Markets in hospitals have captured the attention of many organizations and specialized areas of the economy because they have seen market failure in those markets. Therefore, Economists use the term market failure to categorize situations or conditions that cause the observed equilibrium to deviate. The health department in Dubai experiences many problems in the emergency department, one of which is the hospital failed in the market. Overcrowding the emergency department is one of the major problems that is facing the health department in Dubai. The problem of overcrowded emergencies has led to a significant market failure in the healthcare department.
An overcrowded emergency department causes delayed treatment, stretches resources, and leads to poor patient outcomes. Also, it may lead to ambulance diversion because patients may leave before being checked by the physician. Again, an overcrowded emergency creates a high risk of medical errors that threaten the patients safety. Critically ill patients have to wait for long hours in the overcrowded emergency departments where they are boarded therefore deteriorating their conditions (Arnould & DeBrock, 1986, p. 288). For this reason, the hospital markets fail due to the stiff competition implied by the other hospitals. Due to the poor services, patients will choose better hospitals that do not have overcrowded emergencies, reducing the hospitals economic status because the occupancy level will reduce and minimize output.
Therefore, market failures are the primary reasons the government intervenes in the healthcare market (Nichols, 2012, p. 555). The government can intervene by providing services and direct funding to healthcare services (Wallis & Dollery, 1999, p. 9). Besides, the hospital should use the funds provided by the government to expand its capacity. Secondly, avoiding boarding patients admitted to the emergency department, providing alternatives for primary care, and providing care to patients with emergency cases will reduce overcrowding in the emergency department, hence improving the hospitals market.
Nichols, L. M. (2012). Government intervention in healthcare markets is practical, necessary, and morally sound. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 40(3), 547-557.
Whenever you have medical needs, you can rely on the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) to be there to meet them. Occupational therapists, Physical therapists, nutritionists, nurses, medical doctors, social workers, recreation therapists, dietitians, and a manager all make up the Interdisciplinary Team (Procter & DeNora, 2022). We want our members to have optimal health and continue to thrive in their environments for as long as feasible. All professionals working on a patients case meet regularly to discuss what services they can provide.
Discussion
As an example of effective multidisciplinary teamwork, I might use my most recent position and scope leadership clinical. The institution provided occupational therapy for the family of one of the pupils I was supervising. Beneficial patient outcomes can be attributed to the close partnership between occupational therapy and nursing in the United States. I saw an essay that aimed to dissect how the two fields overcame their differences to give superior treatment to patients. The patients doctor recommended occupational therapy that will resolve the patients ailment. The occupational therapists goal was to have the patient try to carry out as many of the patients ADLs independently as possible before bringing in outside assistance.
Conclusion
Putting on his clothes is only one instance of this. The nurses job was to ensure the patient did the activity to the best of his abilities, and she was expected to assist the patient as necessary (Procter & DeNora, 2022). Unfortunately, I only got to spend one day with this guy, but I saw that he could successfully put on his shirt but needed assistance with his pants. The patient is making good progress toward his objective. In this case, if I could do anything differently, it would be to offer the patient more opportunities to succeed. The student nurse I supervised stepped in to aid the patient at the clinical location even before he asked for it. I would have let the patient try to finish the work independently and only stepped in when they asked for assistance.
Reference
Procter, S., & DeNora, T. (2022). Musical care in adulthood. Collaborative Insights, 86-101.
Provides patients with care even at long distances.
Supports public health.
Telehealth is a new model of delivering healthcare services to patients using innovational technology. The Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (n.d.) defines it as the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration (para. 1). An essential element of Telehealth is that unlike telemedicine, it incorporates training and educational activities, thus, addressing a broader scope of issues in the current medical industry. This presentation has an objective to describe the need for healthcare services that apply Telehealth, explain the specifics of Synchronous Telehealth and Asynchronous Telehealth. In addition, it will outline an emerging technology and its impact on nursing and provide a personal opinion on the matter.
Need for Telehealth Services
More convenient when compared to traditional services.
Significantly reduces costs for patients and providers.
Grants easy access to people in remote locations.
Can be used to address acute and chronic conditions.
Better diagnostics and improved outcomes of treatment.
Allows home monitoring of conditions.
Nursing shortage can be addressed via Telehealth.
In order to fully understand why Telehealth is an enormously important technology for the healthcare system in the US, it is necessary to examine the current issues that it has. Dorsey and Topol (2016) argue that similar approaches, for instance, consultations via telephone, where used by some physicians for many years. However, only recently, the policy makers and professionals working in healthcare dedicated significant efforts towards using new technology to contact patients. This approach is valid because it allows a physician to address a variety of health conditions without a need to see the patient in person. Apart from convenience and access that is the primary feature of this technology, Telehealth allows minimizing medical expenses for patients.
Telehealth allows delivering healthcare services through telephones, smartphones, and other technological devices, making it accessible to millions of people. The California Telehealth Resource Center (n.d.) argues that it allows impact some of the most challenging problems of our current healthcare system: access to care, cost-effective delivery, and distribution of limited providers (para. 1). As a result of easy access, patients can have improved health outcomes because in general, conditions that are addressed in the early stages are more easy to treat. In ICUs, this technology reduces both mortality rates and length of stay for patients (The California Telehealth Resource Center, n.d.). Home monitoring is an essential aspect of cost cutting without harming the quality of care.
Synchronous Telehealth
Live, real-time communication between a provider and a patient.
Requires audiovisual technology and high-speed internet.
Depends on the availability of communication resources and scheduling.
While Telehealth is proven to be a necessity for modern-day delivery of healthcare services, there is no unified opinion regarding the strategies of use. Synchronous Telehealth is a real-time interaction that usually applies video and audio transmitting technology and allows patients to talk to medical professionals ( What is telemedicine?, n.d.). The one issue is that this approach is limited by the video conferencing capacity of a particular institution, meaning that physicians may not always be ready to accept calls from patients. In addition, scheduling can be another problem because although Telehealth illuminates the need to drive to a medical establishment, with the synchronous approach, both the patient and medical professional have to be available.
Asynchronous Telehealth
Transmits data from patient to physician a need for an immediate response.
Digital images, videos, test results are part of this approach.
Reduces waiting for lines and has a potential of transforming the system.
Asynchronous Telehealth can help reduce issues such as waiting for time and satisfaction of both patients and providers. However, it is evident that some conditions, for instance, congestive heart failure, cannot be addressed through this approach because the consequences of untimely care can be irreversible. In general, this technology is applied to transfer test or diagnostics results from one location to another or for a consultation with a different medical professional ( What is telemedicine?, n.d.). Unlike synchronous Telehealth, this model allows a physician to address the request after reviewing all necessary data. The current advances in Internet technology allow an easy and quick exchange of large files containing patient information, which can help change the existing costly infrastructure of healthcare in the US.
Personal Opinions of Telehealth
In my opinion, Telehealth is:
Valuable in the current challenging healthcare environment.
Helpful for both patients and medical personnel.
Adequately addresses current issues.
Further innovations can alter the current structure of health services.
Education is an essential and beneficial element of Telehealth.
Personally, I think that technologies such as Telehealth are vital in the current healthcare environment. The current population is aging, meaning that health establishments will have to respond to an increasing need for care, especially for chronic conditions. At the same time, lack of qualified personnel because of human capital shortage and high turnover of staff in medical establishments that already experience issues with nurses or physicians further worsen the problem. Another aspect that should be noted is the fact that patients living in rural areas or other remote locations can often neglect care because of difficulties associated with having a medical appointment.
In general, I would argue that Telehealth is useful for both nurses and patients. A critical aspect of it is educational opportunities for medical professionals allowing them to improve their qualification be accessing information on a convenient schedule. This is very helpful in addressing the shortage of personnel issue as I think many people cannot afford to obtain a degree while having a full-time job. However, I believe that the primary problems obstructing a broad application of this technology are information technology skills and data privacy. The latter was addressed by policymakers, while the first issue is yet to be resolved. This refers to the capabilities of both patients and medical personnel.
New Technology in Healthcare
mHealth is the use of smartphones is different domains of healthcare.
Surveillance of patients is the crucial aspect of this technology.
mHealth allows the provision of ongoing treatment support outside a hospital.
mHealth is used to:
Educate patients about preventable conditions.
Provide a tool for tracking adherence to the treatment plan.
Share advise about necessary lifestyle changes.
People in the US use their smartphones to locate health-related data.
69% of people in the US track health indicators (Holaday, Meehan, & Watt, 2015).
The majority of people tracking their health have a chronic condition.
The term mHelath refers to techniques and applications through which a patient can access valuable health-related information via a smartphone. Unlike Telehealth, this novelty does not imply direct contact with a medical establishment. An article by Moore, Holaday, Meehan, and Watt (2015) explores the implications of mHealth, its benefits, and prospects for future development. According to the authors, currently, over 100,000 applications exist that allow patients to track their medical records, examine their weight, or manage their illnesses. Additionally, the technology enables medical establishments and professionals to monitor adherence to treatment, which is especially crucial for patients with chronic conditions.
mHealth technology aims to raise awareness about diseases that can be prevented with adequate lifestyle and habits. Thus, it is an especially important technology because of the aging population and increasing burden of chronic conditions because most of them are preventable. Also, this technology is especially convenient for the consumer because it does not require any additional resource since it utilizes a smartphone. This has implications for improving the health state of many individuals through improved adherence to recommendations.
The emergence of mHelath is facilitated by the already existing prevalence of smartphone users and the fact that a large number of them uses mobile technology to gain more insight into the health-related questions. Moore, Holaday, Meehan, and Watt (2015) argue that approximately 31% of people use their phones to locate health-related information. This can occur when they feel sick or experience other significant change in their health state. In addition, over 69% of US citizens use their phones to track at least one health-related indicator.
How Nursing is Impacted by this New Technology
mHealth allows nurses to participate in:
Research and development of interventions;
Monitoring of patients outside the healthcare facility;
Improve the self-efficacy of patients;
Technology is transforming the healthcare environment;
Nurses can improve patient care by utilizing mHelath and Telehealth;
Innovation helps nurses address the increasing issue of chronic diseases.
mHealth is a promising new technology that can change the existing approaches to care. Moore, Holaday, Meehan, and Watt (2015) argue that nursing becomes increasingly integrated with novel technology. It is vital for nurses to take part in the development of mHelath because their unique insight can be used to enhance the existing strategies. This technology can improve the current strategy for studying and treating diseases, allowing nurses to develop more efficient interventions. For instance, mHelath applications allow tracking weight and exercise that should be done by an individual. A nurse who advises a patient with a chronic condition that requires can offer him or her to use a tracking application, which should improve adherence to the proposed intervention.
There are several implications of the mentioned technology for nursing professionals. Moore, Holaday, Meehan, and Watt (2015) argue that chronic illness should be the center of attention within the current healthcare industry innovations, and mHealth has the technology to address this issue. Nurses are able to use mHelath to track and monitor patients. According to Moore, Holaday, Meehan, and Watt (2015) 70% of all deaths in the United States of America are related to chronic disease indicating the severity of the problem (p. 35). Overall, innovational technology, such as Telehealth and mHealth help improve the current healthcare system and deliver efficient care to all individuals.
References
California Telehealth Resource Center. (n.d.). Why are Telemedicine and Telehealth so important in our healthcare system? Web.
Dorsey, E. R., & Topol, E. J. (2016). State of Telehealth. The New England Journal of Medicine, 375(2), 154-61. Web.
Moore, S., Holaday, B., Meehan, N., & Watt, P. (2015). Exploring mHealth as a new route to bridging the nursing theory-practice gap. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice: An International Journal, 29(1), 38-52. Web.
There is no doubt that medical education approaches should continuously develop to ensure that students master competencies and skills that will help them solve real-life problems. That is why simulation-based learning is requested today, and it allows students to sophisticate their professional practice causing no harm to others. This condition is possible due to simulation labs where mannequins are involved. These educational efforts become effective when and because students meet specific expectations regarding their professional conduct.
Simulation labs are typically applied because they allow students to develop essential skills and competencies. These people should provide care to a patient, and instructors observe this process to assess whether students have an ability to assess the situation critically and respond to arising issues appropriately (Marquette University Nursing, 2019). Kapucu (2017) also mentions that these simulations make students utilize their knowledge and experience to choose the most appropriate solutions. Furthermore, baccalaureate nurses are expected to develop critical skills and competencies that will help them meet practice demands in the future (Kapucu, 2017). It is also worth admitting that students should know that it is okay to make mistakes during simulation labs; these failures will be discussed during debriefing sessions to find ways to improve professionally (Aebersold, 2018). Thus, it is evident that using mannequins in simulation-based learning allows students to master many essential skills.
In conclusion, scientific evidence demonstrates that simulation labs involving mannequins are beneficial in medical education. This approach implies that students utilize their knowledge and experience to solve real-life problems and provide high-quality care. Another advantage of this educational approach is that students are allowed to make mistakes because mannequins are involved. However, baccalaureate nurses are expected to use these failures as a motivational factor to develop and grow professionally.
Kapucu, S. (2017). The effects of using simulation in nursing education: A thorax trauma case scenario. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 10(2), 1069-1074.
The notion of human dignity is, by all means, central to the medical practice in terms of providing quality care regardless of ones appearance or moral attributes. As far as the Christian perspective of care is concerned, one of the primary notions is the idea that every human being is created in the likeness of God, or imago Dei (Grand Canyon University, 2020). Because of this, it is believed that the human existence created by God gives people the ability to exercise the service of God to assist and do good on a daily basis. Indeed, the whole implication of medical practice supports the idea that human beings are designed in the likeness of God in order to provide assistance.
However, another implication of the imago Dei idea is the fact that every human being created by God has autonomy and moral dignity that cannot be disrupted or taken away by anyone else (Grand Canyon University, 2020). In the sphere of clinical practice, it encourages practitioners to respect the patients dignity and autonomy when providing assistance, as their primary goal is to help people recover from disease for them to continue exercising their mission on earth.
However, while constantly evolving, the existing model of clinical practice presents a variety of ethical challenges for health care, including the processes of terminating life such as euthanasia and abortion, or artificial creation of life with the help of in-vitro fertilization or surrogate. In my opinion, the complexity of modern society allows for the critical evaluation of medical practice, including various ethical appraisals of a situation, putting the actor in the center.
For this reason, it may be concluded that the concept of imago Dei should be used in medical practice in order to emphasize the importance of autonomy and human dignity but not to control human actions through the lens of religious and spiritual dogmas. While it is difficult to describe the scope or complexity of modern society, it is of paramount importance to take it into account when helping people in their decision to exercise their autonomy.
Reference
Grand Canyon University. (2020). Practicing dignity: An introduction to Christian values and decision making in health care. Web.
It is significant to mention that the negative side of this situation is that the patient cannot obtain data about her health and verify their validity. At the same time, the positive side is that the diagnosis that a woman has been assigned may be in error because of incorrect data. Patient portals and personal health records are the primary means between patients and physicians (Hawthorne & Richards, 2017). The main objective of these systems is to provide patients with access to and protection of their medical data. It is essential to highlight that patient portals have special protections in place to ensure the confidentiality of medical information (Hawthorne & Richards, 2017). However, another security measure is placing the portals in a secure connection and logging in with an encrypted and protected password.
The personal health record (PHR) contains all the medical data about a patient, which different employees complete. For example, it includes the results of laboratory tests, paper medical records, and medical history (Roehrs et al., 2017). It is significant to stress that such a medical record is less secure because many healthcare providers have access to it. Thus, protecting patients and physicians personal information is the responsibility of the institutions involved in filling the PHR.
I agree with the way to obtain an achievement to PHRs because there are several options for this. For example, if a physician suggests using this server, the hospital staff assists in registering and providing additional information about the server (Heart et al., 2017). Meanwhile, each person can create their PHRs after the appropriate registration steps. If patients do not have access to all PHRs, data unavailability creates a problem. Consequently, PHRs may not highlight specific procedures that different physicians did, or there may be no outcomes of particular studies (Heart et al., 2017). Therefore, without information, it is challenging to prescribe current treatment and establish an accurate diagnosis for the patient.
A sonographer is a healthcare professional who uses ultrasound to create images of the inside of the body. They play an important role in the early detection of health problems and abnormalities. They are similarly involved in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and pregnancy. Sonography or ultrasound has several benefits, such as allowing for accurate imaging of internal organs and structures. Ultrasound provides real-time information about the function and movement of organs as well as guiding therapeutic procedures, such as needle biopsies. Sonography is similarly used to monitor pregnancy progress and assess fetal health. On the other hand, it has a disadvantage in that when someone is exposed to high doses of ultrasound for long periods, it can lead to cancer. Sonography has more health advantages as compared to drawbacks, thus making sonographers demand to be higher in the medical field.
Sonographers are highly demanded when a report is needed on internal structures, organs, and tissues. Sonography is the use of ultrasound to visualize structures and organs within the body (Sakamoto et al., 2020). Ultrasound waves are sent into the body, and the reflections of these waves are used to create an image; sonography is a very accurate imaging modality. The resolution of sonographic images is related to the wavelength of the ultrasound waves used. The higher the frequency of ultrasound waves, the smaller the structures that can be resolved (Sakamoto et al., 2020). It is similarly used to image internal organs, such as the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Additionally, it can be used to image tissues, such as breast tissue or prostate tissue. In addition, sonography can be used to measure blood flow and blood pressure in different parts of the body.
Sonography is essential in monitoring and providing information on internal organs movement and functionality. Ultrasound imaging, similarly known as sonography, uses high-frequency sound waves to create pictures of the inside of the body (Tanaka et al., 2018). Because ultrasound images are captured in real-time, they can show the movement of organs and other structures in the body. This makes ultrasound a valuable tool for diagnosing conditions such as liver cirrhosis, gallstones, pancreatitis, and tumors (Tanaka et al., 2018). Ultrasound is similarly used to guide procedures such as injections. Because it does not use radiation, ultrasound is a safe imaging choice for pregnant women and infants. Sonography is used for imaging pregnancy because it is a safe and non-invasive way to get images of the baby and the surrounding tissues.
Moreover, sonography uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the baby and the uterus. It can be used to determine the babys sex, measure the babys size, and look for any problems with the babys development (Tanaka et al., 2018). It can similarly be used to measure the size of the uterus and check for problems with the placenta. In addition, sonography checks the position and size of the baby, the number of babies in the womb, and the measure of amniotic fluid around the baby (Tanaka et al., 2018). The ultrasound image is created when high-frequency sound waves bounce off the babys body and are converted into an electronic image. This image can be seen on a computer screen and can be printed out.
Ultrasound or sonography aids in guiding therapeutic procedures, including needle biopsies. Its guidance is important during a needle biopsy because it allows the clinician to see the location of the needle about the lesion (Sakamoto et al., 2020). This is especially crucial because it helps to ensure that the tissue sample is taken from the correct location and that there is minimal risk of damage to nearby healthy tissue. Ultrasound guidance can likewise be used to help guide therapeutic procedures, such as radiofrequency ablation or cryotherapy (Sakamoto et al., 2020). In these procedures, ultrasound energy is used to heat or freeze tissues. By using ultrasound guidance, the clinician can ensure that the target tissue is heated or frozen accurately and with minimal damage to surrounding tissues.
Apart from these several benefits, sonography likewise has its negative impacts, which decrease its demand. Ultrasound therapy is a popular cancer treatment; it involves the use of high-frequency sound waves to destroy cancer cells (Xie et al., 2019). However, there is some evidence that ultrasound may promote tumor growth and progression. One study found that exposure to ultrasound radiation increased the number of cancer cells and blood vessels in tumors (Xie et al., 2019). Additionally, it showed that ultrasound radiation makes tumors more resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Further research is needed to determine the effects of ultrasound on tumor growth and progression. However, until more is known, it may be best to avoid exposure to ultrasound radiation if one has cancer. Ultrasound leads to dehydration by heating water molecules and causing them to vibrate, which in turn makes the water evaporate. These limitations scare people or patients from going for sonography services offered by sonographers.
In conclusion, even though sonography has negative impacts on health, sonographers demand is still high since they provide several essential services to people. Sonography is extremely important in modern medicine; it allows doctors to look inside the body without having to make large incisions, which can be risky and painful for patients. Sonography can be used to diagnose problems with organs, detect cancers, and even guide surgeons during complex procedures. This technology has saved countless lives and helped millions of people receive the treatment they need. Therefore, sonography is largely demanded in various healthcare scenarios despite its shortcomings.
Tanaka, K., Chua, J., Cincotta, R., Ballard, E. L., & Duncombe, G. (2018). Hysterosalpingofoam sonography (HyFoSy): Tolerability, safety and the occurrence of pregnancy postprocedure. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 58(1), 114-118. Web.
Several bones and soft tissues make up the shoulder, including the scapula, acromion, humerus, and glenoid. The glenohumeral, acromioclavicular, and scapulothoracic joints make the shoulders articulations. In the glenohumeral joint, the glenoid labrum and the fibrous capsule are joined by a ligament. Because of a lack of bone support, the glenohumeral joint is the most often dislocated of the main joints. To maintain the stability of the glenohumeral joint, all of its components function together. The static mutual support is provided by the capsulolabral complex and the joint surfaces, whereas dynamic joint stability is provided by the rotator cuff muscles and the scapular rotators (Ng & Wu, 2021). Three muscles offer scapular stability: the trapezius, serratus anterior, and rhomboid. Shoulder pain is caused by rotator cuff muscular compression on the glenoid. The deltoid muscle can raise the humeral head within the joint depending on the severity of the rotator cuff injury.
Figure 1: Scapular winging as Clinical Shoulder Dysfunction
The levator scapula and rhomboids work with the trapezius and serratus anterior muscles to help bring the scapula back into the head and maintain appropriate posture. As part of the evaluation process, the patients age, dominant hand, and sporting or occupational interests are all considered. Ask their doctor how the injury has affected their work, leisure activities, and sports. An examination by the patients primary care physician should focus on symptoms such as shoulder pain, stiffness, locking, catching, and swelling. It can be unpleasant to throw with anterior glenohumeral instability while pitching a baseball or engaging in similar sports. Recent studies show that glenohumeral unrest is more common in patients with severe joint laxity. Diagnosis is aided by the capacity to distinguish between an acute and a chronic condition, as shown in Figure 1 above. One should be mindful of the possibility of glenoid labral damage if one has had recent shoulder trauma involving abduction and external rotation of the arm, for example. Rotator cuff injury is another name for the frozen shoulder, characterized by persistent pain and restricted passive range of motion in the shoulder. The location, quality, content, and aggravating and relieving elements that contribute to the shoulders discomfort must be determined to rule out the potential of transferred pain. It is common for people to confuse neck and arm pain with a shoulder problem. Numerous medical conditions can cause shoulder pain in some people, such as pneumonia and heart failure (Shaibani, 2018). Metastatic cancer is more likely in people with a history of disease in their families. A patients history of corticosteroid use should be inquired if they have osteopenia or rotator cuff tendon atrophy. Provocative tests for impingement syndrome and glenohumeral instability are part of a comprehensive physical exam.
References
Ng, C. Y., & Wu, F. (2021). Scapular winging secondary to serratus anterior dysfunction: Analysis of clinical presentations and etiology in a consecutive series of 96 patients. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 30(10), 2336-2343.
Shaibani, A. (2018). Scapular winging. Oxford Medicine Online.
Dehydration develops when the excretion of water exceeds its intake into the body, which is called a negative water balance. This can be when the water intake is disturbed or increased water loss, or a combination of these conditions (Tintinalli et al, 2019). Dehydration has severe consequences associated with decreased circulating blood volume and increased viscosity, which can cause severe circulatory disorders and collapse (Tintinalli et al, 2019). Circulatory disorders lead to the development of tissue hypoxia, which primarily affects the central nervous system.
Dehydration is especially difficult for children. This is due to the high content of the extracellular fluid in children, low concentration capacity of the kidneys, the increased relative surface area of the skin, increased respiration rate, and imperfect regulation of water-electrolyte homeostasis (Fox & Woolridge, 2018). Consequently, dehydration in children of the first two years of life occurs more often than in adults and is a severe complication, often leading to death (Fox & Woolridge, 2018). To prevent dehydration in the infant, it is essential to offer the child plenty of fluids to maintain a normal state of hydration. In addition to water, juices should contain glucose and mineral salts to replenish sugar and minerals such as sodium, potassium, and chlorine.
In other situations where the loss of moisture in the body increases due to sweat, such as in summer and during prolonged physical activity, it is recommended to use water as the main rehydrator. It should include carbohydrates and minerals salts, and water, such as fruit (Fox & Woolridge, 2018). Sports isotonic drinks are not necessary for children, and their chronic use can have detrimental health effects.
Older people are also prone to dehydration. In old age, there is less water in the human body, so the hydration rate drops to 60 or even 50% (Ekberg, 2018). Meanwhile, dehydration in old age brings with it additional problems. In particular, it has been noted that dehydrated patients are more likely to deteriorate when hospitalized with a stroke. To prevent dehydration in the elderly, they need to drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of fluid per day (Ekberg, 2018). It is important to remember that this volume includes drinks and soups, vegetables, and fruits (Ekberg, 2018). For the elderly who may forget to drink more, it is advisable to make a schedule or measure the amount of water in a bottle for the day.
References
Fox, S. M., & Woolridge, D. P. (2018). Pediatric emergency medicine, an issue of emergency medicine clinics of North America. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Ekberg, O. (2018). Dysphagia. Diagnosis and treatment. Springer International Publishing.
Tintinalli, J. E., Ma J. O., Yealy, D.M., Meckler, G. D., Stapczynski, S. J., Cline, D. M., Thomas, S. H. (2019). Tintinallis emergency medicine: A comprehensive study guide. McGraw-Hill Education.
An article by David Zincenko titled Dont Blame the Eater takes an opinionated stance on the responsibility of fast-food companies in the promotion of products that target children and teenagers. These groups are especially vulnerable to the consumption of potentially dangerous or unhealthy products prevalent in fast-food industries due to the lack of sufficient warning labels and information.
Zincenko (2002) makes the argument that government involvement is essential and mandatory in order to prevent hazardous risks, by either including proper labeling or another format of information delivery that will allow for educated decisions made by customers. Though such action has merit, it is unlikely to impact the health issues spurred by diet and potentially harmful products. This is largely for a number of reasons, including the demand-driven nature of fast-food economics, the influence of non-professional sources of information, and lack of initial education concerning the topic at an early stage by the government.
The current fast-food industry is driven by the demand of customers and their preferences. There are a number of other factors that contribute to this, including location, pricing, and availability. Customers have much more access to health-conscious dietary information than ever before, yet they continue to create escalating demand for fast-food products. Special diets have a number of sources online, such as resources on vegan, clean eating, or other directions of healthy nutrition which are accessible to most. There is a variety and excess of information available on better nutrition, made available by the government, professionals, or other parties. However, the demand for the factors of fast-food products such as price, timeliness, and taste outweigh the concerns for health. As such, I mostly disagree with Zincenkos solution.
Though the resources available, especially on the web, are limitless and incredibly diverse, the quality of the information is also questionable. Even if customers turn to non-government sources if those are not available, it is not guaranteed that they will find adequate dietary and health information. In the case of Jordan Younger, a vegan who participated and promoted a very intensive diet of raw and minimal eating, the case for independently available resources resulted in a catastrophe (Wilson, 2017).
Her excessively limited diet resulted in an eating disorder that adversely affected her health, and this diet was heavily recommended by her and others, with Younger even creating material that was for sale to encourage others to become part of what shifted from just a diet to a system belief. The health risks of such things are high, and as such, the government would not only have to promote their own dietary resources but combat misinformation. Zincenkos argument does not address this potential risk of argument, and the case of Younger is worrying and not an adequate solution to dietary education in my opinion.
Zincenko cites children and teenagers as being the most vulnerable and misinformed concerning health risks and fast food, which can be seen in real-world statistics. However, the government-backed increase in labeling may not be sufficient. To avoid being oblivious to health risks or relying on possible misinformation from non-professionals, government intervention should begin at an early stage. To truly change the attitudes of the youth towards healthy eating, programs concerning the topic of diet should be prevalent during school years and encourage students to investigate the compositions of their meals on their own without reliance on labeling or potential misinformation. As such, I only partially agree with Zincenkos solution as it is not sufficient in addressing the issue of diet-induced health risks.
Currently, no such programs are effective enough to curb health risks related to diet in both adults and children. However, the implementation of such campaigns is possible and needed more every year. While the market is demand-driven, it is essential to inform and create involvement in customers rather than simply satisfying those concerned with more accurate labeling.
