Infectious Disease: Outbreak and Control Strategies

/in /by

A disease is an abnormal illness that negatively impacts the function of living organisms. The disease is commonly taken as a medical condition and is mostly associated with particular symptoms and certain signs and differs from physical injury in nature. Infectious disease is caused by infective microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi, on the other side.  Infectious diseases can be transferred directly or indirectly from organism to organism.  by destroying cells, or releasing chemicals that can interrupt ordinary cell function called toxins, the pathogen can cause illness.

An outbreak of disease X, that has been quietly spreading in a small town in Victoria since December 2015. The disease has cholera-like symptoms and has the biology of Ebola. As an expert of disease control, I investigated the outbreak and developed a few control strategies to prevent further infections. Social, ethical and economic impacts have been taking into consideration in the information of the strategy. The main purpose of this task is to propose strategies to support the control of disease X.

Strategies:

The strategies to control the spread of disease X is:

i)                    by isolating those individuals suffering and to contain the spread of disease.

ii)                 Education of disease management.

iii)               To prevent any further cases.

iv)                Look at immunisation strategies.

Infectious disease is an illness caused by the transmission of agents called pathogens. The disease creates an organism’s malfunction that makes it unable to conduct its usual function. Certain kinds of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungal parasites are transferred from a host of sources to another host or source by a variety of ways such as air and dust, direct and indirect contact or by wild animals. Viruses are non-living microscopic pathogens, meaning that without a host cell they cannot reproduce. A virus attaches to a particular cell and injects its genetic material that causes cell to produce more viruses which will then trigger the death of the host cell. This will result in impairment of the tissue, failure of the organs and death. During their trip to Africa, a patient had a contacted disease X with wild animals and the other patients caused the virus through contact with this patient. Later, the victim developed an illness characterized by fever, black stools, and vomiting. Neighbouring towns’ people have conjointly begun to indicate similar illness signs and symptoms and patients have rapidly died. The infected rate is increasing, and therefore the mortality is high. The primary symptoms are alike cholera, a bacterial infectious disease.  However, treatments for Cholera were not overly successful as the virus’s biology is the same as Ebola, an infectious disease caused by the virus belongs to the family Filoviridae genus Ebolavirus.

The scenario of the SHE task shows that the unknown disease occurrence had matching affects as the Ebola Virus Disease family. With Ebola, people are not transmittable until they are developed symptoms. Ebola can be transmitted by contact with the blood or bodily fluids from an infected person (SA Health, 2018).

Strategies in detail to control Disease X:

Strategies thoroughly to control Disease X is to isolate those that are infected with the disease X from the community. Isolating implies finding anyone who’s exposed to a disease x. We ask the infected patient or their relatives who have been contacted since they began their symptoms. These contacts are then identified and observe for signs of disease for maximal of 21 days to visualize if they get sick. If a contact starts showing signs and symptoms of Disease X, it is screened and immediately isolated and care given instantly and the cycle starts again. The process will be repeated until there no new patient is present. Identified new infectious diseases cases quickly so they can be isolated as soon as they show symptoms, preventing spread to others. Strategy (ii) is to educate the individuals about how it’s spread and not to come in contact with infected animals. Hand hygiene is taken into account one of the most important infection control measures for reducing the spread of infection. Where appropriate, educate schools and other people incorporate the teaching of soap and hand hygiene routines into the program and daily schools’ activities and additionally give applicable personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks for staff members to use when dealing with blood or body fluids or substances. (iii) for further prevention of the cases, the best way to avoid disease X is to make sure everyone is aware and stay away from the area where the virus is common, avoid infected people particularly their bodily fluids or with wild animals since these animals spread the disease X to people. (iv) is to look at immunisation strategies. Researchers strive to understand how vaccines trigger immune response that protect against infections and develop new vaccines for disease X. Developing a vaccine that can target all the species that cause disease in humans would be ideal. Identifying the disease X species and implementing drug trials and vaccination as soon as possible. However, no vaccines are 100% effective, but the impact of the disease is less severe

SHE concepts link:

Ebola outbreak relates to social implication because it impacts the poorest part of the countries. Disease X has also impacted on the poor area near the wildlife, where the patients were in contact with a wild animal. The emotional costs to individual such as depression and anxiety and emotional disorders. The economic impacted of the disease X includes loss of gross domestic output, threat to food security, household income has fallen and the cost of explementary coast of treatment. Some patients were ethically declined to be treated and supported for the Ebola disease. However, health professionals provide a duty of care to the infected patients by taking notes of personal risks from the infections.

Overall, I noticed that the outbreak of disease X is different from Ebola Virus Disease, they considerably shared many symptoms along with similarity in biology. Ebola virus disease and Disease X are both considered to cause rapid deaths because the bacteria spread through the body increasing in many ways and causing deaths.

To Justify my findings on the strategies of the outbreak of Disease X, the process of Science as a Human endeavour has been positively addressed and linked to the Ebola Virus disease. I analyse technique from the influence SHE concepts which assist me expand broader by relating them to both disease in comparison.


Bibliography and Referencing:

The effects of music therapy in nursing homes for patients with dementia

/in /by

Therapy in nursing homes

The effects of music therapy in nursing homes for patients with dementia. Write a methods section based on an existingstudy. an existing study based on the topic given needs to be chosen and translated into a methods section of a research paper. I have already completed the literature review, I just need the methods and limitations section written. I have not yet chosen the study, I need the study chosen if possible.

Discuss particular actions, assessments, diagnostics or referrals that may be needed to ensure her safety and well-being is maintained during surgery and throughout her stay on the ward.

/in /by

Discuss particular actions, assessments, diagnostics or referrals that may be needed to ensure her safety and well-being is maintained during surgery and throughout her stay on the ward.

Surgical Nursing Care Total Knee Replacement

Order Description
Background Information
Margaret is a 56 year old lady who lives with her husband. Due to worsening osteoarthritis Margaret is waiting to undergo a right total knee replacement (TKR). When Margaret was first referred to the orthopaedic surgeon, 14 months ago she was told that due to her weight she wouldn’t be placed on the waiting list due to both the surgical risks and the expected success of the operation. At this time Margaret had a body mass index (BMI) of 40 (height 168cm, weight 113.4kg) and was told by the surgeon that she had to bring her BMI down to 35 (weight 97.5kg) before he would consider operating. Margaret has worked hard to lose the weight but is now suffering extreme pain in her right knee which is preventing her from losing any more weight as her mobility is considerably restricted. Margaret has seen the orthopaedic surgeon again following a further referral from her GP. Her BMI is currently 37 (weight 104.3kg) and he has agreed that he will operate on her.
PC: Osteoarthritis right knee, on waiting list for a right total knee replacement.

HPC: Has been suffering with osteoarthritis in the right knee since 2011, this has been getting gradually worse and Margaret is now in severe pain and has a restricted functional ability.
PMH: Morbidly obese

Hypertension
Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD) Depression
No previous surgical history

DH: Ramipril 5mg OD

Lansoprazole 15mg OD Amitriptyline 100mg nocté Glucosamine (OTC) Chondroitin (OTC)
No known drug allergies
FH: Father died following an MI aged 67years Mother has CHD, alive
Has 1 son, alive and well, lives nearby

PSH: Works from home as a book keeper
Lives with husband (Barry, 60 years) who works as a truck driver

Enjoys socialising with family and friends, although can’t go out as much now due to pain and restricted mobility.

Attends church twice a month (Anglican)

Ex-smoker, gave up 2 years ago (30 pack years) Occasional ETOH (approx. 6 units per week)
Vital Signs (on referral): Pulse: 84 bpm regular

BP: 146/90 mmHg RR: 19 bpm
SpO2: 98% on room air Temperature: 36.7DC

Part A my response

You are the RN carrying out Margaret’s pre-operative assessment prior to her surgery. Discuss your pre-operative nursing assessment of Margaret. Your response should:

D Discuss any identified risks she poses during the intraoperative and post-operative period
D Discuss particular actions, assessments, diagnostics or referrals that may be needed to ensure her safety and well-being is maintained during surgery and throughout her stay on the ward.

Your response should be evidence-based demonstrated by an engagement with the literature and any relevant guidelines.

Your response (Approx 750 words)

Part B my response

All surgical patients are at risk of developing a surgical site infection (SSI), however Margaret could be considered at a higher risk due to a number of factors; including being obese and the nature of her surgery (orthopaedic joint replacement). Using the literature critically discuss whether Margaret is indeed at a higher risk of developing a SSI and present the nursing assessments and actions to minimise this risk. Your response must be discussed in relation to Margaret’s case and it must also demonstrate a clear link to how you will take this knowledge into practice.
Your response (Approx 750 words)

Decrypt The Following Ciphertext That Is Encrypted Using RSA

/in /by

Decrypt the following ciphertext that is encrypted using RSA:

5433065902986267632605533071412313607849042001231487725752160944543337634764776942780551811154931702225666567112761402854245945771790200374756020087742730448029511549378258035341909089954945069377423917666095579241594583655805469852654975413725915810650231239021446353034249591165382217733674640

RSA public key (N, e):

N =

9443933355875323479428701223436866003317020345062337184168866482442741746051755875714077225424938697068202237079691276886895796347334130227954217861122456746475811995655599937678751969288324093545863325957721247606698180886906068377558846502707583137394885329858060292972366775543495590847656457

e = 65537

Hint.

• A modulus N of the standard RSA consists of only the two large prime p and q.

• But the modulus N in this assignment consists of many primes, which may weaken the security of RSA (so making this assignment practicable).

• Students can use the following website for integer factorization: https://www.alpertron.com.ar/ECM.HTM

• Refer to the provided example code (example.py).

Universal Healthcare: Comparison of Australia and Thailands Health Status

/in /by

Universal healthcare is a global health initiative supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2019b). This essay will discuss universal healthcare and compare the health status of Australia to that of Thailand.



Part 1: Universal Health Care and Australia’s Healthcare System

Universal healthcare is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2019a) as consumers having access to essential healthcare services without facing financial adversity.

WHO (2019a) outlines five factors that are paramount to providing effective universal health coverage; the first of these factors being a well-organised healthcare system. A well-organised healthcare system entails a system that is run effectively and efficiently, delivering care through a person-centred care approach (WHO, 2019a). This includes spreading health awareness and encouraging the public to maintain healthy lifestyles in order to prevent illness and disease; detecting any conditions in a timely manner; possessing the capability to treat disease; assisting not only with primary treatment but also rehabilitation; guaranteeing palliative care that is delivered in a sensitive manner when required (WHO, 2019a). The second factor of affordability refers to healthcare being provided through a system that does not cause financial adversity to those who require services (WHO, 2019a). Universal healthcare does not call for all services to be provided free of cost due to the reality of no country being able to provide all these services at no cost sustainably (WHO, 2019b). What it does call for is protecting the public from possible financial crisis due to paying expensive medical bills, as well as making sure that everyone receives necessary healthcare regardless of their capacity to pay (WHO, 2019a). The third factor, capability to treat disease, refers to the availability of medicine and technology (WHO, 2019a). The fourth factor of health workers refers to an adequate volume of  “well-trained, motivated health workers” being readily available to deliver person-centred healthcare to patients (WHO, 2019a). The final factor of actions to address social determinants of health refer to the measures taken to tackle issues that impair people’s health and their capacity to access health services; this includes education, income and living conditions (WHO, 2019a).

The Australian health workforce in 2017 comprised of over half a million practitioners that were registered and employed (Department of Health, 2017). This figure includes all health professionals including medical practitioners, nurses and midwives to name a few (Department of Health, 2017). Among these figures, 95,194 were medical practitioners of which 90,417 were registered clinicians (Department of Health, 2017). This puts the clinician to population ratio at approximately 1 clinician to 272 people. Amongst nurses over 267,000 were registered nurses (with around 22,000 having a dual registration with midwifery) compared to 51,000 enrolled nurses (Department of Health, 2017). This particular statistic shows there are many well-qualified nurses on staff across Australia. WHO (2019) also outlined the importance of not only well-trained staff but also “motivated” staff. According to a study by Skinner, Madison & Humphries (2012) 96% of nurses surveyed reported moderate to high satisfaction with their work and this figure was not reduced by facing moderate amounts of work-related stress. This shows that even when faced with adversity, Australian nurses still present as satisfied workers. Overall, the Australian workforce presents a large number of employees that are well-qualified and motivated to do their job to the fullest.



Part 2: Thailand’s Healthcare System

Since Thailand’s introduction of universal healthcare in 2001, the country has made tremendous steps in developing a healthcare system that by 2011 covered 98% of the population with affordable healthcare (Sen, 2015; George, 2016). Healthcare in Thailand previously only covered approximately one quarter of the population through insurance (Sen, 2015). Apart from this privileged portion of the population, the remaining citizens paid a fee out-of-pocket when visiting the hospital (George, 2016). However since the introduction of universal healthcare, the government financially subsidises the cost of employee salaries in hospitals as well as encouraging healthcare workers to work in unpopular rural regions through financial incentives (George, 2016). In Thailand, the annual cost of healthcare per person in 2011 was only $80 per individual, and this was largely funded through general income tax (George, 2016). Affordability in Thailand isn’t currently an issue but the journey to affordable universal healthcare has taken years (George, 2016). In 2001 when universal healthcare was introduced,  there was significant political pressure which made the task of implementing the new system difficult as it had to be done within a short amount of time (George, 2016). Astoundingly, by January of 2002, universal healthcare was implemented in every province of Thailand – however – this was only possible due to the foundations that had been laid in the years prior (George, 2016). These prior foundations included creating infrastructure to support the system which entailed building hospitals and clinics as well as training healthcare workers (George, 2016). Despite the challenges faced, Thailand still achieved the enormous feat of implementing universal healthcare nationally – therefore providing the people of the country with affordable healthcare.



Part 3: Australia vs Thailand Health Status

The Australian Health Performance Framework (AHPF) is defined by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2019) as a navigation tool that supports the reporting of “Australia’s health and health care performance”. Using the AHPF, we can see that the health status of a country can be measured through the four domains of deaths, health conditions, human function and wellbeing (AIHW, 2019). In Australia the five leading causes of deaths are coronary heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer disease, cerebrovascular disease, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AIHW, 2018). Similarly to Australia, the leading causes of death in Thailand were also noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), although communicable diseases such as HIV remain a problem within communities (Jongudomsuk et al., 2015). The main NCD that was the cause of death in Thailand reported in 2015 was malignant neoplasms (cancer) (Jongudomsuk et al., 2015). This was followed by accidents and poisonings (Jongudomsuk et al., 2015). Although not listed as a leading cause of death overall – again similarly to Australia – circulatory disease is also found to be one of the NCDs responsible for the most deaths in Thailand (Jongudomsuk et al., 2015). Life expectancy in Australia for males is 80.4 years and for females 84.6 years, while Thailand has statistics of 70.6 years for males and 77.4 years for females (Jongudomsuk et al., 2015).

In terms of health conditions, it is clearly seen that in both countries health conditions are quite heavily prevalent when looking at the main causes of death. In Australia on average each day there are 380 cancer diagnoses, 170 heart attacks, 100 strokes, 14 end-stage kidney disease diagnoses and 1,300 injury-induced hospital admissions (AIHW, 2018). Likewise in Thailand, there is an overall increase in the prevalence of health conditions also with conditions such as poorly-controlled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes and heart failure being the most prevalent causes for hospital admissions that were deemed preventable at a primary health are level (Jongudomsuk et al., 2015).

After comparing the statistics and information for Australia and Thailand in terms of the domains deaths and health conditions, it is clear that while although the life expectancy in Australia is longer both countries have a high prevalence of disease. The longer life expectancy in Australia could also be attributed to Australia’s more available advanced medicine and technology and also could be due to the fact that Thailand’s universal healthcare system was not implemented until 2001, while Australia’s has been in practice for much longer. Both countries demonstrate statistics that suggest that there is still room for improvement in terms of universal healthcare. This is seen through the constant new diagnoses of health conditions in Australia (many in later stage of disease) and the increasing rates of poorly controlled health conditions contributing to hospitalisations in Thailand. As stated earlier, universal healthcare not only calls for treatment but early detection and prevention measures to be taken (WHO, 2019a). It is clear that in terms of the delivery of primary health care, further improvement needs to be taken in both countries. It is also important to note that Thailand is regarded as a poor country while Australia is considered a first-world country (Sen, 2015). In this regard it is quite an amazing feat that Thailand has accomplished implementing universal healthcare and improving the health of the population – although there is still room for improvement, the improvements they have already made are enormous.



Reference List

Part I Professional Development Plan Nursing Essay

/in /by

Introduction

Nursing is a profession of caring. As a nurse respect for human dignity is one of the core values I strive to maintain throughout my career. Advocacy is the consequence of that respect and requires that as a nurse, I am accorded the ability to understand healthcare from the patient’s perspective and range of socio-cultural factors that influence their decisions. I have acquired the knowledge to assess how each individual interacts with and relate to others, families, and communities within a constantly changing society. As a nurse and agent for change, it is my responsibility to analyze how their environment can positively or negatively affect health and research means that will promote the modification of stressors and develop alternative resources that can be made available to the individual. As a nurse on the forefront of my career, I hope to continue to evolve and assist our future nurses to be adaptable to those changes.

Part 1: Personal and professional goals

My name is Melinda Kelly, and I would like to share with you information about myself and my career goals. I currently reside in El Paso, Texas which borders New Mexico and the country of Mexico. I also reside in Scotland seasonally from June through August of each year. I came to the Southwest from Natchez which is a small town in Mississippi, because the opportunities available in my chosen profession of nursing were limited. My mother who was the charge nurse at a local convalescent home gave me my first nursing opportunity in the eleventh grade when she hired me on as a Nurse’s Aide in training. My mother is my role model. Every day of her working career, she displayed love, compassion and empathy towards her patients. The nurses under her tutelage were a source of information and never made others feel as if they were an inconvenience.

My professional goal is to obtain my Doctoral degree in Health Service’s self-designed program which will allow me the opportunity to choose courses that are education based. I chose this specialization because I have a commitment to learning, both personally and professionally. I know that returning to school and pursuing my degree will open up other opportunities in a world in which knowledge and class interaction will inspire me to advance my career even further. Now as an online student at Walden’s University, I hope to develop the skills and the foundation for the facilitation of learning through research, evaluation, advisement, and mentoring (NLN, 2008).

Part II: Educational Background and Research

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2005), the shortage of faculty in schools of nursing with baccalaureate and graduate programs is a continuing and expanding problem. “The deficit of faculty has reached critical proportions as the current faculty workforce rapidly advances toward retirement and the pool of younger replacement faculty decreases.” It is because of this shortage I feel that all nurses should have the opportunity to give back to the field of nursing through education.

After I left Mississippi, I continued my career as a Nurse’s Aide and worked as one for 5 years, during which time I found a rekindling of the love I had for caring for others and decided to continue my career by enrolling in nursing school in the Bachelors of Science of Nursing (BSN) program. In 1986, I challenged the Licensed Vocational Nurses licensure while in my second year of the (BSN) program and to my surprise passed the boards. I then worked as a Licensed Vocational Nurse for 5 years in Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Geriatrics while returning to school part-time. I attempted to return to the Bachelors of Science of Nursing program full-time, but was put on a waiting list and not wanting to wait any longer, I chose to complete the Associate Degree of Nursing program at New Mexico State University in 1991.

Working as an Associate Degree Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric ICU and Newborn Nursery was fulfilling but the long hours became impossible after my divorce. I needed an occupation that would allow me the freedom of being available for my children and earn a living. I left the hospital for Home Health Nursing. In Home Health, I discovered the independence in nursing that few hospital nurses can experience without an advanced degree. But I found that I still felt inadequate when it came to discussing and applying research to the work environment and also felt limited in my conversations with other (BSN) nurses.

It was working as a school nurse and being around educators which instilled in me the desire to follow a specialization in education. I felt it was imperative that I further my education and gain the knowledge that I felt lacking for all those years. This led me to Grand Canyon University where I could attend class online and continue to work full-time and obtain my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I completed my degree August 27, 2008. While attending Grand Canyon University I completed the Capstone Project: Effects of Nursing Shortage on Patient Care. The devotion to this project and the information I obtained encouraged as well as motivated me to go all the rest of the way in my education.

Attending Walden University was the next step in my learning. I entered Walden’s Masters program in nursing education and graduated June 2011. Entering collegiate education as a faculty member, I found I would have to return to school in order to obtain my Doctoral of Philosophy (PhD) in order to advance and teach BSN students, which was my dream. I began this journey applying in the Education department, but soon found that I had nothing in common with my cohorts, and subsequently found my home in the Health Sciences department. I chose to return to healthcare because I feel I can make a greater impact on future nurses all levels of curriculum. In addition, I feel that the information and training I will acquire through my PhD program will assist me in problem solving, research and development. I will also have the opportunity to perfect the APA style of writing as well as learn more in the field of research and its various applications in nursing. I am encouraged when I read how Walden’s faculty is contributing to professional nursing journals and hope to one day to be in their league. I am also encouraged that Walden, as a reputable institution, will provide me with the knowledge and skills I will need in order to be successful in my future endeavors. I viewed other college’s information on their Doctoral courses and their descriptions that was provided and I was impressed that Walden’s University did not treat their students as a financial entity but had a vested interest in their success. I also liked that the Doctoral program provided a course that would assist the student in beginning their program of study (Foundations of Graduate Study in Health Services (HLTH – 8001 – 3).

Walden’s mission, vision statements and visions of social change states “Walden University supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society (Walden, 2008).” By contributing to the nurse educator faculty shortage, I hope to better society by assisting with educating the nurses of tomorrow.

Part III: Plan of study and program of study form

Now that I have returned to school, I am reading more research papers and reviewing the APA writing style. I plan to devote more time to reading, reviewing and applying the information I learn into my daily routine. The subsequent pages include my Program of Study Form for Health Services Degree Program plans for the Doctoral program. My completion date is targeted for March of 2014. I am dedicated to becoming a professional researcher and educator through Walden’s University.

Upon collegiate education, I found I would have to return to school for my Doctoral of Philosophy (PhD) in order to advance and teach BSN students, which was my dream. I began this journey applying in the Education department, but soon found that I had nothing in common with my cohorts, and subsequently found my home in the Health Sciences department. I chose to return to healthcare because I feel I can make a greater impact on future nurses all levels of curriculum. In addition, I feel that the information and training I will acquire through my PhD program will assist me in problem solving, research and development.

Analyze case studies by applying major theories for analysis

/in /by

Analyze case studies by applying major theories for analysis

 

This assignment focuses on vignette analysis and direct application of course concepts to the persons and situations presented in the vignette for each question. All discussions must take into account the legal and ethical considerations, as well as issues of culture and human diversity that may pertain to the situations presented below.

Please keep your responses focused on what is presented in the vignette. Do not add information but use your creativity to support what you see in the vignette as written. All assignments MUST be typed and double-spaced, in APA style and must be written at graduate level English. The content, conciseness and clarity of your answers will be considered in the evaluation of your work. The average length of this assignment is 10-12 pages total. You must integrate the material presented in the text and cite your work according to APA format. Use of the internet and the University Virtual Library is encouraged.

A team of experts from the Behavioral, Social Cognitive and Cognitive schools of personality has been asked to evaluate this case. Each team will discuss their view of this case in direct and specific context to a minimum of four (4) theoretical constructs per team. Each team will take into consideration culture and legal/ethical issues that might arise.

For this assignment you are to present this case from the viewpoint of each of the following teams of experts:

Pavlov and Skinner

Kelly, Bandura and Mischel

Ellis and Beck

Jane, a 38 year old, African American female, wants therapy but is afraid to venture outside of her home. She explains that this began shortly after her husband was killed in a car accident, in which she was a passenger. Her family is no longer willing to cater to her incessant demands, because they feel that she is using the accident as an excuse for attention. Jane tells you that she feels that she is no longer loved and just ?might as well give up?. She wants to know if you do therapy on a ?home-visit? basis.

Activity Outcomes

1. Distinguish between the major theories of psychotherapy

2. Identify the major figures that developed major theories

3. Analyze case studies by applying major theories for analysis

4. Assess interventions based on each theory

5. Examine the strengths and limitations of a major theory

6. Integrate course concepts through the use of internet resources

7. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate and incorporate emerging relevant technologies applicable to the field of psychology

8. Analyze and evaluate information critically and effectively

9. Demonstrate ethical behavior in regard to the information and information technology

List of disasters that might affect your aggregate (take into consideration the geographical location of the aggregate, past history, etc.)

/in /by

List of disasters that might affect your aggregate (take into consideration the geographical location of the aggregate, past history, etc.)

 

Complete a comprehensive care plan for the aggregate (the elderly people in Joliet IL)
The care plan should propose a nursing diagnosis for the aggregate.
Include strategies and suggest interventions that address/tackle the major health risks identified from the risk assessment (see attached).
In the care plan, include a list of disasters that may affect the aggregate and a disaster management plan.
It should include a disaster management plan with the following components: • List of disasters that might affect your aggregate (take into consideration the geographical location of the aggregate,
past history, etc.) • Strategies for handling at least two disasters from the list • Recommendation for a disaster supplies kit

An Evaluation of Collective Action- Herd Immunity & Vaccination Policy

/in /by

Collective Action Theory

Collective action theory attempts to explain the individual decisions and behavior within a group while in pursuit of the common goals of the group as a whole. In economics, it is most often discussed in relation to the provision of public goods through the collaboration between individuals, and the impact of externalities on group behavior(Olson 1977). In other words, public goods are created and, or maintained as a result of successful collective action of group of individuals in order to protect a public good. Various groups have different advantages at achieving effective collective action simply by virtue of the group’s characteristics. Groups that are smaller, more sociable and are interlinked will find it easier to overcome collective action problems than groups without those qualities. Conversely, groups that are larger, more hierarchical and heterogeneous may find it more difficult to organize and achieve common group goals. Additionally, systemic variables (e.g., social institutions, regulations) can either facilitate or impede effective collective actions depending on their reach and influence.  Understanding the behaviors of others is key to understanding collective action. One aspect that can affect “willingness to cooperate” of actors within a group is reciprocation, where most people will be willing to cooperate if the get assurance that others will cooperate as well. Another aspect is reputation, where if more individuals have a history of cooperating, the greater the chances of cooperation in the future.

A number of factors can affect the success of collective action, which include but are not limited to the number of actors, the spatial distance between actors, the temporal distance over which actions are taken, and the complexity of system in which these actions operate. The larger the number of actors in a group, the less likely there is to be a consensus on what action to take and to what extent. Additionally, the larger that group, the more effort it takes to monitor and regulate individual contribution. This leads to a higher likelihood for single actors is to “free-ride”, or not make a contribution to the common good. Similarly, the spatial distance between actors in a group, can impact the effectiveness of the collective action take as a whole, where the further apart individual actors are from each other, the more difficult it is to accurately measure and monitor each individuals action. The depending on when each individual acts, whether simultaneously or sequential, and whether the consequences of those actions manifest immediately or years after the action is taken, it can be a significant challenge in organizing and monitoring the success of collective action efforts. In large-scale systems, the “tipping point” and other nuances that result due cumulative action can be missed or hard to interpret as there may be numerous aspects within the system impacted that we can misattribute or simply do not fully understand yet.

Herd Immunity & Public Vaccination Policy

Challenges faced by public health policymakers commonly depend on getting members of the public to behave in a way that promotes the common interest despite that desired conduct may necessarily be in the self-interest of each individual. If individuals make choices that undermine a public good, communities face the dilemma of either giving up the desired public good or influencing individual decision-making that guarantees a sufficient level of cooperation. Economists sometimes characterize these challenges as collective action problems(e.g. “free-rider problem”,“prisoner’s dilemma”; Olson 1977).

Large scale collective actions problems often involve large number of anonymous actors whose cumulative individual actions have a significant direct or indirect external impact. In the case of vaccination as a public policy, if a large enough portion of a community refuse or are excused from receiving vaccines, it increases risk that those most vulnerable to the disease.

It can be said then that the success of vaccines as a public policy depends not only on the added protection that vaccines confer upon those who receive vaccination shots, but also on the decrease likelihood that anyone who will come in contact with the disease. Immunization via vaccines are key in allowing us to protect members of the community who cannot receive vaccinations, such as the elderly, infants and others who immunocompromised due to medical reasons. Although vaccines are highly effective, none can fully guarantee immunity. Thus, ‘herd immunity’ relies on a high percentage of a population to be immune to a certain disease(Oxford Vaccine Group 2016), and so lessening the likelihood for that disease to spread as well as the occurrence of an outbreak. The more contagious a disease the higher the threshold percentage required to prevent an outbreak. This is why outbreaks have occurred in the recent decade in countries with high vaccination rates, where there exist disparities in vaccination rates between communities, geographic areas and among age-groups(WHO 2019).

Throughout the last half-century, policy remedies have concentrated on the use of mandatory vaccination laws (i.e. namely school vaccination requirements), alongside legislation that provides no-fault, administrative compensation for adverse effects that have been scientifically linked to vaccines. The majority of present-day society today have no personal recollection of a child dying from measles, but a growing portion of the American public have been discussing the remote, speculated risks associated with receiving vaccines. In these cases, individuals tend to underestimate the true value of immunization and are more inclined to take a chance on being unprotected. Consequently, successful collective action can also carry the potential for self-erosion. In California, even though the stringent restrictions SB 277 eliminates a parent’s right to use personal beliefs, to exempt their children from receiving one, some or all vaccines(Karlamangla 2019), it still does not apply to home-school students, and thus leading to only minor effectiveness in improving overall vaccination rates. Ultimately, the public immunity to preventable diseases via vaccines in California and other parts of the United States will depend on the inclusiveness and strict enforcement of vaccine mandates and policy, which may come at the price of the compromised constitutional individual rights, and so are unlikely to see resolve anytime soon.


References

  • Herd Immunity: How does it work? (2016, April 26). Oxford Vaccine Group. Retrieved January 10, 2020, from https://www.ovg.ox.ac.uk/news/herd-immunity-how-does-it-work.
  • Karlamangla, S. (2019, November 4). California’s strict vaccination law will have only ‘modest’ impact, study says. Retrieved January 10, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-04/vaccine-vaccination-study-california-sb-277.
  • New measles surveillance data from WHO. (2019, August 12). World Health Organization. Retrieved January 10, 2020, from https://www.who.int/immunization/newsroom/new-measles-data-august-2019/en/.
  • Olson, M. (1977).

    The logic of collective action: public goods and the theory of groups

    . Cambridge, Angleterre: Harvard University Press.

When and How To Delegate In the Situation Highlighted ?

/in /by

 When and How To Delegate In the Situation Highlighted In the Case Study

When and How To Delegate In the Situation Highlighted In the Case Study Registered nurses have a right and responsible to delegate. As they delegate, nurses should be guided by a number of principles.

First, the nurses must assess and plan the delegation. This should be based on specific needs of patient(s) in question and available resources.

Secondly, the nurse should communicate directions to those being delegated to. Some of the issues that need to be communicated include unique patient needs and characteristics, expectations of the nurse, and all the details that need to be reported. The nurse may also take into consideration that delegation is not absolute. That being the case, the nurse should survey and supervise delegation, including review of progress reports and change in patients’ situation.

Evaluation and feedback are other factors that the nurse should consider. The nurse should consider reliability of the delegation including any need to change or alter plan of care (ANA & NCSBN, 2005).