Category: Health & Medicine

Introduction

A new ambulatory surgery center will help to improve community health and assist patients. However, it requires significant investment to accomplish the goal and create the necessary facility. Generally, it needs $2 million to perform all tasks and guarantee the center is opened. The sum will be used to sponsor the major activities, including acquiring land for the would-be center, site development, design, and final construction (Badlani, 2019). These costs can be viewed as known expenses, and it is vital to have the sum at the start to initiate the project and ensure it can evolve.

Hidden Expenses

Planning a new center, it is also vital to consider potential hidden expenses. First, the electronic medical records (EMR) system should be integrated. It enhances the quality of care, reduces mistake rates, and aligns better interaction between specialists. EMR should be bought from vendors working with these applications and responsible for maintenance. It might cost an additional $30,000 or $50,000 (Tsai et al., 2020). Moreover, it is vital to consider possible delays in the schedule that might increase spending or traumas among workers or employees.

Ethical Financial Practices and Corporate Responsibility

The outlined budgetary needs are sustainable regarding the principles of corporate responsibility. First, stakeholders interests will be considered when managing finances and building a new center. Employees and workers needs will be assessed to ensure better cooperation. Furthermore, the construction of the center will help to meet the local communitys requirements, which is essential regarding sustainability principles (Badlani, 2019). The costs will be used only to perform the planned tasks, and all operations will be transparent (Witiw et al., 2019). It means every stakeholder will have a chance to use provided reports and analyze how the budget is used.

The Impact Finances Have on Organizational Models

Finances are a fundamental element of the stable work of the healthcare sector and the planned facility. They are directly correlated with the quality and safety of patient care (Akinleye et al., 2019). Sufficient funding ensures that the organizational model focused on excellence will be chosen and supported. For this reason, there is a critical need for stable financing and the availability of funds that can be used for continuous improvement (Akinleye et al., 2019). In such a way, planning a new health facility, it is vital to consider the necessary expenses and ensure they are relevant.

Conclusion

Altogether, the outlined business plan will help to meet the organizational goals. The gradual development of the center requires stable financing and sums outlined previously. Thus, the step-by-step evolution and development supported by achieving the outlined goals will help to organize the units work and ensure its functioning helps the local community (Badlani, 2019). For this reason, the offered plan will help to support the organizations development and ensure its fast evolution and ability to achieve major goals.

References

Akinleye, D. D., McNutt, L. A., Lazariu, V., & McLaughlin, C. C. (2019). Correlation between hospital finances and quality and safety of patient care. PloS one, 14(8), e0219124.

Badlani, N. (2019). Ambulatory surgery center ownership models. Journal of Spine Surgery, 5(2), 195S203.

Tsai, C. H., Eghdam, A., Davoody, N., Wright, G., Flowerday, S., & Koch, S. (2020). Effects of electronic health record implementation and barriers to adoption and use: A scoping review and qualitative analysis of the content. Life, 10(12), 327.

Witiw, C., Wilson. J., Fehlings M., & Traynelis V. (2020). Ambulatory surgical centers: Improving quality of operative spine care? Global Spine Journal, 10(1), 29-35.

The proposed program comprises the implementation of two main interventions. The first intervention implies raising public awareness of the dental caries problem and promoting the relevant prevention measures among the population. The second intervention has a more practical character as it implies providing dental treatment services to the low-income groups. Issel (2013) points out the importance of aligning the strategic plans stages with the target goal and objectives (p. 216). Therefore, it is ensured that the proposed interventions will help to reach the measurable objectives that have been initially set: the enhancement of public education and the provision of the relevant attendance to the groups that have limited access to healthcare services. A detailed description of the proposed interventions and the associated activities is provided below.

The selection of the described interventions relies on the critical analysis of the relevant literature. Hence, the first type of intervention is educational. The need for such an intervention has been empirically evidenced by numerous scientific studies. Hence, for instance, recent research has illustrated that poor healthcare awareness is one of the key determinants of the prevalence of dental caries in the population (Costa et al., 2012). Therefore, it is rational to suppose that the enhancement of the relevant education will help to reduce the caries incidence. The second type of intervention implies providing dental treatment for low-income population groups. The need for such an intervention is emphasized in numerous empirical studies showing that these groups are more exposed to dental caries due to their limited access to the relevant services (Costa, Vasconcelos, & Abreu, 2013).

The main strategic questions that need to be resolved to implement the proposed intervention are where, what, how, and who. Otherwise stated, it is essential to decide where to perform the target activities, what to do, how to do them, and who should be involved.

Intervention 1: Education

• Where? The choice of the media channel is an important strategic decision as it determines the scope of the audience that the proposed intervention is likely to affect. As long as poor healthcare awareness is often associated with low income, it is considered rational to adopt a low-cost strategy and ensure that the target population groups have the access to the offered options. As a result, it is proposed to choose social media as the most cost-effective channel to disseminate educational information.
• What? Another important strategic point is the selection of educational materials. First and foremost, it is essential to perform a critical analysis of the entire scope of the relevant information and summarize the most critical data so that it can be offered to the audience in a clear and concise manner. It is suggested that the proposed educational material should not be excessively theoretical but should target to draw the public attention to the most important points of dental care: fluoride products, hygiene maintenance, sugar intake, etc.
• How? It is necessary to ensure that the educational process has an interactive character. In other words, the target audience is supposed to have a chance to receive the relevant consultations and discuss the most critical problems within the organized platform. To provide this option, it is essential to open a special Facebook page that will constantly be updated with new educational materials and will serve to be the common discussion forum for those interested in dental care.
• Who? It is critical to see the fact that the educational implementation is highly professional, and the consultation service is carried out by competent specialists. Therefore, it is proposed to involve volunteering dentists that will agree to collaborate and share their knowledge through the forum on a regular basis. Some of the involved professionals might likewise want to share the initiative to operate their dental care blogs. This activity will be a valuable contribution to educational enhancement.

Intervention 2: Dental Treatment

• Where? It is essential to organize special mobilized clinics that will be able to serve the needs of the population in different locations. From a strategic perspective, this decision has two benefits. On the one hand, mobilized clinics are cost-effective. On the other hand, they are mobile and, thus, capable of serving a large scope of the target population.
• What? It is essential to ensure that the clinics have the relevant equipment to provide standardized options such as check-ups and simple treatment procedures. It is also necessary to launch an advertising campaign to ensure that the target audience is aware of the offered services.
• How? As long as the target population is represented by the low-income groups, it is essential to make the service affordable. As a result, the clinics should provide free check-ups, special discounts, and the cost of the offered procedures should be reduced. Hence, it will be necessary to address the sponsoring shareholders to cover the expenses.
• Who? It is essential to involve volunteering doctors that will agree to provide their services at reduced costs. Other general practitioners might likewise be welcomed to share the initiative.

References

Costa, S., Martins, C., Bonfim, M., Zina, L., Paiva, S., Pordeus, I., & Abreu, M. (2012). A systematic review of socioeconomic indicators and dental caries in adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 9(10), 3540-3574.

Costa, S., Vasconcelos, M., & Abreu, M. (2013). High dental caries among adults aged 35-44 years: Case control study of distal and proximal factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10(6), 2401-2411.

Issel, L. M. (2013). Health program planning and evaluation: A practical, systematic approach for community health. Burlington, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett.

Type of Innovation

The proposed innovation is the implementation and utilization of a cardiac early warning system in order to design more preventive and outcome-improving practices. The current technology can enable more opportunities for early intervention strategies, where gradual or sudden changes in cardiac output can be measured and monitored in a consistent manner. In other words, the given innovation will greatly improve the overall outcome of ischemic heart disease and cardiac arrest since the technology will warn medical specialists preliminary. This will provide more valuable time to incorporate more effective preventative and intervention strategies in a timely manner. Therefore, one can argue that cardiac early warning systems integration in healthcare facilities will be a key to avoiding more severe and deadly complications associated with both chronic and acute cardiovascular problems.

The proposed innovation tackles the key problems in healthcare, such as basic monitoring systems, inexperienced EMT personnel in reading ECGs, communication challenges between EMT and ED staffs, and delay car of ACS in critically ill patients. The innovation is an early cardiac warning system, which eliminates the above mentioned issues by enhancing the existing monitoring system and expediting the case ACS patients, and it also enables early warning system prior to patients arrival in ED. Although it can come in many forms, such as mobile wearable devices, the core concept lies in innovative technology, which detects any cardiac abnormalities before a medical specialists check themselves or patient experiences complications. In other words, high-risk patients are constantly monitored for possible infractions rather than being periodically monitored in the conventional system.

Rationale/Justification

The system of early cardiac warning can be highly useful and effective because many developed nations are already using similar technologies in both healthcare related facilities. More specifically, early cardiac warning system enhances the existing monitoring system and expedites the case ACS patients. In addition, it also enables early warning system prior to patients arrival in ED. EMT preliminarily suspects myocardial infraction and contacts a suspected patient, which is followed by ED nurse notifying ED physician, who read ECG, and STEMI activates Cardiology and Cath lab. The reason for the overall use of these systems by developed countries is manifested in the fact that they allow to spot emergencies earlier, and thus, reduce mortality (Ye et al., 2019). For example, in the United States, in two acute hospitals, which are Fairview Hospital and Berkshire Medical Center, the use of cardiac early warning systems resulted in major positive changes, which manifested in the fact that the warning was delivered at least 40.8 hours before a fatal outcome (Ye et al., 2019).

Another case from Taiwan shows that implementing cardiac early warning systems alongside mobile health technologies resulted in 88% accuracy of effective predictive capabilities of the proposed technology (Sahoo et al., 2017). Similarly, a case from Taiwan also shows that utilizing these systems alongside wearable devices led to patient satisfaction and patient attitudes were improved, which also affected the aspect of adherence and collaboration (Lin et al., 2018). A more comprehensive studys findings indicate that the probability of detecting one or more abnormal ECG beats among the first three occurrences is higher than 99.4% with a very low false-alarm rate (Kiranyaz et al., 2017, p. 1). In other words, the current state of technology is highly precise. In South Korea, a study conducted in Mediplex Sejong Hospital and Sejong General Hospital, which uses the proposed system, shows that the main issue with these systems, such as low sensitivity and false alarms, can be avoided, where the researchers state that the deep learningbased early warning system reduced the number of alarms by 82.2%, 13.5%, and 42.1% compared with the modified early warning system, random forest, and logistic regression, respectively, at the same sensitivity (Kwon et al., 2018, p. 1). These early warning systems can be highly useful among all patient categories (McLellan et al., 2017). Therefore, these cases from different nations showcase the fact that these technologies can be highly useful if implemented in conjunction with mobile or wearable devices. However, cardiac early warning systems on their own can still be highly effective at preventing and reducing death rates.

On the basis of the literature analysis, it is safe to state that the integration of cardiac early warning systems will lead to positive outcomes, which can be further improved through the use of wearable and mobile health-related devices. It also improves patient satisfaction and patient outcome levels by a significant margin. The South Korean example demonstrates that substantial modifications and enhancements can be made to the software, which means that the overall result will be compounded since such a technology can be improved dualistically (Kwon et al., 2018). In other words, a healthcare facility should be interested in acquiring and utilizing the cardiac early warning systems in order to introduce comprehensive and cumulative enhancements in the overall operation of such a facility.

References

Kiranyaz, S., Ince, T., & Gabbouj, M. (2017). Personalized monitoring and advance warning system for cardiac arrhythmias. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1-8. Web.

Kwon, J., Lee, Y., Lee, Y., Lee, S., & Park, J. (2018). An algorithm based on deep learning for predicting inhospital cardiac arrest. Journal of the American Heart Association, 7(13), 1-12. Web.

Lin, W.-Y., Ke, H.-L., Chou, W.-C., Chang, P.-C., Tsai, T.-H., & Lee, M.-Y. (2018). Realization and technology acceptance test of a wearable cardiac health monitoring and early warning system with multi-channel MCGs and ECG. Sensors, 18(10), 3538. Web.

McLellan, M. C., Gauvreau, K., & Connor, J. A. (2017). Validation of the Childrens Hospital early warning system for critical deterioration recognition. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 32, 5258. Web.

Sahoo, P., Thakkar, H., & Lee, M.-Y. (2017). A cardiac early warning system with multi channel SCG and ECG monitoring for mobile health. Sensors, 17(4), 711. Web.

Ye, C., Wang, O., Liu, M., Zheng, L., Xia, M., Hao, S., Jin, B., Jin, H., Zhu, C., Huang, C. J., Gao, P., Ellrodt, G., Brennan, D., Stearns, F., Sylvester, K. G., Widen, E., McElhinney, D. B., & Ling, X. (2019). A real-time early warning system for monitoring inpatient mortality risk: Prospective study using electronic medical record data. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(7), e13719.

Introduction

There are serious data gaps in the health workforce, and filling these gaps is essential to create an effective workforce plan. To understand the quantity and types of health professionals, as well as where they work and in what jobs, data is required. Data is needed to assist in answering issues like how many service providers a country needs, what sorts of service providers may be employed to satisfy this requirement, and if there is enough educational capacity to teach them in order to support the continuous transformation of the healthcare system (Weller-Newton et al., 2021).

Data in Healthcare

Organizations and healthcare groups have to develop more comprehensive datasets and how these datasets may be made available to academics, policymakers, and planners. This should include encouraging organizations and institutions to create national databases that can be shared and accessible by the Health Resources and Services Administration as well as independent researchers and nursing groups (Weller-Newton et al., 2021). Otherwise, building a workforce strategy to replace nurse educators who will retire within the next ten years will become a serious issue.

Workforce planning is the practice of predicting the skillsets required for future success. Developing the present personnel profile, determining future workforce needs, and filling gaps are all phases in this process. This method aids healthcare organizations in identifying not just workforce requirements but also the critical strategies, goals, procedures, and behaviors required to effect positive change (Weller-Newton et al., 2021). The planning process also assists healthcare organizations in determining the degree of competency required to fulfill their vision, goals, and purpose, as well as the financial management required to meet those objectives (Deasy et al., 2021).

The first step in building successful workforce planning is to analyze an organizations workforce statistics. This will give a clearer idea of future requirements, how the evolving healthcare landscape will affect workplaces and how personnel does their jobs or offer patient care (Deasy et al., 2021). Current workforce demographics, projected future workforce demands, and variables impacting the statistics, such as the change to multidisciplinary collective care, should all be included in this workforce data (Weller-Newton et al., 2021). It is critical to comprehend why staff turnover is a concern. Evaluation of employee feedback outcomes and how they explain staff turnover, year-one turnover, and retention is another key topic (Deasy et al., 2021). The competencies necessary for each role should be carefully examined by health organizations. These skills  or a lack thereof  can influence whether or not a workforce plan is effective.

Collecting this data in nursing education is critically important to implement workforce planning. Including these statistics can increase the sophistication of workforce planning and advocate necessary social and healthcare politics. This, however, should be done in close cooperation with all levels of nursing education specialists. The data used for workforce planning can significantly shape nursing education, its policies, and outcomes.

The most crucial aspect of developing a workforce planning strategy is obtaining cooperation from top management or key stakeholders who will support the process. Communication with the staff is another important aspect of establishing a successful plan. This means open discussion of any workforce planning information or data that may have an influence on roles and responsibilities. It can be changing workforce demographics, attempts to focus on multidisciplinary team care, or other organizational changes affecting how patients are handled (Deasy et al., 2021).

Conclusion

Thus, workforce planning data, a crucial component in the healthcare systems future, should contain current workforce demographics, estimated future workforce demands, and elements affecting the demographics. It is also equally important to grant access to these datasets to policymakers and other organizations (such as nursing groups and independent researchers) and advocate sophisticated workforce planning in nursing education.

References

Deasy, C., O Loughlin, C., Markey, K., O Donnell, C., Murphy Tighe, S., Doody, O., & Meskell, P. (2021). Effective workforce planning: Understanding finalyear nursing and midwifery students intentions to migrate after graduation. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(2), 220-228.

Weller-Newton, J. M., Phillips, C., Roche, M. A., McGillion, A., Mapes, J., Dufty, T., & Haines, S. (2021). Datasets to support workforce planning in nursing: A scoping review. Collegian, 28(3), 324-332.

Purdue Pharmas marketing of OxyContin

The use of potent pharmaceutical drugs intended to alleviate pain has always been a subject of many discussions because of the short and long-term influences they cause on patients. The main difficulty is the existence of exposure, which is similar to the narcotic drugs effects. However, such medications are prevalent in the treatment process, and some companies produce them with exceptional success. One of the instances is the OxyContin medication, distributed by Purdue Pharma Company.

The legitimate pill contains doses of oxycodone, the effect of which lasts for several hours. Purdue launched a company to promote the use of OxyContin based on the potential safety of the drugs, explained with the improved method of active pharmaceutical ingredient releasing. In this situation, when numbers of patients suffer from pain and require relief, effective drugs could be effectively advertised. Therefore, in an oral history interview in 1996, Kathy Foley represented the medication successfully, emphasizing that the drug-delivery device was changed. Later, the FDA approved OxyContin in varying dosages. Purdue positioned their drug as the painkiller of the World Health Organizations choice, based on approved by FDA unique warning label. It enabled the company to present OxyContin as a less addictive medication than other opiates and attract most medical practitioners and patients to use them. It was also promoted for other implementations than for patients with severe diseases such as cancer and postsurgical patients. Later, OxyContin was used to relieve moderate pain in uncomplicated cases, such as headaches and tooth extractions. Purdue Pharma launched the marketing company claiming the drugs absolute safety that resulted in its broad use. This tendency might be exceptionally dangerous as such medications are not completely safe, and there is a risk of addiction.

Consequences of the Porter and Jick Paper and Their Influence

In the 1990s, doctor Hershel Jick and his assistance Jane Porter wrote the letter to the New England Journal of Medicine editor, which resulted in the United States medical practice revolution. One short paragraph in the paper contains statistics that show that number of addictions caused by narcotic drugs was less than even 1%, previously claimed by Purdue. This letter helped to create new insight into the use of painkillers. The outcome of it is the emphasis that science has advanced medications with little risk of addiction. Before the invention of opium-based drugs, it had been complicated to identify does the patient require the higher dose of a medication or show sights of pseudoaddiction. However, the new treatment enabled doctors to use painkillers more aggressively. Nevertheless, the new state of affairs showed that no patients growing addicted to opiate medications, and the letter conceived a movement causing the opioid crisis.

I believe that as a future Physician Assistant (PA), I should pay close attention to the issue of painkiller implementation in the health care process to ensure their safety. It is possible to notice that the widespread use of opium-based drugs, which was caused by Porter and Jick paper publishing. This tendency can be characterized as a negative one because the latter state of affairs showed how addictive opium painkillers are. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that I should be aware of the possibility of such a situation happening again in the future. I am confident that it is necessary to criticize rationally any alleges, which may affect patients wellbeing and be exceptionally careful with the prescription of narcotic drugs.

How have Medical Practitioners Contributed to the Rise of Opiate Addiction

It is possible to notice that the growth of opium painkillers consumption mainly depended on medical practitioners, who could prescribe such medications or not. Therefore, the doctors role in the rise of opiate addiction is significant as a vital part of the narcotic drug distribution chain. Medical practitioners had been guided by concepts of safety and care, according to which they had decided the issue of painkillers prescribing.

From the perspective of their actions ethics, it is expected that attempting to relieve patients suffering, doctors may prescribe the higher dose of opium drugs, justifying it with the commitment to render aid. Trying to avoid the negative consequences of drug use, practitioners questioned Purdue if OxyContin is safe. After the positive answer, medical staff obtained a moral right to continue prescribing the mentioned medication and increasing its doses. After the publication of Porter and Jick letter, last doubts were allayed, as the claims of the concerned side, which is the company itself, were proved by independent statistics. Although it is possible to understand doctors motives, it is complicated not to admit that their ethically correct actions contributed to the rise of the opioid crisis.

According to the book, American healthcare faced various challenges, which negatively influenced the nations. Some problematic aspects showed through discussion of the mentioned issue of opium painkillers over-prescription are the legalization of medication that was beyond adequate control and related to this issue of overestimating the interested sides and individual practitioners statistics. The opioid crisis was conceived from attempts to relieve pain, but the problem of the new medications potential possibility to cause addiction was not researched comprehensively, according to the severity of the issue.

The history of blood transfusion dates back to ancient times when people tried to treat animals with blood. Hippocrates recommended that patients suffering from mental disorders drink the blood of healthy people (Community Blood Center, 2020). Blood was commonly credited as having a rejuvenating effect. It is also believed that blood is a miraculous liquid: once it is applied, life can be extended for many years (Community Blood Center, 2020). I find those facts especially interesting in the context of how blood transfusion and blood banks would be further developing.

The development of donation was accompanied by numerous ups and downs  from the deification of this method to the state ban on its use. The first documented intravenous injections refer to the beginning of the worlds first academy of sciences  the Royal Society of London, founded in the 60s of the 17th century (Community Blood Center, 2020). It was not easy to make an intravenous infusion of blood to a person in those days: before the invention of a hollow injection needle and a modern syringe, there were still two centuries left. Christopher Wren, in 1656 used a birds feather as an injection needle and bladders of fish and animals instead of a syringe (Community Blood Center, 2020). Although the first attempts gave good results, blood transfusion was not widely used. It was a technically rather complicated operation, and in several patients, the transfused blood caused severe complications.

Moreover, the works of early researchers showed that blood transfusion remains an exotic method of medicine, in which the result depends not on the doctors knowledge and skills but on random yet unknown factors. It is known that there are compatible and incompatible blood types (Community Blood Center, 2020). For these and many other reasons, blood transfusion was not a method of daily medical practice. The main and perhaps the only indication for blood transfusion was only acute blood loss.

The last centurys world wars and technological progress greatly accelerate the study and application of blood transfusion. Thanks to different methods of blood storage, as well as the invention of freon freezing chambers, blood began to be transported over long distances and stored for a longer time. In 1932, the worlds first blood bank was established in a Leningrad hospital (Community Blood Center, 2020). Soon after establishing the Institute, Leningrad scientists A.N. Filatov and N.G. Kartashevsky acquired a world priority in producing and using blood components: erythrocyte mass and plasma (Community Blood Center, 2020).

Strict adherence to blood collection and transfusion instructions has made blood transfusion relatively safe. This procedure has acquired the features of almost a universal method of treatment. It began to be advertised not only for the treatment of blood loss and anemia but also for strengthening strength, nutrition, fighting infection, and preventing various diseases. And so it went on almost until the mid-80s, until the AIDS epidemic radically changed the attitude towards blood transfusion.

Currently, the blood service is one of the dynamically developing sectors of health care that is focused on ensuring the quality, safety, and availability of transfusion care. Priority areas at the present stage of the development of transfusion medicine are the maximum automation of work processes based on the development of information systems, the use of high-tech equipment, and the improvement of the product quality management system.

Reference:

Community Blood Center. (2020). History of blood banking. Web.

Nursing concept mapping as illustrated above is a visual representation of data used to define patient issues, organize assessment results, identify relevant diagnoses and techniques, and evaluate outcomes. Using tools provided by a concept map, nurses can develop strategies that are both effective and efficient (Edwards & DiPette, 2019). Therefore, concept maps, which aid students in correctly obtaining the essential details, are among the best effective teaching means. A concept map involves a learning model that incorporates individuals to meaningful concerns. Nursing concept maps are used to integrate theory and practice, educational journals, case management, and the study skills of nursing students. In addition, the concept map strategy has been defined as improving nursing students feelings of success, identity, and the ability to develop critical thinking skills.

Reference

Edwards, E., & DiPette, D. J. (2019). Realworld data analysis in disease management such as hypertension: Has the time come?. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 21(5), 635.

Medicare and Medicaid

Medicaid and Medicare are the two major systems implemented by the American government to strengthen the nations healthcare sector. Medicaid is a program managed by the countrys federal and state governments (Dental care, 2017). The program caters for medical costs for individuals with inadequate resources or income. Other beneficiaries include citizens not covered under the Medicare program. Medicare, on the other hand, is a program managed by the federal government. It offers health insurance to individuals aged over 65 years and young people with disabilities. Individuals with End-Stage Renal Disease are also covered by Medicare (Logan, Catalanotto, Guo, Marks, & Dharamsi, 2015).

Connections to Dentistry

Both programs have specific guidelines regarding the issue of dental health. Medicare, for instance, pays for dental health services for covered procedures such as jaw reconstruction or extractions for radiation treatment involving the jaw (Medical dental coverage, 2017, para. 3). Oral examination fees are also paid by the program. Medicaid offers dental benefits to different clients such as children. Oral screening is supported under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) cover or benefit (Logan et al., 2015). Different states have come up with sustainable plans to dictate the benefits available to every Medicaid enrollee. Emergency dental health services are common in different states. However, very few states have comprehensive dental care services for their Medicaid enrollees.

Importance of these Systems

Medicare and Medicaid are useful programs that support the health needs of many American citizens. Dental health is a critical aspect of an individuals health outcome (Logan et al., 2015). Under the Medicaid program, states identify the best strategies to provide adequate benefits to more children. When childrens dental needs are met, it becomes easier for more communities to realize their health goals. The dental services available to children include teeth restoration, pain management, and dental health maintenance (Logan et al., 2015).

Several states have adequate provisions to cater for the dental health needs of adult citizens. For instance, emergency dental problems are covered in different states. Oral examinations are also covered by the government-sponsored Medicare program. The system pays for various services such as jaw reconstruction especially after an accident (Logan et al., 2015). These provisions are important because they support the dental health needs of many American citizens.

Benefits to Dentistry

The initiatives undertaken by the government has been beneficial to the field of dentistry. For instance, the Medicaid system has unique measures aimed at meeting the dental needs of many children. The dental benefits available to many children make it easier for them to have a healthy future (Dental care, 2017). Early detection and dental hygiene are useful practices that have minimized most of the dental problems affecting many citizens. The program supports the functions of different agencies such as the Childrens Oral Health Initiative (COHI). The purpose of the initiative is to ensure more children have access to Medicaids dental care and oral health support (Dental care, 2017).

Although primary dental care is not covered by Medicare, specific oral services needed to protect the general health of the citizens are addressed under the program (Medical dental coverage, 2017). This means that the dental health of individuals in need of other medical services will not be ignored. It is therefore agreeable that the dental health provisions outlined by these two programs are beneficial to dentistry. However, the pioneers of these programs can collaborate with policymakers and dentists to come up with powerful measures to address various oral diseases.

References

Dental care. (2017).

Logan, H., Catalanotto, F., Guo, Y., Marks, J., & Dharamsi, S. (2015). Barriers to Medicaid participation among Florida dentists. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 26(1), 154-167.

Medical dental coverage. (2017).

A particularly difficult aspect of the activities of medical specialists is the collision with the death of patients. This circumstance requires a lot of emotional restraint on the part of healthcare providers. Moreover, it implies the observance of certain professional and personal values to provide support not only to the dying but also to their relatives and loved ones. This aspect is particularly concerned with following personal values when caring for dying patients or adhering to professional norms and rules.

The medical field has a certain set of legislation and norms determining the procedure for providing palliative care. However, this aspect is difficult for many nurses and doctors because it is difficult for them to overcome personal beliefs and values. Thus, they apply actions that can contradict the treatment plan and contribute to maintaining the condition of patients on their death bad. Because of this, moral distress arises, which is a particular form of distressing and demanding feeling that arises when a person is obliged to act contrary to her/his beliefs and values (Maffoni et al., 2019, p. 245). In this case, medical professionals prefer to follow personal values rather than professional ones.

An alternative position, which is most often held, despite internal debates, is following professional values. Thus, this point of view is based on the concept that the goals of care are the allowance of suffering, the optimization of the quality of life until death occurs, and the provision of comfort in death (Akdeniz et al., 2021, p. 2). Therefore, medical professionals main task is to provide the most satisfying life for patients and peace of mind for loved ones.

In conclusion, the care and treatment of dying patients imply adherence to certain professional values and norms. However, this aspect of activity causes a dilemma for some specialists who cannot transcend personal principles. This can cause moral and emotional distress, which can affect the quality and effectiveness of palliative care for the patient. To avoid this problem, healthcare providers must be carefully prepared both emotionally and professionally.

References

Akdeniz, M., Yard1mc1, B., & Kavukcu, E. (2021). Ethical considerations at the end-of-life care. SAGE Open Medicine, 9, 20503121211000918.

Maffoni, M., Argentero, P., Giorgi, I., Hynes, J., & Giardini, A. (2019). Healthcare professionals moral distress in adult palliative care: a systematic review.BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 9(3), 245-254.

Introduction

Public health researchers have often relied on descriptive epidemiology to organize and analyze various datasets with the view to understanding several issues related to variations in disease prevalence, incidence, and affected populations. As such, it is important to develop an adequate understanding of the dynamics of descriptive epidemiology and some of the most used terms in epidemiological research.

Descriptive Statistics

In epidemiology, descriptive statistics are used to understand disease patterns by examining three main elements namely person, place, and time. The person component can be defined as the categorization of disease prevalence or incidence according to the characteristics of individuals or populations affected by the health condition. This categorization considers the demographic characteristics of individuals affected by the health condition, such as age, sex, gender, ethnicity, and race (Friis, 2009). For example, public health researchers can use this component to understand the prevalence of dental caries among African American children compared to the Hispanic population.

The place component can be defined as the classification of a particular disease using the characteristics of specific geographical areas where the disease is most prevalent. This way, researchers are able to understand the geographic extent of the disease and also get clues on possible sources of the health condition (Friis, 2009). For example, public health researchers can use this component to understand why oral cancer mortalities are high in states such as Nevada, North Carolina, and Iowa. Lastly, the time component can be described as the categorization of a disease according to the specific time-frame the condition occurred or was reported (Friis, 2009). For example, researchers can use this component to record the date of onset of reported cases of bacterial mouth infections for each of the victims in the community and then plot the onset of fresh incidences over a two-month period to develop an epidemic curve for the condition.

Epidemiological Terms

In epidemiologic research, prevalence is defined as the percentage of a population found to have a particular health condition that is of interest to investigators, while incidence is often used to denote the rate of newly diagnosed cases or the number of new cases of the health condition occurring within a particular time period. The population can be defined as all the units, individuals, inhabitants, or communities residing in a particular place that is of interest to researchers. For example, researchers might be interested in investigating the prevalence of oral cancer in a predisposed population (e.g., heavy smokers and drinkers, senior citizens, or people with low education levels) and how the incidence level (newly diagnosed cases) is affected by lifestyle behaviors or other health indicators (Chattopadhyay, 2013).

These concepts are at the core of epidemiology-based on the fact that researchers must be able to understand the prevalence and incidence levels of disease if they are to come up with possible control measures of the condition. It is also important to understand how population characteristics affect disease distribution and determinants. For example, researchers interested in addressing dental caries in a particular community must first understand the prevalence and incidence rates of the condition with the view to determining the distribution of dental carriers in the community and other predisposing factors (Chattopadhyay, 2013). These terms are related to public health by virtue of the fact that they not only allow for the assessment of trends in health and disease but also provide an enabling environment for identifying health problems to be studied and core areas that may be prolific for investigation.

Conclusion

Overall, this paper has illuminated useful information on the three major components of descriptive statistics and provided practical examples to reinforce understanding. Additionally, the paper has defined epidemiological terms and demonstrated how they are related to the study of epidemiology and public health.

References

Chattopadhyay, A. (2013). Oral health epidemiology: Principles and Practice (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Friis, R. (2009). Epidemiology 101: Essential public health. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.