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Running Head: HEART DISEASE PLAN FOR CARE 1

Heart Disease Plan for Care

Ralph Marrero

South University

05/02/2020

Introduction

Chronic illnesses are those diseases that last for at least three months and include arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, among others. Chronic disease usually affects multiple parts of the body and only partly responds to treatment. Patients suffering from such conditions have a period where the disease temporarily goes away and then reappears (Andreadis, 2016). Chronic diseases, therefore, need well-planned care that address the patients’ needs and how they need to be addressed. The development of a treatment schedule is challenging and requires consideration of the various aspects of the disease. From healthy people, 2020 topics on chronic disease, the paper will discuss heart disease as a chronic illness and give reasons for the choice. The paper will also develop a questionnaire for patients to help prepare a plan of care and include healthy people 2020 goals for heart diseases. Nice overview!

Identification of the chronic illness listed under Health People 2020 goals.

Heart diseases refer to heart conditions that affect the flow of blood to the heart. The most common heart disease is coronary artery disease and resulted in deaths of 365,914 people in the year 2017("Heart disease and stroke | Healthy people 2020," n.d.). Plaque builds up in the blood arteries of a heart disease patient, narrowing the path of blood to the heart. In other instances, the plaque may rupture, forming a blood clot in the arteries that completely blocks the flow of blood. Insufficient flow of blood results in heart attacks and deaths that are hard to be prevented if not early predicted. The paper chooses to address this chronic illness since it is the leading cause of deaths from all ethnic groups in the United States. From statistics in the United States, in every four deaths, one results from heart disease, and approximately 647,000 Americans die from it annually("Heart disease and stroke | Healthy people 2020," n.d.). However, the cases of deaths can be managed by better treatment and preventing deterioration of heart diseases before they reach acute levels. Quality of life for patients living with these diseases can be improved by proper care if well scheduled and thereby increasing their lifespan.

Developing a questionnaire for patients

Heart diseases are determined by several medical conditions that need to be resolved. These factors that put patients under a high risk of a heart attack need to be considered in developing a plan of care. They include diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol consumption (University of Colorado Denver, n.d.).

Questionnaire related to blood pressure

1. When was the last you had your blood pressure checked

· Less than 12 months ago

· More than 12 months ago

· Never tested

2. What was the state of your blood pressure?

· Normal

· High

· Not sure

3. If high, do you currently take medicines to manage it?

· Yes

· No

4. Any healthy eating that you have adopted? Tick where appropriate

· Cutting down on salt intake to manage blood pressure ie don’t consume it anymore or reduced intake.

· Reducing alcohol consumption

· Engaging in physical activity like exercising.

· All of the above

· None of the above

Blood cholesterol management.

5. Have you ever had your blood cholesterol checked?

· Yes

· No

· Unsure

6. When was the last time you had it checked?

· More than five years ago

· More than 2 years ago

· Within the last 2 years

· Not sure

7. What was the status of you blood cholesterol level?

· Normal

· High

· Not sure

8. Have you ever consulted a health professional on why your blood cholesterol is high?

· Yes

· No

· Not sure

9. If yes, explain in a few words why the doctor said it was high

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Well done!

Engagement in physical activity

Physical activities may be considered as either light, moderate, or vigorous. Light activity includes strolling, light house chore, where an individual can do while talking or singing. Moderate exercises make your heart beat faster than normal, and someone doing it can talk but not sing. Include swimming, aerobics, fast walking, or lifting weights. The third class of physical activities involves vigorous exercises like running, basketball, jogging, or hiking steep hills.

10. How many days per week do you engage in moderate exercise for at least 40 minutes?

___________________days (enter 0 if none)

11. How many days per week do you engage in vigorous activities for at least 20 minutes?

_________________days (enter 0 if none)

12. Do you have a plan to get more physically active per week?

· Yes within the next one month

· Yes within the next six months

· No, maybe after 6 months

Symptoms of heart attack

13. Do you think the following are signs of a heart attack (you may say yes, no or not sure)

· Feeling weak, faint and lightheaded ____________

· Swelling of the legs and feet____________

· Sudden trouble in sight_______________

· Chest, jaw or neck pains and discomfort __________

· Shortness of breath ______________

Morbidity and comorbidity of the disease.

Patients suffering from heart diseases are at high risk for comorbidity. These cardiovascular diseases are interlinked and the possibility of one risks the occurrence of another. Heart failures result from three common comorbidities; obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Hypertension rarely occurs in isolation, but it is instead developed when two disorders, such as diabetes and heart diseases, share risk factors. A disorder such as obesity could likely cause diabetes and cyclic cause of heart disease (Healthy people 2020 Midcourse review, 2016).

Impact of chronic illnesses on the overall health of nation.

The United States of America has invested heavily in the management of heart disease. Every 37 seconds, one person dies from cardiovascular disease, and among ten deaths, two are from the productive age group ("Heart disease and stroke | Healthy people 2020," n.d.). This implies that the overall health of the nation does not only lose in treatment services but also its productivity. The comorbidity of the disease makes it more complicated for a health professional to monitor and manage it. As such, the government has invested in coming up with ways such as kits for self-management of the disease. More government interventions on educational material to individuals, programs of healthy eating and physical activities, and free diagnosis of related to comorbidities of the disease increase the expenditure by the government. The US is said to be spending at least $219 billion each year on heart diseases. Generally, the condition is a burden to the government, healthcare providers, and every individual.

Conclusion with the integration of Healthy People 2020 goals for heart disease.

Healthy People 2020 main goal is to improve the cardiovascular health of all individuals. To achieve this, the goal has been subdivided into specific goals, which include detection, prevention, and treatment of associated risk factors. Prevention revolves around educating people on healthy lifestyle and nutrition while detection provides early identification of heart disease occurrence. Treatment serves to improve the quality of life of heart disease patients and prolong their lives (Healthy people 2020 Midcourse review, 2016). The three specific goals, when properly implemented, will reduce the re-occurrence of cardiovascular disease and reduce the high rate of mortality.

References Start references on a new page.

Andreadis, E. A. (2016). Hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Springer.

Healthy people 2020 Midcourse review. (2016).

Heart disease and stroke | Healthy people 2020. (n.d.). Healthy People 2020 |. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/heart-disease-and-stroke

(n.d.). University of Colorado Denver | | Accredited Degrees, Research and Health Care | Denver, Colorado | University of Colorado Denver. Retrieved from https://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/PublicHealth/research/centers/CAIANH/ceed/Documents/General%20Population%20--%20Pre-Test%20--%2010-12-09Clean.pdf