Clinical Microsystems Presentation

It is very critical to note the level in which chronic diseases are affecting people both in developed as well as the developing nations. The rise has been observed to be on the increase with the beginning of the 21st century with many health care centers and facilities recording large numbers of people diagnosed with chronic diseases. In comparison to the infectious diseases which were thought to be more dangerous sometime back, it has been noted that in some parts of the world and especially the developed nations, chronic diseases are currently passing the infectious diseases with respect to being dangerous. On the other hand, some developing nations are also having a serious disease burden with chronic and infectious diseases competing fairly. The chronic disease chosen for this report is a cardiovascular disease which is commonly referred to as the heart disease. This condition normally comes about as a result of the blood vessels becoming narrow or getting blocked such that they cannot transport blood efficiently to the different places in the human body. This is what normally leads to the commonly known heart attack as well as stroke (Alwan, 2011). 

Frequency and age of onset

Based on frequency, it is important to note that the disease is on the rise with each year a good number of new people subjected to this condition increasing. The number has been on the increase from the fact that it has been realized that people have been engaging in poor diets for long periods of time and thus resulting in this condition. Lack of engaging in exercises is also another possible major cause that has contributed to this rising in the frequency of people with this chronic condition. With respect to age, it is important to note that cardiovascular disease affects the elderly; these are people with already advanced ages. As stated above, poor diets or simply unhealthy diets is one of the leading causes for this problem. Such diets must have been consumed for long periods of time to result in the various effects associated with heart diseases. This is the major reason therefore as to why the disease majorly affects people who have advanced ages. Another key factor to put into mind is the fact that men and women have different ages with respect to the development of this disease. While men it is averaged to be 45 years for the onset of this condition, women take ten years longer for the onset of this condition; in other words, the disease may begin affecting them probably from age 55. Averagely with respect to men and women, therefore, it has been found that cardiovascular diseases begin to show their effects at age 50 years.

Major symptoms

Just like any other disease, cardiovascular diseases are as well accompanied by a set of symptoms that can be used to predict that one is suffering from this condition. One such symptom is angina commonly known as the chest pains. This is one major symptom that is very evident in reference to people with heart problems. The fact that blood does not pass to all parts of the body means that areas of the lungs may get exhausted with the heart trying to pump blood all over the body. The second major symptom associated with this condition is shortness of breath. It is important to note that oxygen the breathable gas is normally carried by the hemoglobin in the red blood cells which are then transported by the blood to the different regions. Shortness of breath, therefore, come about with as a result of the vessels being blocked such that blood does not reach to some parts of the body. The legs and arms may as well be characterized by pain, weakness and numbness especially if the blood vessels supplying blood to these areas are blocked or narrowed. Pain in the abdomen or the back can be a symptom of this chronic condition. Lastly, pain within the neck regions, throat and the jaws are also major symptoms of this condition (Mendis & Norrving, 2011). 

Care needs

Various care needs have been designed to reduce some of the implications associated with this condition. One such care need is the requirement for a plant-based diet for the health of the heart. As stated previously, cardiovascular diseases are caused by poor and unhealthy diet. A better diet and specifically the plant-based diet acts as major care need in order to reduce and minimize the harmful effects associated with heart diseases. Psychological needs are also very important with respect to the affected persons. Being a number killer within developed nations, it is important to remember that the affected people may have negative thoughts with respect to their survival especially if the condition demands a surgery rather than other kinds of treatments. Psychological needs such as offering psychological support to the patient as well as love is key and thus forms a very important care need (Leal, 2006).

Medications also form part of the care needs to be required for this disease. Some of the medications given include ACE inhibitors, Aspirin therapy, Beta-blocker therapy, Antiplatelet drugs, Clot buster drugs, Diuretics, Nitrates and Digoxin among other types of medications. Surgeries can also be performed as part of the care needs; some of the most common surgeries performed include stents, cardioversion, ablation and heart bypass surgery among others.

Key relationships engaged in providing care for patients with cardiovascular disease

To effectively manage the patients with these conditions and also minimize the mortality rate with respect to this disease, researchers came up with a model that can be used in improving care. This has become an excellent tool for the enhancement of care both at population and individual levels. For this model to effectively work, various relationships are involved in between. The below model is a good example for care management of people with cardiovascular disease at the community level.

Community Health Systems

Resources and Policies Organization of Health Care

Self-management Delivery Decision Clinical

Support System Support Information

Design Systems

Prepared, Proactive, Practice Team

Informed, Activated Patient

The relationship is between the healthcare facility and the community which is composed of people with cardiovascular disease. Under the community section, all individuals (patients with cardiovascular disease) are required to have self-management support which is the main resource they need. The healthcare facilities, on the other hand, have to ensure they have a well-organized delivery system, decision support systems as well as clinical information systems. Once the patients and healthcare facilities have the above-stated resources, it ends up in the patients being activated while the healthcare organizations being prepared to deal with the issues of the patients. This interaction is what therefore results in improved outcomes with less negative implications to both the patient and the healthcare facility (Rydén, 2007).

References

Alwan, A. (2011). Global status report on non-communicable diseases 2010. World Health Organization.

Mendis, S. & Norrving, B. (2011). Global atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control. World Health Organization.

Rydén, L., (2007). Guidelines on diabetes, pre-diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases: executive summary. European heart journal, 28(1), 88-136.

Leal, J. & Rayner, M. (2006). Economic burden of cardiovascular diseases in the enlarged European Union. European heart journal, 27(13), 1610-1619.