Concept Map

HEPATITIS C 2

Hepatitis C

Raven Jinks

Chamberlain University

NR 503: Population Health, Epidemiology, & Statistical Principles

December 1, 2019

Running head: HEPATITIS C 1

HEPATITS C 6

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is one of the infectious diseases spread through contact with the contaminated blood. Unlike other related conditions like Hepatitis B and A, there is no vaccine for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), which causes the illness. Consequently, the treatment mechanism for the condition may comprise the use of the available drug for interferon-free antiviral treatment for hepatitis C, which encompasses inhibitors of the RNA-dependant RNA polymerase, NS3/4A, and ribavirin among other options (Zeuzem, 2017). The complications arising from the condition include liver and cancer, while its associated signs and symptoms comprise of jaundice, fatigue, nausea, fever, and muscle aches. Conversely, studies reveal that 0.1% of the global population is living the condition among which the majority groups in countries like the US comprise of people aged 30 to 49 years at 65% (Han, Zhou, François & Toumi, 2019). As a result, Hepatitis C infection and its significant sequelae are responsible for 8000 to 10000 deaths a year. Such adverse impacts, therefore, facilitate the epidemiology within the context of the determinants of health, epidemiological triad as well as the role of nurse practitioners in containing the situation.

Determinants of Health

Even though limited research proves the social determinants associated with Hepatitis C, incarceration have increasingly been documented to be the underlying determinant of health among injection drug users and those infected with HCV. According to the WHO, the social determinants of health implies the social and economic conditions that determine the extent to which a person owns physical, social, and personal resources for achieving health. On the other hand, incarceration refers to the state of confinement in prison. Such a setting may influence the spread of the disease in several ways. For instance, most incarcerated people use illicit drugs involving the injection of drugs with contaminated needles. Consequently, given the high chance of prevalence of HCV in such environments, many inmates are likely to transmit the disease through injected drugs. Similarly, education plays a significant role in a person’s overall health and wellbeing. Education increases healthy behaviors and improves individual health outcomes. The increased knowledge of the associated risks involved in sharing contaminated needles may compel incarcerated individuals from such practices. Therefore, incarceration and education constitute critical social determinants for health.

Epidemiology Triad

Epidemiology triad provides an insightful model when considering association and causation through its elements, which involve agent, host, and environment. The external agents in this causation model comprise of the mechanisms through which the virus becomes transmitted to the host. With the Hepatitis C virus, indirect transmission occurs when involving the transfer of infectious agents to hosts using inanimate objects. As a result, the items such as drug use equipment, piercing tools for tattooing, and non-sterile medical equipment act as the external agents for the virus. According to WHO, 23% of HCV new infections and 33% of HCV mortality is attributable to such external agents, especially through the injection of drugs (WHO, 2019). Therefore, in the environment in which people use contaminated needles to inject drugs becomes characterized by a high occurrence of infectious carriers and different materials that can host and transmit the HCV virus.

Roles of Registered Nurses

Registered nurses play a significant role in the management of infectious diseases. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), nurse practitioners provide primary, acute, and specialty of healthcare services to diverse populations. Such duties arise from the advanced clinical training they undergo, thus facilitating their authorization in diagnosing illnesses, treating conditions, and offering evidence-based education to patients. However, in managing infectious diseases, such roles may get integrated to include the essential aspects of disease management such as surveillance, interventions at various levels, clinical research, and follow-ups. For example, nurse researchers investigate infectious diseases like HCV as a strategy for incorporating evidence-based approaches in clinical practice. The process involves the collection of data or evidence, analysis, and reporting as the standard guideline for managing the diseases. Similarly, such practices embody their surveillance roles in managing such infections. According to some studies, surveillance refers to the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of outcome-specific data for utilization in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of nursing practice (Choi, 2012). Therefore, the aspect of evidence-based practice enables the stipulated roles of nurses by the AANP to be easily get incorporated in managing infectious diseases.

Furthermore, roles are implementable through models that support evidence-based practices (EBP). An example of commonly used models of integrating evidence-based practice for managing the disease is the Iowa Model. Such contributions include addressing the sustainability of EBP, interprofessional change implementation, and patient-centered care for nurses at all levels of practice (Wyant, 2017). This strategy proves to be effective in HCV management since it involves interprofessional team formation, which provides different insights based on their professional background in managing the condition. Similarly, it incorporates evidence review, critique, and synthesis essential in the development of frameworks for reducing the spread of HCV virus. This scenario, therefore, justifies the role played by nurses in utilizing evidence-based practices in managing infectious diseases.

Conclusion

The adverse impacts of Hepatitis C including its infections nature, and the associated mortality rate prompts an adequate understanding of the condition. While other social determinants may encompass other aspects like culture, education, and incarceration are the significant factors facilitating its spread. The epidemiology triad also attempts to consider the causation for the disease. This framework isolates inanimate objects used during the injection of drugs and substances to be the external agents for spreading the virus, while the incarceration settings like prisons are the environmental factors. Subsequently, managing the condition relies on evidence-based by the nurses. Such responsibility involves surveillance, primary interventions, and follow-ups. An example of the approach upon which these roles become based includes the Iowa model. Therefore, nurses undertake significant contributions in managing infectious diseases.

References

Choi, B. C. (2012). The past, present, and future of public health surveillance. Scientifica, 12(2), 1-5.

Han, R., Zhou, J., François, C., & Toumi, M. (2019). Prevalence of hepatitis C infection among the general population and high-risk groups in the EU/EEA: a systematic review update. BMC infectious diseases, 19(1), 655.

Wold Health Organization (n.d.). Health Impact Assessment. The determinants of health. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/

World Health Organization (2019). Hepatitis C. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-c

Wyant, T. (2017). Adopt an evidence-based practice model to facilitate practice change. Retrieved from: https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/adopt-an-evidence-based-practice-model-to-facilitate-practice-change

Zeuzem, S. (2017). Treatment Options in Hepatitis C: The Current State of the Art. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 114(1-2), 11.