Prevention of Heart Disease and Stroke in Collier County

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Introduction

This project is aimed at developing an intervention which is necessary for the prevention of hearth diseases and stroke in Collier County. According to the statistical data, presented by the Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida (2013), these health problems are among the leading causes of death in this particular community. Overall, the chosen topic is of great interest to nursing professionals whose work is related to public health. These medical workers can significantly reduce the impact of these diseases on the population, by urging people to undergo screening and adopt healthy lifestyles (Goudreau & Smolenski, 2013, p. 104). This project will be based on the framework which is known as MAP-IT (Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement,Track). This method is useful because it promotes various stakeholders who may be affected a medical program; for example, one can speak about patients, nurses, and hospital administrators. The proposed strategies will be based on the evaluation of physical and social factors affecting the overall health of Collier County. These are the main questions that should be examined.

The collection of necessary information and identification of the target population

In order to implement this program effectively, one has to collect different types of data. For instance, it is critical to identify the groups that are vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Secondly, much attention should be paid to the prevalence of these health problems in Collier County. As far as heart diseases are concerned, one should focus on males aged between 35 and 64 as the main at-risk group (Pampel & Pauley, 2004, p. 91). Furthermore, one should bear in mind that smokers and former smokers are more exposed to the risk of this disease (Pampel & Pauley, 2004, p. 91). Additionally, one should bear in mind that age is also an important risk factor for stroke. For example, people aged above 50 are more exposed to this threat (Torre, 2013, p. 66). Furthermore, it is important to mention that smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to the onset of this disease (Torre, 2013, p. 66). As it has been said before, heart disease is one of the factors that increase mortality in this neighborhood. Nevertheless, one should bear in mind that African-American population is at a greater risk of stroke (Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida, 2013, p. 14). This information is vital for identifying the target audience of this program.

Mobilization of the coalition

It is possible to identify several individuals and organizations that can be willing to participate in this program. In particular, one should speak about hospital administrators and head nurses working in the medical institutions located in Collier County. For example, one can mentions such institutions as NCH Downtown Naples Hospitals, Health Park Medical Center, or Lee Memorial Hospital. The employees of these organizations are fully aware of the dangers posed by various cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Furthermore, these people will take part in the implementation of outreach program. Apart from that, one should consider such an organization as Collier County Medical Society. This agency will be responsible for the distribution of printed material that will raise people’s awareness about the problems.

The cooperation with these organizations is important for assisting people who may be at a greater risk of being affected by this health problem. Overall, the main goal of the coalition is to decrease the prevalence of heart disease and stroke.

Assessment

While assessing the needs of the community, one can apply Public Health Nursing Assessment Tool since this method is useful for identifying the most urgent needs of the community. By relying on this framework, one can examine several factors that influence the health of the community, for example, one can mention physical and social environment, behaviors of individuals or groups, existing policies, and so forth (Pampel & Pauley, 2004). This strategy is helpful for understanding various factors that can impact the health of the population.

It should be noted that the population of this neighborhood equals 327058 people (Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida, 2013, p. 6). Furthermore, people living in this area have been affected by unemployment. In 2012, its rate was 8.4 (Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida, 2013). This is one of the social factors that should be taken into account because it indicates that some of the residents cannot afford appropriate healthcare services. Much attention should also be paid to the increased percentage of adults who are engaged in heavy drinking. Furthermore, one should consider the rising rates of obesity and smoking because this behavior can contribute to the increase prevalence of heart diseases and stroke (Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida, 2013). Nevertheless, this neighborhood has a well-developed infrastructure that is critical for promoting health. In particular, there are various medical institutions that serve the needs of people with various income levels. These are some of the positive influences that can be considered.

Additionally, the physical environment of Collier County contributes to the improved health of the population. This neighborhood shows relatively good results in terms of such criteria as the quality of water or air and accessibility of recreational facilities (Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida, 2013). These resources can be useful for promoting the health of the population.

Planning

This intervention will incorporate several steps. In particular, it is necessary to distribute leaflets that clearly describe the symptoms of heart diseases as well as stroke. These leaflets should include information about the factors that can make a person more exposed to these threats. More importantly, these documents should contain contact information which enables a person to contact medical workers in order to undergo screening procedures such as the measurement of blood pressure. They should be offered to people who belong to the at-risk groups. Much attention should be paid to males aged above forty. Finally, nurses should reach patients who cannot go to the hospitals due to some reasons. This argument is particularly relevant if one speaks about old patients who cannot always move without external assistance.

Overall, the intervention will rely on the behavior-change approach. According to this method, medical workers should prompt people to change their lifestyles in order to eliminate factors that increase the risk of a certain disease (Kozier, 2008). The benefits of this strategy have been illustrated in empirical studies. In particular, researchers note that the change of lifestyle can significantly reduce the risks of various cardiovascular diseases (Ormish, Brown, & Billings, 1990). This is why it is important to raise people’s awareness by distributing leaflets. Furthermore, medical institutions often rely on outreach programs in order to monitor the state of patients who suffered from a stroke (Boter, Rinkel, Rinkel, & Haan, 2004). Apart from that, they pay visits to elderly patients. Such interactions are useful for the timely identification of possible complications.

Finally, it is important to mention that timely screening is important for minimizing the effects of health problems such as cardiovascular diseases or stroke (Yusuf, Cairns, & Camn, 2011; Levenson & Truglio-Londrigan, 2010). This is why screening will pay a critical part in this program. Overall, this justification is necessary to secure funding for this program and gaining the support of hospital administrators.

Implementation

This program should last for at least six months. During this time, it will be necessary to distribute the printed materials. Moreover, nurses should provide assistance to people who want to undergo screening at hospital or at home. During these interactions, they should act as educators, especially while explaining the main risk factors. Several important resources will be needed. In particular, one should make sure that hospitals taking part in this program are not understaffed. A greater number of nurses will be needed for the outreach program and performance of screening procedures. Additionally, it is necessary to spend costs on the design, printing, and distribution of leaflets about stroke or heart diseases. This is one of the aspects that can be identified.

Tracking

The impacts of this intervention can be evaluated according to several criteria. First of all, one should consider the number of people who chose to undergo screening procedures. This number will be an indirect indicator of success because timely screening is vital for improving the health of the population. Additionally, one should examine the mortalities caused by this disease. If these rates drop, one can say that this intervention has been successful. These are the main quantitative criteria that can be singled out.

Summary

This intervention is based on the premise that it is necessary to identify the symptoms of a disease and prompt people to change their lifestyles because these steps are useful for minimizing the impacts of various diseases (Goudreau & Smolenski, 2013; Hedges, 2002). This is why this program involves the distribution of leaflets that can raise people’s awareness about the threats of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Furthermore, nurses should urge people to undergo screening procedures in order to treat these diseases at the early stage of their development. Moreover, they should make people more aware of the behaviors that can increase the risk of heart diseases. The effectiveness of these programs can be measured with the help of several quantitative indicators such as mortality rates and the number of people who contracted the healthcare workers. The strategies that have been proposed are partly based on the premise that nurses should consider public health as one of their top priorities (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). These steps can be useful for averting the threats of heart diseases and stroke, and the usefulness of these methods has already been tested. Collier County is one of the communities in which the health of the population is adversely affected by stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, these threats can be minimized provided that nurses join their efforts. These healthcare professionals can shape the attitudes and lifestyles of people. These tasks are particularly relevant if one speaks about stroke and heart diseases. These are main aspects that can be distinguished.

Reference List

Boter, H., Rinkel, G., Rinkel, G., & Haan, R. (2004). Outreach nurse support after stroke: a descriptive study on patients’ and carers’ needs, and applied nursing interventions. Clinical Rehabilitation, 18 (2), 156-163.

Goudreau, K., & Smolenski, M. (2013). Health Policy and Advanced Practice Nursing: Impact and Implications. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida. (2013). Collier Country Florida: Health Assessment. Web.

Hedges, S. (2002).Planning and Implementing a Real-time Air Pollution Monitoring and Outreach Program for Your Community: The AirBeat Project of Roxbury, Massachusetts. New York, NY: DIANE Publishing.

Kozier, B. (2008). Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process and Practice. New York, NY: Pearson Education.

Levenson, S., & Truglio-Londrigan, M. (2010). Public Health Nursing Assessment Tool. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Ormish, D., Brown, S., Billings, J. (1990). Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary heart disease? The Lancet 336 (8708),129–133.

Pampel, F., & Pauley, S. (2004). Progress Against Heart Disease. New York, NY: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2014). Foundations of Nursing in the Community: Community- Oriented Practice. New York, NY: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Torre, G. (2013). Smoking Prevention and Cessation. New York, NY: Smoking Prevention and Cessation.

Yusuf, S., Cairns, J., & Camn, J. (2011). Evidence-Based Cardiology. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

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