Tag: Clinical-Nursing

Principles of Toxicology

 

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Principles of Toxicology

Conflicts in Risk Assessment: Analysis of medical agents used in health promotion and treatment.

Question of focus for the essay: Is the use of medical agnts safe enough to prolong life or it also disrupts major biological and physiological processes and functions?

The emergence and  discovery of modern methods and modes of treatment has been very instrumental towards the prolonging of life of most people. This directly contrasts the ancient times when people were very apt and prone to contracting illnesses due to the unsanitary techniques used in treatment (Chau et al, 2014). The modern era has witnessed a wave of revolution in health care such that an ocean of medication can now be used to remedy the same illness. However, the ethical concerns and efficacy of most medicines remains questionable owing to their adverse drug reactions in the body (Rice et al, 2015).

Principles of toxicology dictate that agents used to treat infections, illnesses or diseases should have minimal effect on the human host and maximum effect on the causative agent of the disease (Pavey et al, 2015). There are many queries and concerns that have been raised when certain chemicals are introduced as remedies into a health issue. For instance, fluorine is commonly used to treat water and eliminate pathogenic microflora that may easily establish infections in the human body (Kadiyala and Tan, 2013). However, the same fluorine is also dangerous since if used in excess, it can lead to teeth discoloration or bring about hormonal imbalance in the body.

These side effects can be dangerous to a person who suffers from a hormonal disorder such as poor serotonin absorption. Another example is where the use of hydrocortisone is prescribed as an anti-inflammatory drug (Zhang et al, 2014). However, the same chemical is known to damage the melanin pigment of the skin that is very important in protecting the body from harmful radiation. Therefore, an equilibrium point should be established and agreed at what level is it safe to use certain chemicals so that toxicological effects are minimized.

Policies and Regulations That Can Help in Revising the Principles of Toxicology

The best and most suitable approach that can be recommended in this case is the introduction of a policy or act of  law that would govern the use of toxic agents and chemicals. For instance, an Act of Law would define the chemical or agent in question and then go ahead to outline its benefits to the human body (Zhang et al, 2014). Additionally, this act would also include the hazards or side effects of using this agent on a continued basis or in excess. At the same time, the policy would also oversee the use of controversial chemicals and dictate their application within various situations. This information can be communicated to the larger public through a gazette notice that would outline them in meticulous detail.

The introduction of a policy that strictly or solely deals with toxic agents would easily capture the attention of the public. If  a person is made away that cortisone as a chemical can inhibit or impair the melanin pigment, then they would become more concerned about it. This would mean gathering information on how this chemical works in the body and at what point it is bound to elicit an adverse drug reaction (Zhang et al, 2014). Additionally, the policy should be deliberated  within a public forum such that people are included in the official process of reducing toxicological effects of controversial chemical agents.

Conclusively, medicines and treatment agents have highly transformed human lives by prolonging it for a couple of years. However, some of them introduce toxic effects in the body and that is why policies and government acts should be implemented to mitigate such negative effects.

 

References

Chau, M. M., Kong, D. M., Hal, S. J., Urbancic, K., Trubiano, J. A., Cassumbhoy, M., & … Worth, L. J. (2014). Consensus guidelines for optimising antifungal drug delivery and monitoring to avoid toxicity and improve outcomes in patients with haematological malignancy, 2014. Internal Medicine Journal, 44(12b), 1364-1388. doi:10.1111/imj.12600

Kadiyala, I., & Tan, E. (2013). Formulation approaches in mitigating toxicity of orally administrated drugs. Pharmaceutical Development & Technology, 18(2), 305-312. doi:10.3109/10837450.2012.734516

Pavey, R. A., Kambil, S. M., & Bhat, R. M. (2015). Dermatological adverse reactions to cancer chemotherapy. Indian Journal Of Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology, 81(4), 433. doi:10.4103/0378-6323.15995

Rice, H., Dalton, C. H., Price, M. E., Graham, S. J., Green, A. C., Jenner, J., & … Timperley, C. M. (2015). Toxicity and medical countermeasure studies on the organophosphorus nerve agents VM and VX. Proceedings Of The Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences, 471(2176), 1-14. doi:10.1098/rspa.2014.0891

Zhang, J. D., Berntenis, N., Roth, A., & Ebeling, M. (2014). Data mining reveals a network of early-response genes as a consensus signature of drug-induced in vitro and in vivo toxicity. Pharmacogenomics Journal, 14(3), 208-216. doi:10.1038/tpj.2013.39

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Bisphenol A also known as BPA has for a long time been a chemical with contradicting issues. BPA is a chemical that for many years has been used in the hardening of plastics. This chemical is found in almost everything, like some medical device, dental sealants, water bottles, water discs, the lining of canned food and drinks as well as many other products. According to studies over 90% of people use BPA in their bodies (Vaughn, 2010).  Most of it gets in the body while we eat foods that have been in containers that are made of BPA. It is possible to pick this chemical through dust, water and air.

This chemical is also common in Sippy cups, baby bottles, beauty formula cans and other products that are used in infants and young children. According to the report given by the health departments, children toys do not have BPA. On the same note the outer shield of some pacifiers have BPA. However, his chemical is not found on the nipple that the baby sucks. For a long time, people used BPA without thinking of the risks and the harm it can bring especially to children. According to studies, there are some concerns about the use of BPA. These products can affect the prostate glands in fetus and children, brain and the way a person behaves (Gibert, 2015).

On the other hand, there is the benefit that is brought by using BPA. For instance, BPA is used in the making of some critical components of the numerous medical device as well as their housings. BPA has an optical clarity that is used for direct observation of fluids in the body including the blood (Vogel, 2012). By observing the liquids, the health caregivers can be able to monitor the flow. The health care gives depended on the equipment as well as medical devices that have been made with BPA so that they can be able to have a transparent view of the body of a human (Hayes & Laudan, 2009). This view makes it easy for them to check for the presence of air bubbles or any other obstructions during the procedure.

Note that numerous different things that can be said about BPA, but in my opinion, this chemical should continue to be used due to the benefits that it brings. For instance without this chemical, there could have been many deaths that could rise from obstructions in the body fluids when a patient is undergoing medication (Rosenfeld & Feng, 2011).. Unless there is a100% prove of damages that this medicine brings, and then it should continue to be used. Science comes up with theories that are challenged every day. The theory behind BPA is one of such. They have not produced clear prove that shows the product is poisonous.

By burning BPA there are so many areas that will be affected, this chemical makes a broad range of things like receipt of the store sales, police shield, reading glasses, bullet prove glass, LED lights and many more. This is some of the things that are used on daily basis; some of them are even used to aid day to day living. This is the reason that cutting BPA out of the market will mean bringing a lot of things to a standstill. To avoid this, scientist, should continue with their study and come up with something that is concrete. A point that should be considered is that for a long time BPA has been used, even on infants and little or no harm came on their way.

In conclusion, there are so many chemicals that have the benefit on humans, and yet it also causes serious damage. BPA, if any at all causes low harm on humans and should not be banned.

 

 

 

References

Gibert, Y. (2015). 
Bisphenol A: Sources, risks of environmental exposure and human health

effects
. New York: Nova Publishers.

Hayes, D., & Laudan, R. (2009). 
Food and nutrition
. New York: Marshall Cavendish Reference.

Rosenfeld, P. E., & Feng, L. G. H. (2011). 
Risks of hazardous wastes
. Amsterdam:

Elsevier/William Andrew.

Vaughn, B. C. (2010). 
Bisphenol A and phthalates: Uses, health effects and environmental risks
.

New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Vogel, S. A. (2012). 
Is It Safe?: BPA and the Struggle to Define the Safety of Chemicals
.

Berkeley: University of California Press.

HYPERSENSITIVITY

 

 

 

 

 

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Hypersensitivity

The human immune system is often tasked with the physical obligation of protecting the body from foreign pathogens that may invade it. The instigation or onset of a hypersensitivity reaction is often as a result of an abnormal reaction of the immune system towards a foreign pathogen or antigen. Hypersensitivity is often used to describe allergies, which arise out of the body detecting the presence of a foreign object that the body is not used to normally. There are various methods of treatment and therapy that have been devised to tackle the diverse types of hypersensitivity reactions or conditions. This paper is a brief essay that compares two therapeutic measures for hypersensitivity and which one works best for research.

Therapeutic Measures for Hypersensitivity.

There many different methods that are employed in the treatment of hypersensitivity or allergic reactions. The mode of treatment that is chosen depends on the extent of the hypersensitivity as well as the causative agent (Legendre et al 2014, p. 145). The two therapeutic measures that can be adopted for both hypersensitivity and research purposes are immunotherapy and use of medication (Karnoub et al 2015, p. 2). The latter is the most common method that is used to treat hypersensitivity. However, the medicine that is administered to the patient depends on the nature of the allergic reaction they have (Jones et al 2015, p. 198). Both immunotherapy and medications can be evaluated as a treatment regimen for allergies based on the PICO approach.

PICO deals with the patient or population receiving the treatment, the intervention used, control and the resultant outcome. In this case, PICO can be used to ascertain if these two therapeutic methods are effective for the patient, the nature of their intervention, the control measures employed and whether there are any side effects from their usage (Medical Literature, 2015). The medication approach is often used for the control of hypersensitivity reactions which are mostly allergens. Antihistamines and decongestants are the most common medicines prescribed for patients with allergic symptoms (Stone et al 2014, p. 12). Decongestants are known to control allergies such as asthma or stuffy noses. Likewise, antihistamines and corticosteroids are also prescribed when a patient has a hypersensitivity inflammation. On the other hand, immunotherapy is a different form of hypersensitivity treatment that makes use of small doses of the allergen to which the patient is allergic to presently (Berroa et al 2014, p. 276).

Immunotherapy is mainly used to treat allergies such as pollen, dust, bee venom or even flower and coffee pheromones. The use of minimal or small doses of the allergen is meant to trigger the immune system into becoming less sensitive to this foreign substance (Legendre et al 2014, p. 145).   Consequently, the immunity of the person responds by hindering the release of antibodies, which means that allergic reactions with then be avoided. Immunotherapy is very effective in treating conditions such as rhinitis, anaphylaxis and other frequently occurring allergies. Both medication and immunotherapy are effective because they are able to minimize the production of antibodies within the immune system (Legendre et al 2014, p. 145).

Additionally, both of these therapeutic interventions are known to have very minimal side effects or adverse drug reactions that can at times be acute. Instead, they usually restore the health of the patient with little damage to the physiological functioning of the body (Medical Literature, 2015). The success of these forms of treatment lies in first establishing the factors that strongly trigger the hypersensitivity reactions. Blood tests as well as skin tests are known to give the main allergens that cause one to be hypersensitive. Hence, after this is diagnosed, it then becomes easier to decide whether to use medication or immunotherapy interventions.           Conclusively, both medication and immunotherapy are effective therapeutic measures for treating hypersensitivity and research into both modes of treatment has revealed their numerous advantages to the affected patient.

 

 

 

References

Berroa, F, Lafuente, A, Javaloyes, G, Ferrer, M, Moncada, R, Goikoetxea, M, Urbain, C, Sanz, M, & Gastaminza, G 2014, ‘The usefulness of plasma histamine and different tryptase cut-off points in the diagnosis of peranaesthetic hypersensitivity reactions’, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 44, 2, pp. 270-277, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 September 2015

Jones, J, Richter, L, Alonto, A, & Leedahl, D 2015, ‘Desensitization To Ceftaroline In a patient with multiple medication hypersensitivity reactions’, American Journal Of Health-System Pharmacy, 72, 3, pp. 198-202, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 September 2015

Karnoub, M, Zairi, F, Aboukais, R, & Assaker, R 2015, ‘Delayed Hypersensitivity Reaction: An Increasingly Recognized Complication of Metal-on-Metal Total Disc Replacement’, Case Reports In Orthopedics, 2015, pp. 1-3, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 September 2015

Legendre, D, Muzny, C, Marshall, G, & Swiatlo, E 2014, ‘Antibiotic Hypersensitivity Reactions and Approaches to Desensitization’,Clinical Infectious Diseases, 58, 8, pp. 140-148, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 September 2015

Medical Literature. (2015).
PICO formula
. Retrieved on 14 Septermber 2015 from http://learntech.physiol.ox.ac.uk/cochrane_tutorial/cochlibd0e84.php

Stone, S, Phillips, E, Wiese, M, Heddle, R, & Brown, S 2014, ‘Immediate-type hypersensitivity drug reactions’, British Journal Of Clinical Pharmacology, 78, 1, pp. 1-13, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 September 2015

TOPIC: Primary Care

Research Paper Assignment

 

Primary care has been touted as the answer to real transformational change

and improved integration of 
Ontario’s health care system
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–    Discuss the definitions of primary (health) care and primary medical

    care and the similarities and differences between them.

–    Describe the rationale behind the belief that primary care is a critical component of improved integration.

–    Discuss the key roadblocks that must be addressed and what can/should be done

Evaluation Criteria

.Application of the concepts and frameworks from lectures and readings

.Ability to synthesize and incorporate course ideas

.Ability to construct a coherent and well-informed argument based on a review of the literature (new articles beyond the course readings are required).

.Clarity of the research paper

.Note that descriptive papers are not sufficient as the teaching team wants to see an understanding and not merely a regurgitation of information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRIMARY CARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Primary Care

The state of complete mental, physical and social well being of a person combined with the absence of disease and infirmity is what constitutes good human health. The health care sector is mandated with the task of overseeing that its citizens are able to remain in a state of complete physical health. There are different departments and sections within the health care department that serve these functions at a variable level. One of these departments is the primary care sector that forms the core foundation of most health care systems. Primary care is one of the sections within health care that serves the umbrella function of providing very basic care to patients. This care is often  provided on a daily basis by either a physician, health worker or a nurse. The person offering this kind of care is usually the first person of contact with the patient and they are supposed to coordinate all other involvements with this sick person. Due to the basic nature of primary health care, many countries and states have put in place measures to improve the service delivery.

In Ontario, primary care has been touted as the answer to real transformational change and improved integration of its health care system. This is because primary care is regarded as one of its fundamental pillars in the health system. Therefore, this state thrives to foster the improvement of quality medical and health care to its people. It does this by providing the appropriate and adequate resources, strategies and initiatives to help primary care to become more efficient. The primary care providers such as the nurse practitioners and the physicians are also given additional training so that they can be competent at what they do. In any case, the core aim of primary care is to make sure that patients receive the most basic treatment and care in a quality and effective manner. This paper is an incisive and descriptive essay that discusses the importance of primary care by focusing on Ontario’s health care system.

Discuss the definitions of primary (health) care and primary medical care

Primary health care or PHC is a segment of health care that deals with scientific and socially accepted methods of providing health care to individuals. This type of care is tasked with the duty of ensuring that health care is accessible to everyone within the community, society or even country (Chrystal et al, 2015). As such, primary health care strives to become universal, so that every person can at least have access to a medical facility. PHC is also an approach that strives to see that health is achieved through additional medical and social policies. This bracket of health care includes all the areas that play a very instrumental role in health (Phillips et al, 2014).

This means that primary health care is intertwined with the individual’s lifestyle, their environment and how they access health care. Consequently, primary health care can be considered as a cornerstone that can be used to achieve the ideal health system on a universal scale. The ultimate goal and objective of primary health care is to improve health accessibility and ensure that all people can be able to visit a health facility (Pype et al, 2014). PHC is able to do this by reducing the gap that exists between social classes and disparities in the health care sector. Secondly, PHC also strives to organize and deliver health services that are within the needs and expectations of the people. This is normally considered as part of service delivery reform. Thirdly, primary health care aims at integrating health into all the available sectors of the economy (Thomas et al, 2015).

This includes both the public and private policies of reforms. In addition, PHC also pursues the collaborative models of policy and dialogue so that it can increase the participation of the respective stakeholders (Thomas et al, 2015). On the other hand, primary medical care aims at providing the highest quality of medical care to all sick people and patients. In addition, primary medical care or PMC endeavors to prevent illnesses, diseases and health conditions in the patients themselves. The overall aim of PMC is to work together with the health professionals to provide quality care that is also comprehensive and integrated as well (Giltenane et al, 2015). The practice of PMC includes the promotion of health, prevention of diseases, maintaining health and diagnosis of diseases. In addition, primary medical care also deals with counseling and educating the patient, providing in-patient and out patient care as well as offering other medical forms of care such as home care and day care.

Primary medical care is performed and provided by a personal physician, doctor or health practitioner. This person works with the collaboration of other important parties such health professionals (Jenstad and Donnelly, 2015). This ensures that the provision of PMC is such that there is a total utilization of the appropriate processes so that medical care is of utmost quality. In addition, PMC strives to become cost-effective so that virtually all people can afford it. Primary medical care is a practice that is considered as the first point of entry of the patient to the health care system. What’s more, it also serves as a continuing focal point for the medical care services that are needed (Mundt et al, 2015).

This means that primary medical care also has a mission of providing patients with the access to the physician or doctor that they want to treat them.  In overall, primary medical care is generally structured to provide medical attention to the larger majority. The state of Ontario is striving hard to provide quality primary medical and health care. ­Presently, Ontario does not have a well coordinated or comprehensive approach  that deals with the performance of this medical sector. In fact, statistics show that Ontarios primary medical and health care compare quite poorly with other states and cities (Ngiap et al, 2014).

This means that the health care sector in Ontario also falters if it is compared to other states on the same level. As such, a lot of effort is being placed towards the primary care sector in Ontario so that areas and loopholes of possible improvement are identified. This began when the health quality unit in Ontario saw the dire need to have a large-scale approach that can measure the performance of both primary medical and health care (Ngiap et al, 2014).

This measurement can be done at the practice and system levels where specific programs are usually launched. These performance initiatives are undertaken together with the collaborative efforts of key stakeholders in the medical fraternity. The end product of these efforts is to ensure that health care is available and affordable for all.

Similarities and differences between primary (health) care and primary medical care

Both primary medical care and primary health care are perceived to be the most comprehensive rationale behind the provision of health and medical services. However, the two fields of care have a number of similarities and differences. Primary medical care and primary health care are two terms that are used interchangeably on a very regular basis. However, it should be noted that the two terms are used to denote and refer to very different concepts. These two terms describe very distinct and unique entities that relate to aspects within the medical field. Primary medical care deals with approaches that include policies and regulations that can reform the sector. One of the similarities between PMC and PHC is that both of these terms deal with the process of providing medical attention in the best way possible (Chrystal et al, 2015).

Both of these disciplines strive to ensure that medical attention is available to people at an affordable cost. Additionally, both PMC and PHC are governed by some policies and rules, some of which are formulated by the World Health Organization. If the focus is placed on Ontario, the PHC sector supports families and individuals so that they can make the best and informed decision concerning their health. In addition, PHC in Ontario includes the provision of advice on the best and suitable strategies of promoting health and preventing diseases (Phillips et al, 2014). In as much as there are similarities between PMC and PHC, There are also a couple of differences that exist between primary health care and primary medical care. To begin with, primary medical care is often used in describing a family practice where a small number of individuals are given urgent attention. On other other hand, primary health care is a broader term that usually encompasses the wider selection of people such as providers of health care (Phillips et al, 2014). PHC also includes the function and services of other stakeholders and how they aspire to achieve these goals. Sometimes, primary health care is regarded as a bracket of health care that is founded on the principles of offering fair and accessible to almost all people.            Secondly, PHC endeavors to remain relevant to the people by ensuring that their medica needs are met (Pype et al, 2014). Primary health care differs from primary medical care in that it is more cost effective and uses various forms of technology to provide quality care to patients. The World Health Organization plays a very instrumental role in ensuring that all children and adults can be able to access quality and affordable health care (Pype et al, 2014).  This is achieved by following their policies and rules that are part of their mission. PHC also takes into account the demographics and population index of various places so that it can know how best to serve people in a given area (Jenstad and Donnelly, 2015).  There are numerous explanations that continue to be given for both primary medical or health care. The fact remains that both are distinctly different and they should not be used interchangeably.

 

 

Describe the rationale behind the belief that primary care is a critical component of improved integration.

The Ontario health care system is amid one of the best medical systems in the world. Residents who qualify for this health system have the privilege  to access various kinds of health care facilities in their community (Jenstad and Donnelly, 2015).  In Ontario, citizens are given a medical health cover insurance that will cater for their medical needs during emergencies. There are various ways of getting non-emergency medical care in Ontario. One of them is by trained medical staff answering the patients’ questions via phone (Giltenane et al, 2015). Family doctors, nurses and other health care providers are usually the ones in most cases concerned with checking out and attending to patients’ medical complications. Primary health care is a necessity for an improved medical integration, and an example can be seen in treatment for chronic diseases like cancer, heart complications, kidney failures, and many other diseases.

In most countries, primary health care is practiced by nurses, and other health providers (Thomas et al, 2015).  In preventing chronic diseases, multiple guidelines have been developed to help general physicians in the avoidance of Chronic diseases. The prospective role of general practice comprises the identification and delivery of brief interventions to avert chronic disease and also the referral to other facilities and programs. A number of industrialized nations have introduced and embarked on healthcare reforms, these reforms is aimed at improving their systems of delivering primary health care (Jenstad and Donnelly, 2015). With the introduction of medical reforms, many people are able to access primary medical care and the rate of their attendants increased.

Launching a more rational basis for referrals and taming the coordination between primary care and specialist doctors making primary care practice more interesting and rationally fulfilling. Nations should embrace the distribution of both primary care and specialists by modifying their authorizing rules to health requirements in different areas or by providing financial enticements for practicing in harsh areas, as is done in some other nations. Primary care is a necessity and so ways of improving it must be incorporated (Mundt et al, 2015).  Allocating more funds to facilitate research in primary health care will be of great help in the expansion of this service, as this will benefit many people in the community.

Discuss the key roadblocks that must be addressed and what can/should be done

Delivering worthy patient care is aim number one for most medical practices, but good objectives are not constantly enough if your management progressions keep falling apart (Ngiap et al, 2014).  Fort Wayne Medical Education Program (FWMEP),  family health program in Indiana came up with several road blocks that hindered the administration of primary health care, and possible ways on how to overcome them  Some of these roadblocks that must be addressed within the Ontario health and reform system are presented below:

Scheduling visits more effectively

As a busy practice seeing 100 patients a day, FWMEP has to quickly look for possible solutions on how to attend to patients and especially those with acute health problems. First, and foremost, WMEP created fifteen appointment slots, each taking place morning and afternoon hours (Jenstad and Donnelly, 2015).  Secondly, The exercise established two brochures that focus on the need for preventive  care, one for young teenagers and the other for adults (Ngiap et al, 2014). Usually, these services were offered to patients and parents during their  appointment periods, and the exercise plans to widen delivery services to patients who are not planning on performing preventive exams frequently.

 

Providing two visits in one

One major obstacle to executing a double visit procedure was the absence of coding and reimbursement skills amid the medical practice. To curb this, doctors were taught how to clearly deal with both services in the patient’s electronic health record and correctly code them with the use of modifier 25 to show that a major, separately distinguishable service was delivered on the same day (Jenstad and Donnelly, 2015). At first, this resulted to consternation, but after few weeks of practice, a careful evaluation discovered that adding ten minutes to accommodate well-child checks was not troublesome and in fact improved the treatment time.

Reducing missed appointments

To handle the  roadblock of missed appointments, the practice should take a detailed overview of mails sent by patients to their physicians for those who did not make for their ideal appointment day.  For instance, FWMEP found out that though they requested patients to reorganize for their appointments, the mails did not have any information on how to contact these patients (Mundt et al, 2015).  The practice came up with a new mail highlighting the practice’s contact numbers and e-mail address, so that the doctors could communicate with patients and know why they missed their appointments. FWMEP also got the support of AmeriHealth Mercy of Indiana, which promised to handle communications when patients missed three or more appointments (Mundt et al, 2015). The practice also reviewed its method for appointment approval phone calls. Even though patients will get appointment notices from an automated system two days before their planned appointment, they must be reminded on that specific day their appointment will occur, and most patients will be contacted in the morning.

 

 

Increasing newborn care

To avoid postpartum and preliminary newborn care from subsiding through the cracks, the doctors deliver hospital care to moms and children (Thomas et al, 2015). In addition, they have to use the discharge paperwork for each of their patients to one of the two triage nurses employed by the practice. The nurse follows up straight with the patient to program the newborn and postpartum appointment (Ngiap et al, 2014). Patients get an automated an approval call two days prior these appointments. The practice is making an allowance for the emergence of a postpartum and nursery standing-order sheet to train hospital ward workers to review the exercise earlier before the patient is cleared from the hospital to plan for the postpartum and newborn check-ups (Ngiap et al, 2014).

Positive results

The new scheduling conventions which include welcome calls to new patients, approval calls for all well-child checks and postpartum follow-up calls, were tabled in by earlier staff after reshuffling and relocating jobs. Using a system that makes enhanced utilization of  providers’ time, instead of the addition of more hours, the practice’s volume and revenue both improved (Chrystal et al, 2015). Most significantly, kids are getting the preventive, primary care they require. This advantage has proved that refining outcomes may contain much more than revising what goes on in the exam room (Phillips et al, 2014). Enhanced aftermaths may well depend upon uncovering and eradicating the barriers a practice makes, and  how it succeeds in accessing it.

Conclusion

Primary care is vital for building a durable health care system that warrants positive health outcomes, usefulness and competence, and health impartiality. It is the first interaction in a health care system for people and is embracing coordination and completeness. It offers  individual, community-oriented and family-focused  care for treating, preventing, or improving common infections and disabilities, and supporting health. In both developed and developing countries, primary care has been proven to be connected with enriched access to health care services, improved health aftermaths, and a reduction in hospitalization and use of emergency unit visits. Primary care can also aid in offsetting the negative effect of poor economic conditions on health. Thus, the research recommends the necessity to intensify the supply of primary care physicians globally.

Alternatively, research has pointed out that nations and regions more focused on the primary care have lesser healthcare expenses, but improved health outcomes, though advance studies using formal cost-effectiveness ways need to be piloted. Cost-effectiveness of primary care has been purposely recognized through a limited interventions performed in primary care settings, and embracing of health information systems in primary care settings may lead to improved  financial achievements.

 

References

Chrystal, J. G., Glover, D. L., Young, A. S., Whelan, F., Austin, E. L., Johnson, N. K., &             Kertesz, S. G. (2015). Experience of Primary Care among Homeless                                               Individuals with Mental Health Conditions. Plos ONE, 10(2), 1-14.                                       doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117395

Giltenane, M., Kelly, M., & Dowling, M. (2015). Public health nurses’ (PHNs) experiences of                   their role as part of a primary care team (PCT) in Ireland. Australian Journal Of             Advanced Nursing, 32(3), 6-15.

Jenstad, L. M., & Donnelly, M. (2015). Hearing Care for Elders: A Personal Reflection on                        Participatory Action Learning With Primary Care Providers. American Journal Of Audiology, 24(1), 23-30. doi:10.1044/2014_AJA-14-0051

Mundt, M. P., Gilchrist, V. J., Fleming, M. F., Zakletskaia, L. I., Tuan, W., & Beasley, J. W.                     (2015). Effects of Primary Care Team Social Networks on Quality of Care and Costs for Patients With Cardiovascular Disease. Annals Of Family Medicine, 13(2), 139-148.          doi:10.1370/afm.1754

Ngiap Chuan, T., Chirk Jenn, N., Rosemary, M., Wahid, K., & Lee Gan, G. (2014). Developing               a primary care research agenda through collaborative efforts — a proposed      “6E” model.     Asia Pacific Family Medicine, 13(1), 1-13. doi:10.1186/s12930-014-0017-9

Phillips, J. P., Petterson, S. M., Bazemore, A. W., & Phillips, R. L. (2014). A Retrospective           Analysis of the Relationship Between Medical Student Debt and Primary Care Practice in             the United States. Annals Of Family Medicine, 12(6), 542-549. doi:10.1370/afm.1697

Pype, P., Peersman, W., Wens, J., Stes, A., Van den Eynden, B., & Deveugele, M. (2014). What,             how and from whom do health care professionals learn during collaboration in palliative       home care: a cross-sectional study in primary palliative care. BMC Health Services        Research, 14(1), 247-266. doi:10.1186/s12913-014-0501-9

Thomas, K., Krevers, B., & Bendtsen, P. (2015). Implementing healthy lifestyle promotion in                   primary care: a quasi-experimental cross-sectional study evaluating a team initiative.            PMC Health Services Research, 15(1), 650-669. doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0688-4

a topic report about the following

 

Health

What are the roles of the federal Public Health Service?What does the Surgeon General do? What does CDC do? How is each organized? What regulations do they each enforce and what policy do they each make?

 

Topic Report Format:

14-page (double spaced)report using 12 point Times New Roman font, standard margins

Proper in-text citations
and list of Sources Consulted in
A
P
A
f
o
rma
t
.
Pages will be numbered and each section will have the heading in
bold print.
Be sure that all the points in each section listed below are covered in your paper.

 

The paper will have the following topic headings typically found in academic reports, and be used as dividing points within the paper:

 

Background:
description of issue or program (
typically 4 pages
)

Methodology:
description of the method you used to create the analysis(see Rosenbloom’s

discussion of program evaluation methods, lecture on program analysis) (
1-2 paragraphs
)

Literature Review: 
what did you read about your topic that was written by other authors? Write it as an essay with citations, not as an annotated bibliography (
2-3 pages
)

Analysis:
the impacts of this issue in the context of the political situation, community situation, societal concerns, preceding/ existing policies or programs; who were the stakeholders involved in the policymaking and how was the balance of power represented in the policy development outcomes so far. The analysis must both
support your recommendation and acknowledge all sides of the issue
(e.g., opposition, alternatives)(
6-

8 pages
)
.
Be sure to include appropriate references to C
onsti
tu
t
i
on
a
l and l
ega
l
i
ssues
re
lat
e
d to
y
our topic.
Remember that this is a RESEARCH REPORT, not an argument or legal brief, so you are providing a balanced and supported view, not arguing!

Conclusion:
Summarize the significance of the topic
tied to your analysis
. (
1
p
a
r
ag
r
a
ph
).

 

The paper will be evaluated using the following criteria:

 

Criteria

P
oints

a) The professionalism with which the report is presented: clarity, appearance, grammar,

spelling, appropriate word choice, “voice”.

3

 

 

b)The comprehensiveness and care with which the topic being analyzed is described,

including citing the appropriate Constitutional and legal issues.

4

 

 

c) The demonstration of understanding of relevant public administration concepts that

can be used to explain the topic and its context, impact, and policy outcomes.

5

 

 

d)The quality of
analysis providing links between class discussion and readings 
and the topic

6

 

 

e) The quality of critical thinking demonstrated in the Analysis section
.

6

 

 

f)The
appropriateness of the references
selected
and the analytical bridge to the paper

topic, including correct in-text and sources consulted citations.

4

g) The APA format was properly used for all citations

2

TOTAL

30

 

EACH STUDENT WILL WRITE AN INDEPENDENT PAPER

Topics Report   

 

Because the text focuses on federal public administration, the research papers will have a
state and local government focus
. Resources include academic journal articles,credible non-academic periodicals such as
The Economist, NewYorker, Time
, academic analytical books, staff reports and government documents on the topic, newspaper articles and editorials about the topic, and interviews of elected and appointed officials familiar with the topic. The paper will be written in academic report format,
with a “Sources Consulted” list and appropriate citations throughout.

 

 

 

 

 

Federal Public Health Service, Surgeon General and CDC

Name:

Instructor:

Date:

 

 

Background

The health system in the United States has witnessed tremendous growth over the years. We have come know it is a system that is perhaps the most developed as well as effective across the world. However, what most individuals within the United States and beyond do not understand is that the health system is complex as it can get. Indeed, one could say that this has contributed to its success in ensuring a healthy nation while also putting the country at risk. This is because the many interconnected components must function as expected at all times to ensure that we have a healthy nation. Often, the health systems comes out as involving all public and private as well as voluntary entities that have contributed to the delivery of vital public health services within the United States jurisdiction. In fact, the concept of health system oversee that the various components or entities contribute to the health as well as wellbeing of the society. Once, the health system in the country was viewed as consisting of official/government public health entities but such a perception has transformed over the years to include other public sector entities (for instance schools, land-use agencies, environmental protection entities) as well as private-sector agencies. This has meant that the health system in the country is involved in various works meant to ensure public health. From educating the public on injury prevention through monitoring outbreaks of diseases and implementing initiatives to curb their spread, the public health system make the lives of those living in the United States safer as well as healthier. People may not realize it but the health system is ever-present in citizens’ lives. Indeed, at some point in one’s life health system is all but important. This includes pregnancy, at birth, and throughout childhood and adulthood. This is because health system involves the efforts, art, science, as well as approaches that are used by different sectors of society to oversee assurance, maintenance, protection, promotion, and improvement of people’s health. In fact, the health system in the United States goes past assuring the conditions of public health because the inclusion of private-agencies means that businesses and employers, academic, the media and others play a critical role.

As signified above, the mission of the health system revolves around promoting the physical and psychological health of communities as well as populations, to prevent ailments, injury, and disability. This means that the health system may focus of a smaller number of individuals as evidenced through the integration of local/state level agencies. The health system in developed countries such as the United States becomes a complex as well as multi-faceted web with the common aim of protecting the health of a population. It is noted that this system comprises of an infrastructure that enables delivery of services to the masses. In the United States, the infrastructure allows the crucial public health functions to be undertaken and comprises of myriad units and or organizations. For instance, within federal’s department of HHS (Health and Human Services) there are various agencies including the primary ones for public health such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the NIH (National Institutes of Health), HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration), FDA (Food and Drug Administration), as well as AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality). As far as public health policy is concerned, primary leadership rests with the Surgeon General –the chief of the United States Public Health Service- as well as the CDC (California Health Policy Forum, 2007). Whilst most federal public health activity falls under HHS department, a number of agencies in public health are also involved. This includes USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Department of Defense and others. Worth noting, is that there are responsibilities for public health functions at various levels of government including state and federal. Most authority, however, is at the state level. Often, the federal government influences public health practice by funding decisions as well as setting national policy. This translates into providing leadership as well as shifting focus on public health challenges. On the other hand, states engage in numerous activities to protect public health. These activities range from safety enforcement as well as sanitary codes to carrying out inspections and mandating the reporting of various illnesses to state authorities. In addition, such activities as compelling quarantine or isolation and licensing facilities and workers are undertaken at the state level. Regularly, states delegate authority for various functions to local governments at the forefront in responding to health emergencies.

Evidently, the public health system governing the country is complex and inter-agency relationships are at the core of its success. In fact, not one agency functions in isolation because the core aim remains to protect the population against diseases that continue to threat societies across the world. The department of HHS thus works together with various agencies meant to ensure public health. An in-depth look at some of the agencies and their roles in ensuring overall public health can reveal the manner in which the agencies are interlinked. Worth noting, is that their policies may seemingly be structured differently but the core aim of ensuring public health overrides. Some of the components that will be explored in this paper include the Surgeon General, the federal Public Health Service, as well as the CDC. These agencies lie at the center of United States’ health system and are some of the most important in protecting the public against diseases and ensuring wellness. Altogether, public health remains a global issue and the United States is no exception. It is in the best interest of a country to ensure that her citizens remain healthy. The United States is among the many nations that adopted United Nation’s declaration on health (California Health Policy Forum, 2007). The declaration accepts that citizens’ health is a human right that ought to be preserved by the governments.

Methodology

The methodology used in this paper to analyze the aforementioned agencies involves exploratory research. This methodology has been chosen because the areas of study are not only wide but also the fact that the intention is to merely explore the given questions. Often carried out to determine the nature of a problem, the methodology used in this paper is meant to provide a clear picture of the agencies under focus. This means that such a methodology is crucial to making people understand a problem and or answers to a question. A number of considerations are made when using this methodology including the researcher’s willingness to change direction due to revelation of fresh information and or insights. In particular, exploratory methodology of research is handy in situation where a researcher has an idea about a given topic (s) and embarks on a journey to understand it better. This has seen exploratory methodologies of research labeled as initial research because they involve laying the groundwork for better understanding of an issue or a topic. Often, exploratory methodology of research involves questions that necessitate insight and this may include new topics. Worth noting, is that new angles about a topic can result out of fresh information found through exploratory methods of research. This includes new theoretical perspectives as well as fresh ways of measuring something. Nevertheless, the tactic that will be employed in this case involves article reviews. The tactic will include extensive search for related materials in academic databases as well as respectable publications over the Internet. Such sources often provide researchers with rich sources of information that can be built upon to answer questions. This will be helpful in providing insight into the agencies including their roles, organization, relationships, as well as the kind of policies they make or enforce.

Literature review

Scutchfield and Keck (2003) claim that one of the most crucial federal organizations in public health, involves the public health service. This is an arm of the federal security agency. In fact, the public health service assisted the creation of state health departments through giving grants-in-aid, providing advice and consultation on various problems, as well as loaning expert personnel. For instance, if a specific state was witnessing an unprecedented outbreak of disease the public health service would make available exerts to trace the starting place. This included suggesting means of dealing with the spread of an illness. Scutchfield and Keck (2003) insist it must be said that a key stimulus to the growth of public health practice came in response to the challenges associated with the Great Depression through the New deal as well as 1935s Social Security Act. Out of the public health viewpoint, the Social Security Act signified a significant step forward. As Scutchfield and Keck points out, title v of this act provided for an initiative of grants to states including child health services among others. In addition, title vi expanded financing of the public health service as well as allotted federal funds to states assisting them to develop the public health services. Nevertheless, Halverson et al (1998) claim the public health service in the United States has an established history of providing health care services. Established in 1798, the agency grew to become the predominant unit in charge of developing public health programs, sub-agencies, as well as services at a federal level. This underlines its role in the public health system, and it is evident that the agency is among the most crucial in the U.S. in fact, the services are designed to not only examine the health status of the nation but also to meet the identified needs in the health system. In 1996, the public health service agency was recognized and placed under the DHHS to play the role of creating a more efficient as well as client service-oriented unit. Altogether, these are some of the key roles played by public health service agency.

The Surgeon General’s role in the American health system is also crucial. A longstanding docket in U.S government history, Surgeon General previously played the role of heading the Public Health Service including all programs, financial management, as well as administrative duties. Satcher (2015) notes that this changed in 1968 and in modern times, the Surgeon General serves as United States’ chief health educator through providing citizens the best scientific information on improving health as well as minimizing injury and illness risk. According to Ray (2014), the modern roles associated with Surgeon General include articulating scientifically based health policy examination as well as advice to the government (especially HHS secretary) on the full variety of crucial public health system challenges facing the country. Another crucial role played by Surgeon General involves administering PHS commissioned corps – a uniquely flexible and expert career force of health professionals- who are ready to respond to long-term and short-term health needs of the public. Ray (2014) also notes that Surgeon General’s roles include providing leadership as well as management supervision for commissioned corps’ involvement in emergency preparedness as well as research properties. Another role involves fulfilling statutory as well as regular departmental representational responsibilities on a range of federal panels and governing units of non-federal health agencies such as the National Library of Medicine, American Medical Association, Armed forces Institute of Pathology, and Association of Military Surgeons. Altogether, these are some of roles for Surgeon General.

CDC is renowned in the country and beyond for its crucial role in ensuring public health. Halverson et al (1998) contends that the agency mission revolves around promoting health as well as quality of life through preventing and controlling injury, disease, as well as disability. It has centers across the country and some of its roles include providing statistical information for guiding actions as well as policy to support the health of the citizens. This role is through a division known as the National Center for Health Statistics. What is more, CDC’s roles include running the all-important National Center for STD (sexually transmitted disease), HIV (human immune-deficiency virus), and TB (tuberculosis) prevention (Brunette, 2011). This division plays a particularly crucial role in the health system because it provides surveillance, prevention studies, as well as programs to prevent and or control STDs, HIV infection, and TB. Halverson et al (1998) also notes that CDC’s roles include prevention as well as control of disease, birth defects, and disability resulting out of association between individuals and the environment. This is achieved through its division known as the National Center for Environmental Health. In addition, the agency has a division named the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, which establishes programs for reducing injury, disability and related costs, as well as death outside the workplace. Another role associated with CDC is strengthening the community observation of public health via information networks, overseeing laboratory quality, and via conducting practice research. This is achieved through CDC’s International Health Program division or office. The National immunization program, on the other hand, is tasked with immunization programs throughout the country. In sum, CDC roles are wide-ranging and sometimes may focus on such groups as infants and adolescents with the core aim of promoting health. This includes promoting healthy personal behaviors among citizens.

Analysis

The federal public health service, as aforementioned, is crucial to the functionality of the health system as a whole. Its roots can be traced back to the colonial period in the United States when there were repeated epidemics of such diseases as cholera, smallpox, and yellow fever. For instance, an epidemic in Philadelphia in late 17
th
century nearly shutdown the federal government and such health crisis brought about the idea of municipal boards of health. These boards comprised of respected citizens who were authorized to act in society’s interest in implementing quarantine, evacuation, as well as other public health interventions. Indeed, early role of the federal government in combating diseases led to modern-day U.S public health service. It was established as the Marine Hospital Service that continued to evolve to include a range of public health services including sub-agencies, programs, as well as services. The services were designed to examine nation’s health status. In the mid-1990s, the goal accelerated towards a more efficient as well as client service-oriented agency and the public health service was not only reorganized but also placed under the all-inclusive domain of DHHS. As far as its organization is concerned, the agency is well placed in the health system of the nation to assess public health needs and provide for means to meet them. The agency is directed through the Office of the Secretary as well as the Deputy Secretary who oversee the Assistant Secretary of Health, the Assistant Secretary of Management and Budget, Planning, and Evaluation Assistant secretary, Legislation Assistant Secretary, as well as the Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs. Worth noting, is that the Office of the Secretary directs several key public health agencies including Administration on Aging and Administration for Children and Families. The organization can be classified into four major units including the NIH, the Office of the Surgeon General, the Bureau of Medical Services, as well as the Bureau of State Servicers. The federal public health service has come a long way to its present state in terms of regulations involves. The New Deal as well as the Social Security Act of 1935 can be viewed as some of the foundations leading to this agency. As an example, title VI of the Social Security Act provided for expanded financing of the public health service agency. In fact, federal as well as state expenditures for public health increased significantly immediately following the Great Depression. In turn, this fueled expansion of local or state health units. In recent times, the agency was recognized trough the Public Health Service Act (1944) in which the federal government sought to introduce compact as well as orderly arrangement of existing regulations related to public health. Thus, some of the regulations that are made and or enforced by the agency include providing authority to make grants in aid to research companies for study of a disease. What is more, the agency authorizes expansion of all federal-state public health programs including calling for the establishment of specific control programs such as those involving tuberculosis. Altogether, it is evident that the federal public health service occupies a central role in the public health system because its policies are far-reaching both at federal and state levels.

An analysis of the Surgeon General docket ought to include public health service agency because for many years it headed the agency. The focus revolved around controlling infectious diseases, which was significant to safeguard American soldiers who were located in endemic areas and to safeguard the American public once infected soldier returned home. However, the focus of Surgeon General changed after the creation of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare –later the DHHS. The Surgeon General reported to the secretary of Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and later to the assistant of Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Eventually, Surgeon General was awarded back the responsibility for the public health service. The aim was to ensure that an office in the long administrative line of the health system would assume the role of overseeing public health focus (Haley and Kreek, 2015). In fact, the modern office of the Surgeon General involves issuing reports from time to time calling to action or communicating on matters of significance to the health of the citizens. In essence, Surgeon General is within the health system to help it focus on matters that continue affecting the public health system. For instance, modern times have seen Surgeon General associated with helping the American public to act on such matters as alcoholism and smoking. Without a doubt, these represent some of the key issues affecting the health of American people. In terms of organization, Surgeon General’s office falls under the Public Health Service agency within the all-inclusive DHHS. In fact, Surgeon General’s office is one of the several administrative units under the Public Health Service. What is more, the organization of this office includes a Deputy Surgeon General as well as up to three Assistant Surgeons General who are tasked with several bureaus. Staff officers with the position of Surgeon General’s assistant are responsible for the administration of sanitary and dental engineering activities. Indeed, U.S Coast Guard’s Medical Director has the position of assistant Surgeon General within the Public Health Service. This reveals the fact that the Surgeon General occupies a significant position in the country’s health system. Seeing that Surgeon General’s office is within the Public Health Service agency, laws or regulations governing the latter apply to Surgeon General. These include the Public Health Service Act, which has far reaching significance as far as public health matters are concerned. The Surgeon General is associated with creation of virtually all policies on public health in the country. This is because the office is expected to generate reports from time to time detailing the challenges the public health system faces. Nevertheless, the fact that the Surgeon General is involved in public health leadership at the highest level by serving as an advisor to the government (especially the secretary of Health and Human Services) indicates the office’s involvement in policy enactment. In addition, the office oversees regulations governing Public Health Service’s commissioned corps and informs the country about crucial public health issues. In fact, all Surgeon Generals have been involved in public health policy formulation through championing specific issues. For instance, Talley and Travis (2014) note that Surgeon General J. B. Richmond championed for formulation of “Healthy People” policy on exercising, environmental factors, and nutrition.

CDC is among the most crucial agencies in the public health system of the nation. This is because the agency can be attributed to health practitioners needs to improve association between academic and the practice community as well as to ensure competent public health. This includes a competent workforce capable of delivering public health services. It opened the doors in mid-1940s as the Communicable Disease Center. It was a new component of the Public Health service. Initially, the agency was concerned with controlling the spread of malaria in the country but it great to include many other crucial roles over the years. In fact, the agency is the leader in public health matters as enshrined in its mission to collaborate to develop the expertise, information, as well as tools that communities require safeguarding their health (Public Health Reports, 1944). In particular, the 19
th
century saw the agency come of age through continuing applications of classic field-oriented epidemiology and via the development of fresh methodologies. As an example, the disciplines of decision sciences and health economics were merged to generate a fresh area of emphasis in prevention effectiveness. Worth noting, is that such an approach involved making rational choices about public health interventions. This indicates that recent years have seen the agency more involved in prevention strategies of public health. Nevertheless, a number of legislations over the years have contributed to CDC’s emergence as a leader in public health locally and globally. These include the crucial Public Health Service Act, which has far-reaching significance in U.S public health system. In fact, under section 361 of the act the Secretary of Health and Human Services has authority to undertake measures meant to safeguard the entry as well as spread of communicable diseases. In turn, the authority for undertaking such functions has been delegated to CDC. Indeed, the federal regulations authorize CDC to not only detain but also medically analyze as well as release individuals entering the U.S. This also includes individuals travelling between nations who may be suspected to have communicable diseases. On the other hand, states have police authority functions to safeguard the health, safety, as well as welfare of citizens. This implies that states have regulations to enforce the use of quarantine and isolation, and breaking such orders is often a criminal misdemeanor. What is more, if quarantinable illnesses are identified or suspected, CDC enforces policies on federal isolation and or quarantine order. The agency is falls under Health and Human Services domain, which is an inclusive department with secretaries and deputy secretaries. As with other agencies and units in the Public Health Service line, the core aim is to oversee public health improvement. In sum, CDC occupies a key area in American health system and collaborates with other agencies in DHHS to protect the health of all citizens.

Conclusion

The Health and Human Services domain in the U.S is wide-ranging and it remains crucial to the wellbeing of Americans and beyond. More so, it contains such crucial divisions as the Public Health Service, Surgeon General, as well as the CDC. These agencies, as evidenced in this paper, are crucial to delivery of health services to the population. They play numerous roles in delivery of health services to the public including developing as well as applying illness prevention and control, occupational safety as well as health, and environmental health. This includes injury prevention as well as overall health promotion. Worth noting, is that the various agencies collaborate to ensure that quality healthcare is delivered to American population. The various divisions must function as one entity to ensure that the core aim of ensuring a healthy America is realized. This brings in the idea of a system in which the federal public health service, Surgeon General, as well as the CDC play crucial roles in ensuring effectiveness. Nonetheless, the role are often undertaken at the federal level but can be delegated to state levels in which actors or sub-units engage target groups and communities. This paper has evidenced that the different divisions or agencies have evolved over the years to become effective, as we know them. Thus, it can be predicted that transformations in their roles will continue to evolve as the country seeks to come up with a model most likely to minimize or eliminate issues facing the health system.

 

References

Scutchfield, F and Keck, W. (2003). Principles of public health practice.USA: Cengage    Learning.

Halverson, P et al. (1998). Managed care and public health. USA: Aspen Publishers.

Talley, R and Travis, S. (2014). Multidisciplinary coordinated caregiving. USA: Springer Science & Business Media.

Public Health Reports. (1944). Public Health Service Act, 1944. Retrieved from             http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1403520/pdf/pubhealthrep00059-   0006.pdf

California Health Policy Forum. (2007). Understanding the United States public health system.    Retrieved from             ttp://www.cahpf.org/godocuserfiles/207.chi%20brief%20united%20states.pdf

Satcher, D. (2015). The past and future office of the Surgeon General. Annals of Internal             Medicine, Vol. 162 Issue 6, p 450-451.

Ray, L. (2014). The role of the Surgeon General. Retrieved from http://woman.thenest.com/role-  surgeon-general-14602.html

Haley, S and Kreek, M. (2015). A window of opportunity. American Journal of
Public

Health
,     Vol. 105 Issue 3, p 457-463.

Brunette, G. (2011). CDC health information for international travel 2012. USA: Oxford University Press.

Plein, C. (2014). An uncertain federalism. Journal of
Health
&
Human
Services
Administration.   Vol. 37 Issue 3, p 350-377.

Essay – health issues that face marginalized/minority women

DETAILS

The health issues that face marginalized/minority women

Write a 1200 word (Approximately five typed pages using a 12 point font) essay on the topic listed below. The purpose of the assignment is to give you a chance to make connections between the ideas in the various modules in the course.

When preparing your paper 
you should draw on at least three Modules and at least five assigned readings
. You may draw on personal experience and observation, 
but the course material must always take precedence.

See “
Expectations for the Final Essay”
 below.

BUY A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Final Essay Topic

THIS ASSIGNMENT IS CANADIAN BASED

In your final paper you are to discuss:

“The health issues that face marginalized/minority women”

You can concentrate on one minority group such as women of colour, women from the LGBT community or Aboriginal women or you can discuss various groups – but no more than three different groups. (The ones listed are suggestions only; you can choose the one(s) that you believe are of greatest interest to you). Keep in mind that this is a short paper and you are to follow the parameters for the assignment set out above.

To conclude, consider what measure or measures (discuss no more than two) that can be taken to address the health care needs of marginalized women.

You will be graded on the choices you make, the resources you use, and the way that you expressed yourself.

Do not hesitate to contact the Course Supervisor if you want to discuss your choices. Contact information is included on the course’s homepage. Essay – health issues that face marginalized/minority women

Expectations for the Final Essay

Included here are some of the expectations I have regarding the final essay assignment in this course. Please note that marks may be deducted for not following these directions:

Sources: 
You are to use only the course material for the preparation of your final paper. I expect that you will draw broadly from across the course in developing the ideas in your paper. You should use material from at least three different modules and you should use at least five assigned readings. For example, if you were addressing the question “Why is aging a women’s issue?” you could use material from Module 1 on the demographics of aging, from Module 2 on the double standard of aging and on Module 5 regarding health issues, and so on. I also expect that you will draw heavily on the assigned readings under content on D2L. If you approach your sources in this light you will have a wealth of material from which to draw.

Length: 
the essay should be approximately 6 pages (1200 words) plus a bibliography. A paper much shorter than this would not cover the topic adequately. I calculate a page to be 25 typed double-spaced lines of 10 words each, making a total of 250 words per page. If you are handwriting your essay, you must adjust accordingly for length.

Cover Page: 
Your paper should have a cover page, which would clearly set out the following: your name, the course number, the professor’s name, the essay title, and any other information you think is important.

Title: 
Academic essays should have a title, which suggests the content of your paper. If your paper is on heart disease, your title will read something about the topic such as “Heart Disease: A History of Neglecting Women.” As noted above, your title will be set out on your cover page.

Reference Notes: 
You must use proper references throughout your paper (parenthetical notes, endnotes or footnotes). If using parenthetical notes, simply use the module and the page when citing the Manual, i.e. (Module 1 9). When referencing articles and formatting your bibliography use the Manual as a guide, or use any recognized academic reference guide (APA, MLA, U of Chicago Press, etc.) but be consistent. Essays that do not have reference notes will not be graded.

Direct Quotes: 
Limit yourself to no more than two direct quotes. You must learn to take an idea from an author, shape it into your own words, and use a reference note to show where you got the idea. You cannot have too many reference notes. Better to have more than not enough.

Bibliography: 
The final page of your essay will be your bibliography or list of references used. This will be made up of only the sources used to construct your essay but will include material from the course Manual. Don’t “pad” your bibliography with sources you did not actually use. When formatting your bibliography use any recognized academic reference guide (APA, MLA, U of Chicago Press, etc.) but be consistent (you can also use as an example, any of the bibliography or list of articles at the end of any of the articles in the course. You can access excellent style guides from the internet. For example, see 
http://owl.english.purdue.
edu
. When listing articles you have used to develop your paper cite the author of the article, the title of the article and the publication data. 
An essay that does not have a bibliography/references will not be graded.

 

The health issues that face marginalized/minority women

The health issues that face marginalized/minority women

Reproductive and Sexual Health Challenges Facing the Aboriginal Women

Introduction

Aboriginal women constitute about 4.3 percent of the female population in Canada, yet they remain as the most oppressed and marginalized minorities in the country. Aboriginal women face a disproportionately high level of adverse sexual health and reproductive outcomes, such as complicated childbirth, sexual transmitted infections as well as changes in the menstrual and menopause cycles. These challenges have complicated an already complex health care system for the First Nation Women. It is widely acknowledged that the destruction of Aboriginal cultures has placed women at heightened risk of sexual health challenges. Today, First Nation women experience enhanced rates of reproductive and sexual health issues including high incidences of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS, cervical cancer, high-risk pregnancies, and maternal mortality – to mention a few. In this respect, this research paper focuses on the reproductive and sexual health challenges experienced by aboriginal women with more emphasis being placed on childbirth, sexual transmitted infections as well as changes in the menstrual and menopause cycles. Essay – health issues that face marginalized/minority women.

Childbirth Issues among the Aboriginal Women

Childbirth is a critical life activity in all societies. Midwives were the main caregivers among the Aboriginal groups. Typically, care during the period of pregnancy occurred within the woman’s locality and birth took place at home. The medicalization of health care in Canada was implemented in 1972 and has shaped the country’s maternal health care system for decades. Medicalization of maternal health has become commonplace among the non-aboriginal populace. As a matter of fact, there is sizeable evidence that suggest that many women in Canada have embraced medicalization as far as maternal health is concerned. The main motivator of enhanced maternal medicalization is the fact that women want to have healthy babies. The era of medicalization of maternal health led to a drastic drop in reproductive deaths in the West during the 20
th
century when medicalization become commonplace. Evidence suggests that death rates are lower where medicalization of birth has taken foothold. It has been established that the chances of having a healthy baby and the mother surviving increases with improved maternal medical technologies (Johanson, Newburn and Macfarlane, 2002).

However, medicalization of maternal health has had limited impact on the aboriginal women due to a number of constraints. First, the aboriginal women are confined in the rural areas which makes it very difficult for them to access to health care facilities. The rural setup encourages the traditional technique of mothers giving birth from home and this is the main contributor to high rates of maternal deaths among the aboriginal women. Second, the cost of maternal health is prohibitive to the aboriginal women. Most aboriginal women in Canada do not have access to health insurance and this makes it very difficult for them to access medicalized childbirth programs aimed at improving maternal health (Kornelsen et al. 2010). Essay – health issues that face marginalized/minority women

Sexual Transmitted Infections

The rate of sexual transmitted infections is higher among the aboriginal populace than in the general Canadian populace. Low socioeconomic status, marginalization as well as high incidences of sexual abuse are the primary motivators of aboriginal women engaging in unprotected sex with new partners (Wershler, 2004). It is has been noted that the North American region is experiencing an explosion of sexual transmitted infections. There is a general feeling that this trend will continue going into the future because sexual activities with multiple partners has gained foothold in the Western society than ever before. Today, young women are having sex with multiple partners than ever before. What is surprising is the large percentage of women having unprotected sex without using a condom in order to shield themselves against STIs. Women are generally shy to ask their male partners to use a condom because most of the times, the male reject the idea. This situation is replicated in the Aboriginal society. HIV is more prevalent among the First Nation women. Risky sexual behavior has been acknowledged as the primary contributor to the spread of HIV/AIDs. Existing statistics point to the fact that women are more vulnerable to STIs than men are. In most incidences, rates of chlamydia for women aged between 15 to 17 were reported to be 7 times higher than it is among males of the same age group. Incidences of gonorrhea and syphilis are also high among women as compared to men within the identified age bracket (McCarthy, 2011). These incidences are even higher among the aboriginal women. The rate of cervical cancer among the Aboriginal women is three times higher than the non- Aboriginal women in Canada. The reason for this higher statistics could be due to enhanced unprotected sexual activities among the Aboriginal women. Lack of awareness has been blamed for the widespread of STIs among the Aboriginal population. There is need to enhance education and awareness among Aboriginal population on the effects of STIs.

Changing Menstrual and Menopause Cycles

           
Menstruation occurs among most women aged from 13 to 50 years. Menopause, like menstruation is a universal experience for all women. Menopause marks the end of the productive age of a woman.  Today, the Canadian populace is made up of aging women and as a result there is a high concentration of women who have hit the menopause phase of life in the country. Menstruation among the Aboriginal women, like any other society that still observes ancient cultural practices, is shrouded in secrecy. However, today, menstruation and menopause  issues are increasingly gaining populace in the world of research and academia as reproductive health issues become a widely research area. Today, menstruation occurs in women early and menopause is likely to happen earlier to changes in reproductive health. One contributor that has been assigned the blame of changing menstruation and menopause periods is the use of family planning techniques that alter hormonal imbalance (Roberts, 2000). There is a general increase in the use of family planning tools across the Canadian populace and this has been blamed for the changes experienced in the menstrual and menopause cycles (Loshny, 2004). Among the Aboriginal women, the cases are rare, but the increasingly openness of the society on the use of contraceptives is likely to have an impact on this segment of the population. Essay – health issues that face marginalized/minority women

Recommendation and Conclusion

Reproductive and sexual health issues are increasingly becoming important in the Canadian society, especially among the First Nation populace. Against this background, this paper recommends that:

Medicalization of childbirth to be enhanced among the First Nation population in order to limit incidences of maternal deaths

Awareness should be raised on the spread of STI’s among the Aboriginal population in order to reduce the prevalence

In conclusion, it has been established that although the Aboriginal women constitute about 4.3 percent of the female population in Canada, they remain as the most oppressed and marginalized minorities in the country. Aboriginal women face a disproportionately high level of adverse sexual health and reproductive outcomes, such as complicated childbirth, sexual transmitted infections as well as changes in the menstrual and menopause cycles. These incidences can be ameliorated through enhanced medicalization of maternal health and increase awareness on the effects of STIs on the Aboriginal population.

 

References

Johanson, R., Newburn, M. and Macfarlane, A. (2002). Has the Medicalization of Childbirth Gone Too Far?.
British Medical Journal
, 324(7342), 892.

Kornelsen, Jude, et al. (2010). “The geography of belonging: The experience of birthing at home for First Nations women“
in Health & Place
16(4), 638-645.

Loshny, H. (2004). From Birth Control to Menstrual Control: The Launch of the Extended Oral Contraceptive, Seasonale.
Canadian Woman Studies
, 24(1), 63-67.

McCarthy, M. (2011). Prescribing Contraception to Women with Intellectual Disabilities: General Practititioners’ Attitudes and Practices.
Sexuality and Disability
29(4), 339-349.

Roberts, D. (2000). Black Women and the Pill. Family Planning Perspectives, 32(2), 92-93

Wershler, L. (2004). Depo-Provera: Does this Contraceptive Choice Support the Health and Well-Being of Adolescents and Young Women.
Canadian Woman Studies
, 24(1), 105-107. Essay – health issues that face marginalized/minority women

Obesity essay

DETAILS:

OBESITY

According to the World Health Organization, obesity rates have more than doubled since 1980 and most of the world’s population now lives in countries where obesity kills more people than being underweight.

 

During class we will watch the film Supersize Me and review the impact an unhealthy diet can have on health and wellbeing 

This will be followed by a 4 page paper reviewing the movie by answering the following questions:

Is there anything that you heard and/or saw in the movie that you found surprising, interesting, or that was new information? What was it and what effect did it have on you?

Find the nutritional information (saturated fat, sugar, fiber, calories, etc.) for a Big Mac meal with large fries and a large coke. If Morgan ate this meal how many calories would he consume? How does this align with daily recommended values for macronutrients? Health Canada, recommends a caloric intake of 2350 for men 31-50 years old who lead a sedentary lifestyle. How many calories would Morgan have left for the day? What could he order at McDonalds that wouldn’t push him over 2350 calories and the daily values for macronutrients?

Using research, provide an overview of the health risks related to obesity/sedentary lifestyles. You must also include a minimum of 2 scholarly articles that detail ways of mitigating those risks.

Introduction

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Obesity is a killer disease, but most people continue to underestimate its adversity. Probably due to insufficient knowledge. Although it can be caused by genetic conditions or pharmaceutical drugs that add individual’s weight, many people consider it a lifestyle disease and therefore, it is a consequence of the victims’ choices (Morgan, 2017), Morgan Spurlock affirms this in the movie The Supersize Me. Cases of obesity continue to rise around the globe. The deaths arising from it will increase. It is in good faith to address these concerns through this Obesity essay paper

 

Shocking Surprise about Fast Foods

It is quite shocking how quick the junky food tampers with the normal body system. In the movie, Spurlock gained so much weight in just one month, almost immediately, he started paying the price in the form of chest pains and nausea. It got my mind spinning with thoughts about obesity life. How do such people continue to live with that? For some addiction, craving or whatever makes them stick to this diet religiously, it does not justify their habit. They must be going through what Spurlock experienced, probably worse. It is a slow poison, and many vegans know this but stick to it anyway (Pawara, Pardeshib & Rajputc, 2014). Even more fascinating, is how people love and stick to the so-called fast foods, alluding to their convenience but in the end, cannot run or move around ‘just as fast.’ I do not see any reason to hold on to their habits, besides there are so many cafes with healthy and delicious foods. In fact, it inconveniences them big time. Obesity essay

 

Big Mac Contents

Big Mac is a trademark for fast food restaurant McDonald. It has just about 563 calories. The levels are well within the range considered healthy. Sticking to a Big Mac alone is not that bad health wise if one is to take calories into account (Corleone, 2017). However, topping up tries to it scales up the figures, a coke further shakes the calories and renders the entire meal unhealthy. To break it down, fries’ calories range between 240 to 500 depending on the variety and sizes, up to 6 grams of proteins, about 21 grams of fat, 30 to 65 grams of carb and approximately 250 grams of sodium. All this add up to 1120 calories. Morgan falls short of the 2350 mark recommended by Health Canada by more than half.

To scale up and cover the remaining gap, McDonald’s offers various drink choices, including an assortment of soft drinks, sweet tea, and milkshakes. Calories in pop beverages depend on the size and flavor, extending from as low as 140 calories for a little cola to as much as 280 calories in a huge sweet tea. Milkshake calories run from 510 to 540.

He could, for instance, order his much preferred Bug Mac and accompany it with medium coke and fries. The order will have about a total of 1080 calories. Replacing his cola drink with a milkshake will boost the calories and other nutrients to about 1420. That is about 60 percent of the recommended. He would also add a McClure and a Shamrock Shake to this to add 620 and 820 for each respectively. His total calories will be well above 2350 and an increase in macronutrients. Obesity essay

Health Risks Related to Obesity and Sedentary Lifestyle

It is quite debatable what leads to another between obesity and sedentary lifestyle. One thing is clear though. Aznar et al.,. 2013 believes that obese people lead a sedentary lifestyle – not by choice as in the opposite case. Obesity is a chronic disease. It can negatively impact some systems in a human. The obese people are at a high risk of other chronic diseases among other health complications. The increases fat s in the body fills up the blood vessels making it hard for smooth blood flow, the heart must, therefore, pump blood with much pressure to ensure blood reaches other body parts, the increased force exerts too much pressure on the wall of the blood vessel. If the condition prolongs, the heart gets overwhelmed due to excessive activity; this is what often leads to heart problem among the obese. Cases of bone and joint problems are much likely to occur among the obese because of too much weight that they have to support. It can also slow down the sexual activity of the obese couples. Obesity makes it so difficult for people to be productive due to sedentary lifestyle. It often causes many breathing problems to the victim and takes them too much effort to carry their heavyweight around. Even worse, the high fat contenting their body presents a high risk of cancer. Research has shown that too much fat in the body can encourage the growth of malignant tissues (cancer) in the breast, colon, gallbladder or the uterus (Scherer et al., 2014). The accumulation of fats is to a large extent encouraged by the sedentary lifestyle.

Mitigating Obesity and Associated Risks

To avert the obesity-related risks, it is important to understand how to prevent it. The best way is to understand what causes it and work towards mitigating the causes. So how does obesity come about? There are two major ways in which people become obese: Sedentary lifestyle, this is one in which a person has minimal or zero body activity. As such, they are not able to burn the fats in there body. As a result of the accumulation over time, it leads to overweight. The second cause it is the eating habits and diet. Obesity essay

Obesity is gauged by the body mass index (BMI), a ration of the body mass in kilograms against the square of one’s height. If it between 18 to 24.9, it is normal. Anything beyond this is obesity (Weiderpass, 2014). To reduce the index, one can only reduce the body mass. Minimizing the fats in the body is the simple solution. Physical exercises can be very instrumental in achieving this. Cena, (2014) argues that If it is not a gym aerobics, jogging and other physical activities can help burn out fats causing the overweight. Federico, (2017) however says this must be done on a regular basis to be effective.

Eating habits are the second main cause of obesity (Batra, Strecher & Keller, 2015). Eating too much and regularly makes the body system absorb too many calories and fats than it can burn. Such is the case with the regular eating of hyper-palatable foods. Such foods are engineered to be tastier so that people can buy more, but the truth is, they are junk. Remember it is business, producers care little of what it does to one’s body. That is why fighting obesity is to a great extent a matter of one’s choice or willpower as obesity specialists call it. Regular consumption of natural foods (unprocessed) and in the right amounts avert the risk of becoming obese.

We can fight obesity by creating awareness through public education. Non-governmental organizations championing healthy living can also legally challenge the misleading adverts on burgers and other junk foods targeting the minors v

Conclusion

Obesity is a serious chronic condition that can lead to even worse health complications. So far, it has caused many deaths around the globe. Fighting it will take each person’s effort because being healthy is their responsibility in the first place. Ideally, we should all adopt healthy diets that minimize accumulation of too much fats in our bodies and taking regular physical activity exercises to burn the excess fats that manage to accumulate.

References

 

Batra, R., Strecher, V. J., & Keller, P. A. (2015).
Leveraging consumer psychology for effective health communications: The obesity challenge
. Routledge.

Cena, H. (2014). Does physical activity and sport practice lead to a healthier lifestyle and eating habits in male adolescents.
J Nutr Health
,
1
, 103.

Federico, R. A. (2017). Get Up, Stand Up: A Brief History of Sedentarism and Why Movement is Good Medicine.
Journal of Evolution and Health
,
2
(1), 12.

Jill Corleone,: Oct 03, 2017 How Many Calories Are in a Big Mac Meal. Retrieved on: 10/26/2017.  
https://www.livestrong.com/article/312522-how-many-calories-are-in-a-big-mac-meal/

Kitahara, C. M., Flint, A. J., de Gonzalez, A. B., Bernstein, L., Brotzman, M., MacInnis, R. J., … & Weiderpass, E. (2014). Association between class III obesity (BMI of 40–59 kg/m2) and mortality: a pooled analysis of 20 prospective studies.
PLoS medicine
,
11
(7), e1001673.

Morgan, J. (2017). Obesity stories.

Park, J., Morley, T. S., Kim, M., Clegg, D. J., & Scherer, P. E. (2014). Obesity and cancer [mdash] mechanisms underlying tumour progression and recurrence.
Nature Reviews Endocrinology
,
10
(8), 455-465.

Pawara, S. G., Pardeshib, I. L., & Rajputc, S. G. (2014). Convenience Foods and Its Packaging Effects on Human Health: A Review.
Journal of Ready to Eat Food| October-December
,
1
(4), 127-132.

Santaliestra-Pasías, A. M., Rey-López, J. P., & Moreno Aznar, L. A. (2013). Obesity and sedentarism in children and adolescents: what should be bone?.
Nutricion hospitalaria
,
28
(5). Obesity essay

Life of a Cell Biology essay

 

Introduction

In biology the cell is the basic functional, structural, and biological unit of every known living organism. A cell is one of the smallest units of life with capabilities of replicating independently, and cells are commonly referred to as the “buildings blocks of life”. A day in the life of a cell consists of a number of aspects worth noting. Water, oxygen, and Amino acids must enter a cell. On the other hand, hormones must leave a cell. This is short story on a day in the life of a cell.

Water entering the cell

           
Water is an essential necessity in cells as it is directly involved in countless biochemical reactions such as photosynthesis and respiration. Water molecules pass directly through the cell membrane into the cell itself in a process referred to as osmosis. Here, water molecules move through a semi-permeable membrane into a region of higher concentration towards a direction that tends to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides. It is important to note that in a cell where so many organelles and other large molecules exist, the water flow is always into the cell. Of importance to note is that the type of transport here is passive transport, an aspect that requires no energy from the cell (Rey, Marinov, Vogler and Sigrist, 2005). Life of a Cell Biology essay

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Oxygen entering the cell

           
Apart from water, cells need oxygen in order to function properly. Proppe and Harrel (2007) argue that oxygen enters a cell by a process known as diffusion. When a person breathes in air, the oxygen does not just stay in the lungs. It has a lot of travelling to do. First, after entering the lungs, the oxygen enters the blood stream from the alveoli where gas exchanges take place through diffusion. After that, the oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart where it gets pumped through the aorta. From the aorta, oxygen rich blood then travels to the smaller arteries and, finally into the capillaries. Here, oxygen molecules move, by a process known as diffusion into the cells (Proppe and Harrel, 2007).

Amino acids entering the cell

           
According to Herce and Garcia (2007), proteins play a critical role in nearly all biological processes and amino acids are the major building blocks of it. Amino acids carry out important bodily functions such as giving cells their structure. However, how they enter the cell is worth knowing. The movement of amino acids into the cytoplasm takes place via biochemically and functionally amino acid transport systems defined by the basis of physic-chemical properties and amino acid selectivities. Herce and Garcia (2007) further argue that each system relates to discrete membrane-bound transporter protein residing within the cell membrane functioning to translocate amino acids from the extracellular to the cytoplasm. Majority of these transporters need sodium for maximal movement. The transporter acts as an enzyme that works on catalyzing the movement of its bound amino acid (and sodium) into the cell. Life of a Cell Biology essay

Hormones leaving the cell

           
Hormones play a number of roles in a cell, but one of its important functions is the liberation of glucose inside the cells resulting in the production of energy. Even though hormones are absorbed and enter the cell wall by diffusion, how they leave the cell is an important element worth noting. According to Pang and Südhof (2010), hormones leave the cell by a process known as exocytosis via a membrane transport mechanism. Not all cells react to hormones that are circulating in the blood stream. However, in the event that such happens, receptors in the cell membrane automatically exit the cell via a process known as exocytosis.

Conclusion

In short, the life of a cell involves very many things. Water, oxygen, and amino acids have to get in for normal functioning while hormones that do not react well with the cell have to be exited. Diffusion, osmosis and passive transport are all involved here. Life of a Cell Biology essay.

 

References

Rey, J., Marinov, D., Vogler, D., & Sigrist, M. (2005). Investigation and optimisation of a multipass resonant photoacoustic cell at high absorption levels.
Applied Physics B: Lasers & Optics
,
80
(2), 261-266.

Proppe, D., & Harrel, S. (2007). The Effects of Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration on Dissolved Oxygen Concentration.
Science Activities
,
44
(1), 10-15.

Herce, H. D., & Garcia, A. E. (2007). Cell Penetrating Peptides: How Do They Do It?.
Journal Of Biological Physics
,
33
(5-6), 345-356.

Pang, Z. P., & Südhof, T. C. (2010). Cell biology of Ca 2+-triggered exocytosis. 
Current opinion in cell biology
, 
22
(4), 496-505. Life of a Cell Biology essay

Essay – Cori Bargmann contributions to the advancement of biotechnology

 

Introduction

           
No single universal definition of what is biotechnology has been proposed. To some, biotechnology is defined as the controlled and subsequent deliberate manipulation of biological aspects/systems for efficient processing or manufacture of useful products. To others, biotechnology is defined as the use of living organisms to make or develop products. Simply put, biotechnology is defined as the exploitation of biological mechanisms for purposes of industrial and other process, especially on grounds of genetic manipulation of microorganisms for the sole purpose of the production of hormones and antibiotics among others. Today, mind-boggling advances in medicine and biology are being made daily by brilliant scientists across the globe. With their inventions, these researchers and physicians are revolutionizing the field of biotechnology like never before (Kiper, 2014). Even though there hundreds of such scientists, Cori Bargmann comes in as one of the top scientists in the field of biotechnology. essay – Cori Bargmann contributions to the advancement of biotechnology.

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Cori Bargmann: Brief Biography

           
Cori Bargmann was born in Virginia and grew up in Athens, Georgia. Bargmann is a modern-day intellectual who received her B.S. in the field of biochemistry from the University of Georgia and her subsequent Ph.D. from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). She began her studies on C. elegans during her post-doc studies. She later went on to join the University of California as an assistant professor before moving to the Rockefeller University in 2004 (Marino, 2005). Her lab uses simple organisms known as C. elegans, an undertaking aimed at understanding how sensitive sense of smell determines how genes regulate neuronal development, behavior, and function (Dreifus, 2015). Her work has been recognized with a number of awards.

Cori Bargmann’s contributions to the advancement of biotechnology

           
Cori Bargmann based her studies on roundworms with the aim of uncovering how genes and neurons have the ability of affecting behavior. Bargmann was convinced that a lot of gene mechanisms in roundworms mimic those of mammals, she was successfully able to manipulate certain genes while subsequently observing how they go ahead to affect or impact changes in behavior (Bargmann, 2005). essay – Cori Bargmann contributions to the advancement of biotechnology

In one of her studies, Bargmann manipulated a gene that caused the male worms to bumble around, especially when trying to mate and ultimately failing. Bargmann went ahead to develop the Brain Research Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, a body tasked with researching the root causes of ailments such as autism and Alzheimer’s by considering the connections between the brain function and behavior (Bargmann, 2005).

Closely related to the above, Cori Bargmann explains how individual genes affect the brain and behavior by arguing that human beings are complex creatures with as many as 99% of human genes being shared with simpler organisms. Bargmann argues that by focusing on genes for a family of proteins, the G protein-coupled receptors, Bargmann argued that just a single gene had the capabilities of causing significant behavioral changes (Marino, 2005).

Apart from the above discoveries, Bargmann is also accredited for making a discovery that ultimately contributed to the discovery of breast cancer drug Herceptin. What Bargmann did was to discover a mutated gene that triggered an obscure cancer in rats. Afterwards, Bargmann’s work in the rat cancer indicated that the immune system had the possibilities of attacking the product of this gene, thereby developing a system to deploy the immune system. That is how Herceptin was created as a form of antibody against the gene product that occupies the surface of a cancer cell. Bargmann argued that the antibody had the possibilities of attacking the cancer cells growing due to that gene (Marino, 2005). essay – Cori Bargmann contributions to the advancement of biotechnology

Impacts of Bargmann contributions

           
Cori Bargmann’s contribution to the field of biotechnology is evident. Her work on behavioral variation between and within species has furthered our understanding of the genetic architecture of a number of behavioral traits, identities of relevant genes in addition to the ways in which genetic variants do affect neuronal circuits to the extent of modifying behavior (Lewis, Martin and Orwig, 2015). It is with Bargmann’s contributions that we get to understand the genetics surrounding natural behavioral variation in non-human animals while highlighting the implications of these findings in helping to understand the complexities that come with human genetics (Marino, 2005). Marino (2005) further argues that Bargmann’s contributions help us understand that gene-environment interactions are central to natural genetic variation in forms of behavior and that gene that affect sensory processing and neuromodulatory pathways are some of the preferred sites of naturally occurring mutations.

Apart from Bargmann’s contributions of defining how genes and the environment influence behavior through dissecting the neural circuitry of C. elegans and receptors, genes, a subsequently signaling the molecules that are involved in such behavior as responses to odors among others, Bargmann is also accredited to having made significant contributions towards the discovery of Herceptin, a drug that has helped a significant number of people in the fight against breast cancer (Dreifus, 2015). Cancer, especially breast cancer is a killer disease. With Bargmann’s contributions, a lot of people have been in a position to be cured of it.

Lastly, Bargmann’s contributions have also been subjected to further research by many other biotechnology researchers, a move that has helped in coming up with latest medical solutions aimed at helping human beings with current problems that face them (Lewis, Martin and Orwig, 2015).

Conclusion

           
Biotechnology is a field lately embraced by hundreds of researchers across the globe. Brilliant scientists have embraced this field fully to the extent of coming up latest inventions, a move that has helped human beings solve much of their medical problems. essay – Cori Bargmann contributions to the advancement of biotechnology.

 

References

Bargmann, C. (2005). Making the paper.
Nature
,
438
(7065), xiii.

Dreifus, C. (2015). Putting Her Mind to How the Brain Works.
New York Times
. p. D5.

Kiper, D. (2014). Cornelia Bargmann.
Current Biography
,
75
(5), 3-8.

Lewis, T., Martin, E., & Orwig, J. (2015). 11 scientists who are transforming how we treat disease, see the brain, and engineer our genes. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/top-scientists-in-biotech-2015-7?IR=T/#cori-bargmann-is-giving-us-new-insights-into-the-brain-1

Marino, M. (2005). Biography of Cornelia I. Bargmann.
Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America
,
102
(9), 3181-3183.

Marino, M. (2005). Biography of Cornelia I. Bargmann. Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/102/9/3181.full essay – Cori Bargmann contributions to the advancement of biotechnology

Nursing care and assessment case study – Determinants of Health

Determinants of Health

Introduction

There are many cases of health inequalities among people in different states in the world due to uneven distribution of the resources, which are required in order to acquire the standard health services and products necessary if we may say so. These resources are called the determinants of health and they range from social, personal, environmental, and economic factors. In Canada, we have such cases of disparities between neighborhoods- we have families with very improved healthy lives and on the other far end; we have families who cannot even be able to have access to the basic needs. This gap between the Canadians can only be reduced or even be totally depleted by dealing with the major social factors which affect health. In this paper, we are going to discuss Mrs. James family and the respective determinants of health (DOH) affecting Mrs. James’ health. Majorly, the social DOH affecting her health status are the social-economic factors, cultural factors, and biological and genetic factors. Nursing care and assessment case study.
 

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A Brief Description Of Mrs. James Family

From the reports, this family faces health problems, including Mrs. James frequently being attacked by unhealthy conditions. She is reported to have an ankle sore which seemed not to heal, but grew worse until it was attended. This is as a result of diabetes, which she keeps on controlling. Also, she is distressed by the death of her cat and that distress causes a lot of harm to her health. The following day, she wakes up seriously sick. She feels numb on her right arm and leg and finds it hard to stand. Finally, she is diagnosed with a stroke, which was affecting her right arm and leg. The stroke affects her so much that, she is unable to stand on her own and even finds it difficult to put anything in her mouth. That forces the nurses to use the feeding tube to avoid dangers of chocking. Mrs. James has a son, but he resides far from her. Nursing care and assessment case study. When she was in the hospital, she almost lost motivation of life, thinking that all her cats would have died due to her absence, but her son had taken care of them and this really contributed to her recovery. Moreover, the visit from Karen motivated her so much

 

Social Determinants Of Healthy Relevant To Mrs. James Family

Cultural Factors

In Canada, there are many distinct cultures with different cultural values which affect people’s health status in different ways. Values such as marginalization, assessment of health services, and stigmatization activities among communities are said to be obstacles of their health status. In addition, there are cultures, which are against certain types of foods or recommend some, which affect their health. For instance, in most communities located in the desert areas, obesity is never seen as a health threat and instead people take it as a sign of good health. Consequently, there are societies which associate junk food with richness without considering its effects on their overall health status (Raphael, 2004). Nursing care and assessment case study.

Social-Economic Factors

As mentioned above in the case of Mrs. James family in Canada, there are three main DOH associated with their family health and in this section, we will discuss the social-economic factors. Actually, in the present world, the social-economic factors are the most prominent determinants of people’s health status. The data available in different health-related organizations show that individuals who are socially and economically stable have access to good health. The determinants in this class of factors include; employment, personal health practices, quality of working conditions, physical environment, social connectedness, and level of education.

Biological And Genetic Factors

The biological and genetic factors such as inherited conditions, HIV status, sex, gene composition of parents, age, and the existence of heart diseases in the family history affects people’s health status in different ways. For example, in terms of the age, old people’s health gets affected easily as compared to adolescents when exposed to the same conditions. This is biological since the aging contributes to cognitive and physical effects. Also, the genetically transferred conditions such as sickle cell anemia affects the health of an individual negatively (Raphael, 2004).

 

The Relevance Of The Above Discussed DOH To Mrs. James Family In Canada

Mrs. James family is seriously affected by the social-economic factors discussed above. When she had a wound, she would not easily acknowledge that she needed to visit a doctor. Due to her low-income status, the cashier tells her to use an alternative method- butter, which would not cost her much Nursing care and assessment case study. At the same time when she is seriously sick, she is reluctant to call an ambulance because of the associated costs. In addition, her low-income status is evident from the shoes she wore and her excitement about the free lunch at the Senior Centre nursing clinic (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2006).

Social Connectedness:
Mrs. James to some extent is affected by the social connectedness factor. She lives alone despite having a son and grandchildren. This to some extent affects her health. When in the hospital, she almost loses motivation on improving her health, since there is no one to take care of her cats. What’s more, when she is critically sick, it almost gets hard to access medical services due to lack of a family member or a relative to take her to the hospital. Moreover, the physical environment in her home is not health conducive, as the surrounding bushes are associated unhealthy practices. Nursing care and assessment case study.

The Biological And Genetic Factors
also do affect Mrs. James’ health. The diabetes she is suffering from is linked to the family history. Consequently, biologically, aged people are prone to diseases due to cognitive and physical effects of aging. Thus, Mrs. James’ wound takes time to heal mostly due to her age. Therefore, at her age, she requires a serious medical attention. Nursing care and assessment case study
 

Health Promotion Topics

Mrs. James is affected by different social-economic activities and as nurses, we have a duty to make sure that her health improves. We could advise her to stay with her son so that he can be looking after her, and get her to the hospital whenever she is sick. On the issue of using cigarettes, we could explain to her the various health dangers associated with smoking and walk with her on the journey to smoking recovery. Also, as a nurse, I would teach her about different health challenges that aged people are facing, and advise her on how to live in order to overcome those challenges. For instance, due to cognitive and physical effects that older people face, they are supposed to get medical attention immediately, they feel unwell.

Lack of basic education is also among the big problems that Mrs. James family is facing. Therefore, the nurses are required to prepare and try their best to make sure that they grasp the basic hygiene and health practices, which aged people, deserve. For instance, Mrs. James’ son can be made aware that aged persons are more susceptible to diseases and may not be able to fight them, thus require close and regular checks. In addition, that conditions such as diabetes attacks do happen anytime and therefore people, who are diabetic, require special attention and should never be left alone.

 
Conclusion

In a recap, it is evident from the above discussion above that our streets and neighborhoods in Canada are coupled with many health inequalities. Actually, the factors which are contributing to the situation are levels of education, employment, biological and genetic, physical environment, and others, which we can alleviate. Therefore, if we work together with the assistance of experts like nurses, we can make the world a better place Nursing care and assessment case study. For instance, if Brian had taken care of her mother right from the beginning with the assistance of the nurses, her mother would not have been affected by the stroke and other observable health conditions.

 
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