group 2

Group 1: My name is Connie, a 30-year-old employee working in the health department. Today, I propose that some of the resources allocated to me be focused on musculoskeletal disorders (MSKD). I chose this chronic disorder because musculoskeletal disorders account for almost half of all lost-time claims in the workplace. These MSKD's take a toll on productivity, worker morale, and quality of life. MSKD is a group of chronic diseases that include injuries or disorders of the muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage, and spinal discs. I am particularly interested in this disease because these disorders can be made worse or persist longer due to work conditions and contribute significantly to work performance.

The aspect of MSKD's that I would target for prevention and control would be Pain. This musculoskeletal pain can affect bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, or muscles. I want my supervisors to know that some of my best data sources in understanding this chronic disease include, The National Center for Biotechnology Information, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, National Institute of Health, and PubMed Central (PMC).

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, back and neck disorders, arthritic conditions, and soft tissue syndromes involving the tendons, ligaments, muscles, and cartilages make up the bulk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSKDs). These conditions are a dominant source of pain and disability globally but are especially prevalent in the industrialized nations, including the U.S. (Malik,2018).

When treatments cannot control the causative pathological processes, which are progressive, and cause irreversible damage to the respective musculoskeletal structures, the result is enduring pain and disability (Malik,2018). The overall lack of preventative care and the consequent prevalence of these disorders, especially in specific work environments and certain high-risk lifestyles, can affect the workforce's overall productivity (Malik,2018).

Low back pain is the main complaint associated with MSKD and work-related health problems. (Soares,2020). This type of chronic low back pain causes financial losses, increases medical costs, and impairs workers' personal lives (Soares,2020). Low back pain has been associated with heavy workloads, smoking, previous history of pain, and cultural and psychosocial factors, including poor mental health and multiple physical disorders (Soares,2020).

The etiology of low back pain is complex, as it involves kinetic, functional, psychosocial, and ergonomic aspects of the work environment. Psychosocial conditions affecting physical stress and mental health problems with exposure to an overload of fast-paced work may also be related to low back pain etiology (Soares,2020). Ergonomic factors include awkward postures, continuous and excessive use of force, repetitive movements, working long hours without rest, and poor working conditions (Soares,2020).

Prevention and control would include avoiding staying in the same position for a long time. Awkward upper limb postures are a risk factor for MSKDs among office workers. Workers who sit long hours and use computers are predisposed to ergonomic risks and account for most cases of work-related neck and low back pain. Limit repetitive movements, practice good lifting techniques, and stretch regularly. Developing and Implementing Workplace Controls such as engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment can help control MSKD's. Resources should be invested into effective exercise therapies, which are the first-line treatments recommended in guidelines for routine use in chronic low back pain and are commonly delivered or supervised by physical therapists (Foster et al., 2018).

I want to propose that the allocated resources also be used to create programs that educate workers on how best to prevent MSKD's. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC,1997) also has several resources to help with more information on MSKD's. These funds can also be put into good use by providing the appropriate assessments, chairs, and shoes suitable for workers. Workplace risk analysis, when done, should consider both the individual and environmental characteristics (Soares,2020).

I understand the challenges involved in doing more with less, so I propose that workers be encouraged to search databases to improve their knowledge base by using keywords corresponding to musculoskeletal pain selected from the National Institute of Health and PubMed Central (PMC). This can help narrow down searches as several chronic diseases can co-exist with MSKD's. With proper education, workers can make informed choices and take control of their health. This can reduce the financial burden of treatment and regular visits to specialists.

According to BMC Medicine, there is an association between baseline musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis of the knee or hip or neck, back pain, subsequent diagnosis of chronic disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, or obesity. Other factors associated with chronic pain of MSKD's include medical and psychiatric conditions. More information can be retrieved from the Musculoskeletal disorders (2020). National Institute of Health and PubMed Central (PMC).

 

Thank you.

Group 1:Hi Team, I have decided to focus on diabetes. According to the CDC, 34.2 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes and 7.3 million have diabetes but have not been diagnosed. Diabetes is now considered a public health crisis. Diabetes can cause heart disease, nerve and eye damage, hearing impairment, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease. Also, diabetes costs the economy over $300 billion every year.  Because of the mentioned reasons, I have decided to create a mission around primary prevention of diabetes. After research, I have found that the best ways to avoid diabetes all together are working out, diet and weight management, cease smoking, and increasing water intake. Of course, greater measure will have to be taken for individuals with hereditary diabetes. However, for the vast majority of the population diabetes is something that is self-inflicted.  Because there is a very high prevalence of diabetes among low-income, food stamp receiving individuals, I believe the best way to combat diabetes is to create a program for that specific population. Having an education program for those receiving government benefits that cover the dangers of diabetes. Also, having a wellness program for this population will increase their quality of health and prevent diabetes by a great deal. This wellness program is implemented by employers for employees receiving health benefits and has proven to create healthier individuals. This wellness program will track each individuals exercise times, calorie intake, weight, and water intake.  Every month each individual will be scored based on their results.  The score will determine if that person is still eligible to receive benefits. Roughly 38 million people in the US receive SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program). Therefore, if we allocate all of our resources toward this specific population, we will be able to prevent diabetes in millions of people.