Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Adolescents, Incompatibility of Intravenous Medications, Turnover Rates due to Burnout in Healthcare (24 hours)

Sexually transmitted diseases are infections that are spread from one individual to another through sexual activities (Rhodes et al., 2021). Examples include syphilis, human papillomavirus, gonorrhea, and genital herpes. Due to poor testing knowledge, speaking openly about sexual things, and young girls' susceptibility to STDs, adolescents and teenagers are more likely to develop STDs.Even though STDs can affect any population, adolescents and young adults are at increased risk of having STDs. STDs have undeniable effects on individuals, communities, and healthcare sectors. Adolescents and teenagers need to be educated on STDs, especially on how to prevent the spread and the importance of treatment. Teenage STD infection rates are rising globally, and gonorrhea and chlamydia are the most frequent STDs among teens in the United States. In the 2016 STD study, teenagers aged 15 to 19 had a male prevalence of 15.3% and a female prevalence of 4.1% for chlamydia (Shannon & Klausner, 2018). STDs among adolescents are a problem because increased rates of infections increase the health burden of a state. This paper focuses on the impact a 2-month program can have on the knowledge and understanding of adolescents aged 14-17 years about STDs.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Adolescents

PICOT question

Can the implementation of a 2-month program on sexually transmitted diseases in adolescents aged 14 to 17 years improve their knowledge about the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases compared to their knowledge before the program's implementation?

The population of focus is adolescents aged 14-17 who are vied to be at increased risk of having STDs because of insufficient knowledge (Shannon & Klausner, 2018). A 2-month program on STDs is seen as the fit intervention for this population. The comparison intervention is the knowledge of this population before having the intervention. After the assessment, the outcome is expected that this population will show increased knowledge in understanding the topic of STDs. The program timing is two months, which is considered reliable and enough time for the education program.

Vulnerable populations

Some of the social determinants for STD among adolescents include age, ethnicity, and family background. School characteristics and neighborhood factors are also considered important in the acquisition of STDs by adolescents. The risk factors of STDs among adolescents include practicing sexual relations at an early age or practicing unprotected sex, being shy to take about one's sex life, having a history of STDs or HIV, and lack of regular STD tests for those who engage in sexual relations (Ayerdi Aguirrebengoa et al., 2020). Also, misuse of drugs can lead someone to engage in improper sexual behaviors that increase the risks of having STDs.

Ayerdi Aguirrebengoa et al. (2020) assessed the risk factors associated with STDs/HIV among adolescents in Madrid. The authors found that the prevalence of STD/HIV was high among adolescents, and the leading risk factors in their study were to having sexual relations at an early age and having a history of STD. Rusley et al. (2022) assessed the trends in risk behaviors and STDs among youths who showed up in STD clinics in the U.S from 2013 to 2017. In conclusion, the high numbers of STDs among these youths were mostly associated with engaging in unprotected sex and having multiple partners.

Research intervention

Kam et al. (2019) conducted a project that aimed at increasing the knowledge of adolescents on sexual health and sexual practices through an educational intervention in Cambodia. The program effectively promoted sexual knowledge among adolescents of both sexes at risks of STDs and informed the general public in Cambodia. The education was aimed at improving the sexual behavior of adolescents and young adults, especially in areas with low literacy rates and poorly accessibility. Knowledge improvement can be effective in helping adolescents make better sexual health decisions and reduce their chances of being infected with STDs (Kam et al., 2019).

Wilkins et al. (2022) discussed the importance of a school-based program model devised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Adolescent and School Health used to inform adolescents about STDs, risk behaviors, and unwanted pregnancies. The authors established that the model is good for adolescents and adolescent health professionals working in schools. Sexual health education can be effective in creating a safe and supportive environment for children to stay healthy. The authors concluded that increasing access to education programs on adolescents can promote the sexual health and well-being of adolescents (Wilkins et al., 2022).

Proposal

An educational intervention among adolescents can help reduce the risk factors of STDs, thus reducing the unwanted effects of STDs (Rusley et al., 2022). A 2-month training program on STD is the proposed intervention for this paper. The population at risk of STDs is identified as adolescents aged 14 to 17 years. The educational program will be infused together with the school curriculum and taught life skills by healthcare professionals and the relevant teachers. At the end of the program, individuals who wish to be tested for STDs will receive free testing as part of the educational intervention. This will encourage the trainees to engage freely with their care providers on sexual matters.

The interdisciplinary team that will be included in the implementation of this intervention include physician specialists in reproductive health and sex education, advanced nurse practitioners, certified nurses (Wilkins et al., 2022), and life skill and biology teachers in the respective setting (school). Physician specialists on reproductive health and sex specialists will cover the topics of STDs broadly. Nurse practitioners and certified nurses will help answer any questions the trainees have and help do the STD testing. Teachers will oversee the activities of their students during the program and gather knowledge for the next classes they will teach on matters of reproductive and sexual health.

A nurse in an advanced role has the required knowledge to see the intervention program through successfully. Nurses are supposed to be the key educators on matters of health and health promotion (Santa Maria, 2018). In this intervention, the nurse in an advanced role is regarded as important to help the specialists provide knowledge to the students effectively. The proposed intervention will be executed in 2 months. This time is enough to engage the trainee in both theoretical and practical knowledge concerning STDs and the importance of protecting their health.

Health Belief Model (HBM)

Health belief model (HBM) as a theoretical perspective was devised to help improve public health by providing guidance through ways of promoting health and preventing diseases (Ghorbani-Dehbalaei et al., 2021). The theory is mostly used to predict and explain changes in health behaviors by individuals. It is also utilized to evaluate and understand health behaviors among populations as well as individuals (Ghorbani-Dehbalaei et al., 2021). In this project, HBM will guide the training program as an intervention to promote sexual health and prevent the spread of STDs among adolescents. Considering that HBM can enhance the implementation of the intervention by influencing the health behaviors of adolescents. Implementation of the project using HBM will result in positive impacts on healthcare systems. The adolescent population will be knowledgeable, which will decrease the disease burden in communities and improve health outcomes for individuals. Those infected with STDs will seek the appropriate care to promote their health, while those not infected will be cautious of their behaviors and create awareness (Gogineni et al., 2021). The cost of care will be reduced as individuals will implement ways of preventing STDs. Quality of life will be improved with better health outcomes as individuals will maintain healthy sexual lives and reduce STD infections among adolescents.

References

Ayerdi Aguirrebengoa, O., Vera Garcia, M., Rueda Sanchez, M., D Elia, G., Chavero Méndez, B., Alvargonzalez Arrancudiaga, M., Bello León, S., Puerta López, T., Clavo Escribano, P., Ballesteros Martín, J., Menendez Prieto, B., Fuentes, M. E., García Lotero, M., Raposo Utrilla, M., Rodríguez Martín, C., & Del Romero Guerrero, J. (2020). Risk factors associated with sexually transmitted infections and HIV among adolescents in a reference clinic in Madrid.  PloS one,  15(3), e0228998. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228998

Ghorbani-Dehbalaei, M., Loripoor, M., & Nasirzadeh, M. (2021). The role of health beliefs and health literacy in women's health promoting behaviours based on the health belief model: a descriptive study.  BMC women's health,  21(1), 421. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-021-01564-2

Gogineni, V., Waselewski, M. E., Jamison, C. D., Bell, J. A., Hadler, N., Chaudhry, K. A., Chang, T., & Mmeje, O. O. (2021). The future of STI screening and treatment for youth: a National Survey of youth perspectives and intentions.  BMC public health,  21(1), 2006. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12091-y

Kam, J., Wong, L. K., & Fu, K. (2019). Creation of sexually transmitted diseases education program for young adults in rural Cambodia.  Frontiers in public health,  7, 50. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00050

Rhodes, S. D., Daniel-Ulloa, J., Wright, S. S., Mann-Jackson, L., Johnson, D. B., Hayes, N. A., & Valentine, J. A. (2021). Critical elements of community engagement to address disparities and related social determinants of health: the centers of disease control and prevention community approaches to reducing sexually transmitted disease initiative.  Sexually transmitted diseases,  48(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001267

Rusley, J. C., Tao, J., Koinis-Mitchell, D., Rosenthal, A. E., Montgomery, M. C., Nunez, H., & Chan, P. A. (2022). Trends in risk behaviors and sexually transmitted infections among youth presenting to a sexually transmitted infection clinic in the United States, 2013–2017. International journal of STD & AIDS, 33(7), 634. https://doi.org/10.1177/09564624221077785

Santa Maria, D. (2018). Feasibility and efficacy of a student nurse-delivered, parent-based sexual health curriculum in underserved communities: A pilot randomized-controlled trial.  Pediatric Nursing,  44(1).

Shannon, C., & Klausner, J. (2018). The growing epidemic of sexually transmitted infections in adolescents: A neglected population. Current opinion in pediatrics, 30(1), 137. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOP.0000000000000578

Wilkins, N. J., Rasberry, C., Liddon, N., Szucs, L. E., Johns, M., Leonard, S., Goss, S. J., & Oglesby, H. (2022). Addressing HIV/Sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy prevention through schools: An approach for strengthening education, health services, and school environments that promote adolescent sexual health and well-being. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(4), 540-549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.05.017