Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.
Introduction
Today, the US is one of the largest consumers of opioids in the world. The overwhelming production and prescription of opioid painkillers have considerably altered the spread of the opioid disease. If a patient shows symptoms of addiction, health practitioners should help him manage the disease, and one of the ways to do that is to apply various types of disease prevention. The purpose of this essay is to apply the public health concept of three levels of disease prevention to the current opioid crisis.
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Prevention
There are three types of disease prevention: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The way that these three prevention types are differentiated is by the stage of disease development. According to Kisling and Das (2019), “combined, these strategies not only aim to prevent the onset of disease through risk reduction but also downstream complications of a manifested disease” (para. 1). Primary prevention focuses on eliminating risk factors for disease or injury. Secondary prevention focuses on early detection and treatment (usually pre-clinical). The final type of disease prevention is the tertiary strategy that attempts to eliminate/moderate disease/disability associated with advanced disease.
Levels of Opioid Disease Prevention
The main component of primary prevention is thoughtful and cautious opioid prescribing. According to Peglow and Binswanger (2018), “avoiding exposure to opioids may reduce the incidence of addiction and death from overdose” (p. 623). Therefore, healthcare providers should aim at applying nonopioid or even nonpharmacologic therapy for pain. Another method of primary prevention is to promote health literacy on the risks of opioid therapy among patients. One of the strategies of secondary prevention is urine drug testing. Researchers note that “testing can help identify patients who warrant further education about opioid safety, evaluation for a substance use disorder (SUD), and referral for treatment” (Peglow & Binswanger, 2018, p. 625).
Tertiary opioid disease prevention is the use of methadone maintenance treatment. Methadone is often prescribed as a replacement for other opioids, for example, morphine and heroin. During the program of replacement, a patient can reduce severe withdrawal symptoms, such as muscle cramps, anxiety, panic, depression, and others.
Conclusion
Using three levels of disease prevention in practice aims at reducing risks or threats to health. The method can make a significant contribution to combating the opioid epidemic. The strategy helps to fight the disease at each level of its development. Therefore, health professionals have to apply primary, secondary, and tertiary types of prevention to combat the spread of opioid disease among the population.
References
Kisling, L. A., & Das, J. M. (2019). Prevention strategies. Web.
Peglow, S. L., & Binswanger, I. A. (2018). Preventing opioid overdose in the clinic and hospital: analgesia and opioid antagonists. Medical Clinics, 102(4), 621-634.
Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.