Week 8 Class Tread Response
1
Instructions: Reply to 2 of your peers below. Must be 250 words or more.
For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least two scholarly citations in addition to the Bible in APA format. Each reply must incorporate at least one scholarly citation(s) in APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, and scholarly articles.
Review your classmates’ threads, and respond through considering:
Classmates’ Tread 1.
Population Health in Action
The Future of Population Health within the Framework of Supportive Workplaces and Communities
Health and wellness are desirable outcomes for all people, but healthcare disparities make the goal more attainable for certain populations. While ultimately the lifestyle choices are made by individuals, being immersed in a culture health and wellness creates an advantage and can simplify the decision-making process. Whether in the workplace or in the community, the people with whom one is in daily contact will affect lifestyle choices. Nash, et al. outlines three specific characteristics of the culture of health and wellness: it makes it easier for people to make healthy lifestyle choices, it allows people to use healthcare appropriately, and it uses all available population health strategies (Nash et al., 2021). Within the past several years, employers have realized the need for a healthy staff, and the workplace has been identified as a priority area to promote health and wellbeing. Physical activity opportunities have been effective in improving the health of the workforce (Abdin et al., 2018). Research indicates that workplace health promotion is increasing while community health promotion seems to be struggling. One common theme among articles regarding community health is that despite the realization that community health interventions are a priority, there is also a lack of funding (Haley & Barnes, 2017). Because baccalaureate nursing programs require a community health needs assessment for program completion, there are a growing number of nurses who are able to perform this competently, and, ideally the future of community health will continue to improve as a result (Evans-Agnew et al., 2016). Until the gap in health disparities begins to close, there will be a lack in the community and population health. The communities that most need the resources for a healthy lifestyle are the ones that are underfunded. A future with a culture of health and wellness in both the workplace and in the communities will have a huge impact on society. It would ease the burden that is on the healthcare system, it will reduce stress in the communities, and could even have an impact on the crime rate and may have a positive impact on law enforcement.
CDC Guidelines for Opioid Prescribing
The CDC has set forth specific guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain that are based on the risks and benefits to the patient. One of the first things for healthcare providers to consider is whether there is a nonopioid therapy that could be used for pain management for the patient. Nonopioid medications, physical therapy, weight loss, psychological treatment, and exercise should be explored prior to prescribing opioids. With the possible exception of cancer patients, ideally opioids are not to be a long-term solution for pain management and realistic goals should be discussed with the patient. A risk/ benefit analysis should be discussed prior to prescribing opioids for chronic pain and, if it’s determined that opioid therapy is indicated, the provider should prescribe a quick-release medication at the lowest dose that would be considered effective. Follow up is essential after prescribing opioids (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). The guidelines are in place to protect both the provider and the patient. Much of the opioid problem that is prevalent in the United States could be solved if the population was in better health. Chronic pain can be caused by obesity, another serious problem in the U.S., stress and lack of activity. A healthy population should not have the issues of chronic pain that is so rampant in the country.
Future Trends in Population Health and the Opioid Epidemic
Researchers and healthcare workers have recognized a need for early preventative healthcare and many of the initiatives are targeted at children (Nash et al., 2021). This in itself will ideally build a healthier population and reduce the need for opioid prescriptions. Project Lazarus was started in Wilkes County and put current knowledge to use in combating the opioid problem in the community. It brought together health departments, faith organizations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, primary care clinics, schools, pharmacies and more to approach the crisis head on. As a result, there was a 50% decrease in opioid-related deaths between 2009-2014 (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP], 2018). As communities and organizations come together and use evidence-based research and the health of the population improves, it is possible to have a significant decrease in the number of people affected by the opioid crisis.
Community is a key concept in the Word of God. Acts 2 talks about believers meeting together in homes, Romans 12 refers to all believers as “one body” with different parts, and there are verses throughout that talk about unity and fellowship (New International Version, 1978/2011). As we work together to overcome the obstacles affecting population health, significant changes can take place and we can have the hope for a healthier population.
Classmates’ Tread 2.
DB 2
Many companies and organizations have started to promote and encourage cultures of health and wellness. There are seven common elements that have been incorporated into most of these programs. The top two elements that employer’s health and wellness programs feature are as follows: incentives that are consistent with the organizations core mission, goals, operations, and administrative structures and secondly, they operate at multiple levels, simultaneously addressing individual, environmental, policy and cultural factors in the organization (Nash et al., 2021). I can say that around 4 years ago the healthcare system I work for implemented a program that gave each employee a free fitness tracker if they wanted it and an incentive-based reward program for activity and health related goals. The incentives that each participating employee could receive was up to $75 per quarter. You could use that money towards gift cards for a variety of places. The program has been fun because it challenges you individually or with other departments. Having programs like this helps to motivate people to exercise and track accomplishments that they reach.
The definition of population health is not concise but according to Nash et al., (2021) population health is the distribution of health outcomes within a population, the health determinants that influence distribution, and the policies and interventions that affect those determinants. Improving the outcomes for people within our communities is crucial and how the healthcare community helps those struggling with the opioids and addiction. The CDC has been working on ways to assist with the crisis as well. The CDC is improving the way opioids are prescribed through clinical practice guidelines can ensure patients have access to safer, more effective chronic pain treatment while reducing the number of people who misuse or overdose from these drugs (Center for Diseases and Control, 2021). Having centralized guidance helps healthcare providers and organizations understand the needs of this population group and how to best assist them.
In Philippians 2:4 it says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (ESV, 2021). As Christians we can not only take car of ourselves but those that are neighbors within our community. Drug addiction can be a very difficult course of recovery but with help from us as Christians we can get our friends through this process. A complicating factor when treating opioid use disorder is the high level of chronic pain evidenced in this population; among those who misuse opioid medications, nearly two-thirds report doing so to obtain relief from physical pain (Stuart et al., 2018). To help people adjust to the pain or withdrawal there are new processes and techniques that assist people during this time. Therapies that can be community based consist of massage therapy, physical therapy, psychotherapy and nonopioid medications. These therapies can be used in conjunction with each other or separately. The need for alternative methods is now more prevalent than before. We need to help reduce the number of people who are being prescribed opioids and assist with those who are fighting this problem.