion plan goals.
The educational sessions had a good outcome. The number increased to twenty participants in subsequent sessions, and the participants verbalized and exhibited decreased tobacco use. They also showed a greater desire to cease tobacco use. The number of sessions was less frequent, and from the evaluation data, there was the need to increase the sessions to at least an education session weekly. Increasing the sessions shall increase the surveillance done and also contact time to ensure exclusive teaching. With increased surveillance, the study participants are stimulated to follow the rules more keenly. A decision to take the participants’ numbers was made and was instrumental in effecting follow-up. The students revealed more information in follow-up sessions, and many received the help they sort for.
The healthy people 2020 initiative recognizes tobacco use as one of the major factors leading to common health conditions. Thus, it is imperative to ensure the health promotion plan is in line with the healthy people 2020 initiative goals. Healthy People 2020 initiative goals related to tobacco use include reducing tobacco use, reducing tobacco use initiation, and reducing tobacco use among adolescents and young adults (Healthy People 2020 n.d.). The health promotion plan main objectives reflect on the goals regarding tobacco use indicated in the Healthy People Initiative 2020
To effect tobacco cessation, an elaborate health promotion plan must be in place. As seen above, mitigating tobacco use as at a young age is instrumental in determining the number of tobacco users in the future. The government, responsible bodies, and societies have a collective duty to ensure tobacco use cessation. Elaborate and specific objectives are instrumental in determining the success of the health promotion plan. The choice of the target population is very important because having a representative population ensures data collected can be inferred to affect tobacco cessation in the whole population. The data collected is also instrumental in planning strategies to mitigate tobacco use among young adults and adolescents.
Healthcare and politics are inseparable, considering that the health sector relies on government policies and guidelines to define services’ quality, cost, and plans. The political domain influences various disciplines, including public policies, organizational systems, and legislative provisions. Depending on the existing political regime, healthcare changes are inevitable.
In the US, state and national politics determine comprehensive healthcare plans that include Medicare and Medicaid. Other healthcare developments dependent on the administrative tenures are patient protection Acts, Affordable Care Act (ACA), alongside others that continue to shape healthcare institutional expectations, operations, affordability, and accessibility. Therefore, politics and health are intertwined concepts that share historical dynamics.
Private Health insurance and managed healthcare are among the fundamental health developments that became operational in the 20th century. In the late 19th century, few state and private insurance companies provide policies to cover care costs for employees and people with disabilities. Coverage for health issues unrelated to workplace accidents did not exist until the late 20th century. Between the 1910s to the mid-1940s, few hospitals and healthcare groups like the Western Clinic in Tacoma provided prepaid services.
For instance, the American Association of Labor Legislation conceptualized a health insurance bill framework for industrial workers in 15 states by 1915 (Oberlander, 2019). The program targeted lumber mill owners and employees. Between the mid-1940s to mid-1960s, states and federal governments embraced policies to foster the expansion of health benefits. Although at a slow pace, the era ushered the emergence of health insurance groups such as the Health Insurance Plan (HIP) of Greater New York and the Seattle-based Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound.
Health insurance reforms unfolded in the subsequent years of the 1960s to 1970s. President John F. Kennedy proposed a health plan that became the Part A of Medicare. Kennedy’s plan targeted to finance healthcare services through taxes on earned income. In 1965, Congress passed two landmark Acts for healthcare insurance: Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for low-income families (Hines et al., 2017).
However, it was until a decade later when managed care became a reality. In 1973, the Health Maintenance organizations (HMO) Act authorized startup grants and loans, more essentially, promoted the emergence of a holistic employer-based insurance market. From the 1970s to the 1980s, health insurance developments set avenues for the current policies such as the 2010 Affordable Care Act and Patient Protection (Gruber, 2017).
Although these landmark developments are fundamental in influencing access to healthcare services, the primary concern is reducing salary deductions and providing incentives to private insurance providers to share the cost of delivering medical covers. Therefore, the national government engages with various healthcare stakeholders to increase financial allocations and other prerequisite resources to complement private insurers’ efforts and reduce tax burdens.
Undoubtedly, private insurers are fundamental in bolstering healthcare services by providing flexible and comprehensive insurance covers to employees and other individuals enrolled in their contracts. Therefore, the federal government includes these private insurance companies as subjects to various legal provisions to help protect individuals from price, safety, and quality compromises. The most profound laws that protect individuals enrolled in private insurance providers include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA) of 2005. The HIPAA provisions protect American employees, regardless of their employers, from transferring (carry) health insurance policies from job to job.
The program allows employees to apply for health insurance plans to replace lost coverage and adjust changes such as marriages, adoptions, and births (Cohen & Mello, 2018). More importantly, HIPAA protects insured individuals against discrimination based on health problems. Private health insurance providers who discriminate against individuals based on individual characteristics such as disability are punishable by federal law.
Simultaneously, PSQIA protects healthcare employees who report unsafe working conditions (Boulanger et al., 2019). The federal government created this Act to encourage effective reporting of medical errors while maintaining patient’s confidentiality rights. Therefore, the law is strict on protecting individual data during the process of healthcare quality reporting.
Customer-driven healthcare and consumer empowerment are fundamental concepts that influence how people access, pay, and understand healthcare services. Consumer-driven healthcare originated in the late 1990s to engage consumers in healthcare purchases (Ferguson et al., 2020). The idea was to allow health insurance members to use various ways to pay for routine healthcare expenses. Before the plan, patients and people on regular healthcare services faced economic problems because healthcare expenses inflicted financial pressure. Therefore, the consumer-driven healthcare plan availed various payment opportunities to individuals, including health saving accounts (HSAs), Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs), and other payment accounts for medical purposes to protect individuals from costly out-of-pocket expenses. This aspect gave patients control over the health budget because they enjoyed opportunities to pay for routine services via personal-controlled accounts and fixed health insurance benefits.
Although consumer-driven healthcare services were essential in fostering quality and affordability, organizations faced the urge to embrace consumer empowerment practices to ensure greater transparency. According to Bridge et al. (2017), patient empowerment entails efforts to ensure that consumers have adequate support, resources, and tools to access, afford, and appreciate healthcare services. Under the consumer empowerment objective, the functional areas include promoting information transparency, engaging patients as partners, promoting patients’ experiences, and price transparency. These elements are crucial in improving relationships between patients and healthcare institutions.
Notably, the private insurance market plays an essential role in promoting healthcare quality, accessibility, and affordability. Due to the existing federal government’s provisions under different health Acts, it is valid to argue that private insurers hold an ideal position in the overall health improvement objective. Regardless of the prevailing changes in the healthcare sector, nurses remain ethically bound to engage in different efforts of improving health and healthcare services (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). The recent healthcare provisions such as the Affordable Care Act of 2010 require expanding institutional scopes and systems to accommodate many consumers enrolled in flexible medical covers.
Nurses are crucial stakeholders in facilitating such reforms by providing medical expertise, leadership skills, and innovative competencies that complement healthcare system expansion. More importantly, opportunities for integrating advanced healthcare systems and organizational infrastructures place nurses as ideal figures for healthcare promotion, alleviating disease morbidity and mortality rates, and utilizing evidence-based healthcare practices (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017, pp. 20). Therefore, it is valid to argue that nurses have opportunities for transforming healthcare practices by accommodating recent reforms and assimilating their subsequent provisions to enhance service quality.
Private insurance providers are crucial stakeholders in transforming the health care sector in the county. These insurers provide medical covers based on monthly premium payments and other terms agreed upon with customers. Due to their essentiality, the federal government values them and enacts provisions to protect individuals enrolled in such plans. The reason for integrating private insurers into the mainstream healthcare reforms is to promote consumer-driven practices and empower individuals to control their budgets.
Current reforms such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) operates to consolidate all stakeholders to increase healthcare efficiency, affordability, quality, and accessibility. Regardless of the tremendous changes in the US healthcare sector, nurses are crucial stakeholders who provide the necessary expertise, models, and practices relevant to the changes. Therefore, their opportunities are increasing due to the expanding healthcare scopes.
The health systems concept varies between countries worldwide. The variation is influenced by factors such as geography, culture, disease epidemiology, and resource availability. Inherently, each country tunes its implementation to these factors to realize the preventive, curative, and rehabilitative benefits of healthcare. The article explores specific differences among the USA, Canada, and Germany, based on the five parameters of the structure, expenditure, resource allocation, quality indicators, and outcomes.
The USA has 2.7 physicians per 1000, 3.7 hospital beds per 1000, and an average hospital stay of 7.1 days. It also has more MRI units and CT scanners than Canada, but not Germany.Canada has 2.1 physicians per 1000, 4.7 hospital beds per 1000, and an average hospital stay of 8.4 days.Germany has 3.5 physicians per 1000, 9.3 hospital beds per 1000, and an average hospital stay of 12.0 days. It also has more MRI units and CT scanners than the USA.The USA has the highest infant mortality and lowest life expectancy of the three (Makeeba et al., 2017).
Importantly, patient satisfaction with the systems is the least in the USA.
Parameters in Canada are in the intermediate area for life expectancy and mortality rates between the three (Marchildon, 2019).
Importantly, patient satisfaction with the systems is greatest in Canada.
Germany has the lowest infant mortality and highest life expectancy of the three.
Importantly, patient satisfaction with the systems is intermediate in Germany.