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Health Challenges Significance
Mireya Ibanez
March 29, 2021
BME 295C
Ms. Barton
Introduction:
Health Challenges: Significance, Incidence, Symptoms or Consequences
A Traumatic Brain injury is the leading cause of disability and death amongst children and young adults. In the US it is estimated that 1.5 millions of Americans obtain a TBI each year with the number still increasing. TBI’s also contributed to the deaths of 56,8000 people including children. A Traumatic brain injury usually results from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body. Symptoms for a Traumatic brain injury are typically placed into 4 categories including, thinking/remembering, physical, emotional, and somnolence. Obtaining a TBI cause the person to potentially have physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes. People who obtain a Traumatic Brain injury tend to have effects that last several days, months, or even years and typically disrupt a person’s ability to function in their everyday lives. These effects aren’t limited to impairments related to memory, movement, thought process, sensation, hearing, emotional dysfunction. Traumatic Brain injuries are major causes to long term disability with a limit on the treatments available to people.
Current diagnosis/Treatment/Management
There are a number of tests and assessments conducted before an injury to the brain can be classified as a Traumatic Brain injury. Typically, assessment requires a neurological examination evaluate thinking, motor function sensory function, coordination and reflexes by using a CT scan and MRI. There is currently a lack of effective treatments for Traumatic Brain injuries. There are both medical and surgical interventions that can be performed to help with the management of the obtained TBI. Today there are many efforts in creating therapeutic approaches and strategies in dealing with Traumatic Brain injuries.
New biomedical engineering solution and benefits
A therapeutic approach for a Traumatic Brain Injury involves Mesenchymal stem cell therapy. Stem cell therapy, meaning using stem cells from the own individual is a believed therapy to enhance the repair of the injured brain. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy has been showing promising results in ongoing clinical studies. The clinical trials have at least entered the beginning stages (safety phases) for multiple diseases and injuries including TBI’s. Researchers have been able to get a better understanding of what occurs to the body after sustaining a TBI and how Mesenchymal stem cells repairs the brain and improves functional outcomes with rats. One specific method involves transplantation Mesenchymal stem cells which release trophic and pro-repair cytokine, specifically interleukin10. The study tests the therapeutic effects when transplanted into rats that endured a Traumatic brain injury in the frontal cortex. There were significant improvements to reduce inflammation and promote functional outcomes, although further testing and research needs to be conducted. Another study was designed to promote the behavior of the stem cells by incorporating R-GSIK in rats. There was significant recovery of motor function observed in the rats that received Mesenchymal stem cells and R-GSIK. Another study combined Mesenchymal stem cells with Sox2 to improve the recovery in rat with a TBI. 26 rats were used in a study, with 2 rats being bone marrow stem cell donors. 2 days after a Traumatic Brain injury, the rats were induced with SOX-2 and the study examined the effects of SOX-2 with the differentiation of bsMSCs. The motor function was tested using NSS. (Neurological severity score) These treatments are steps to creating effective and efficient therapy for Traumatic Brain Injuries.
An Aging Population Is the Most Serious Problem for Developed Countries
An Aging Population Is the Most Serious Problem for Developed Countries
(Author’s name)
(Institutional Affiliation)
Introduction
That the population of the world and especially the developed world is ageing is something we have heard more than once. Driven by decreasing fertility rates and a sustained increase in life expectancy, many developed countries are now bracing themselves for the idea that their fastest growing population is of individuals over 80 years. Any kind of change in the demographics brings about economic and social challenges, and most of these challenges are experienced in the health care and social services. The issue of an ageing population is usually framed depending on the pressures and demands they bring about. Many individuals have argued that policymakers have the ability to enact sensible change that will check any issue resulting from an increase in the graying population. However, despite such positive arguments, there still remains numerous challenges that many developed countries are likely to face because of increasing grey population (Lee, 2003). The question then becomes, are these policies sufficient to check the kind of issues a graying population can bring to developed nations? It is my opinion that such policies will not be able to address the increase of challenges that will result. This article, thus, will take the position that an increase in the ageing population is the most critical challenge any developing nation can ever experience.
While an increase in the ageing population is a reflection of a success story for human kind, of an advance in science, technology, and an improvement on living standards, it also poses significant challenges especially to public institutions that have to adapt to a different national age structure. One of the main challenges of an ageing population has to do with the dramatic increase in the aged and retired population as compared to the decreasing population of working demographics, which in turn leads to political and social pressures on social systems of support. In many of the developed nations, rapid increase in ageing population places a more significant pressure on social security programs. For instance, the social security system in the Unites States may face a significant crisis if no radical changes are implemented. Tax increases, cuts in benefits, massive borrowing, later retirement ages, decrease in standards of living or a combination of any of these elements are now potential painful policies that the government might find necessary to enact in order to support and sustain public retirement programs such as social security and Medicare supported by pay- as- you- go systems (Preston, Himes & Eggers, 1989).
An increasing ageing population is also a crucial challenge for the developed country’s health care systems. As a nation’s population ages, the prevalence of frailty, disability and chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular diseases and cardiovascular diseases, is expected to rise dramatically. Some experts have indicated that most developed countries might turn into substantial nursing homes (Eberstadt, 1997).
The rapidly increasing relative and absolute numbers of older individuals in developed countries indicate that more and more individuals will be entering into the stage when the risk of developing certain health problems is considerably higher. As it follows, population ageing now presents serious and new challenges for the international and national public health. It is projected that by 2020, three quarters of all deaths in developed countries will be, as a result, of ageing. The largest percentage of these deaths will result from non- communicable diseases like cancers, diabetes and circulatory system diseases. Population ageing has also been indicated to increase the magnitude of mental health challenges. This will occur because of the rising life expectancy of those individuals diagnosed with mental challenges and an ever- increasing number of individuals coming to an age where the risk of developing such disorders is prevalent. Visual loss and visual impairment also increase dramatically with an increase in age. One specific example is cataract. Cataract might have a number of causes and origins, but most of these causes are usually related to the process of ageing (Eberstadt, 1997).
Challenges resulting from an ageing population do not stop at health care and social services. Workers paying for the current retirees pay because they understand that one day they will be the ones collecting from the next generation of public servants. Population ageing leads to development of intense political pressures to change this implied contract with the government by such tactics as decreasing the size of benefits and delaying retirement age. The fear of an increasing ageing population is s strong force in politics in most developed nations, resulting to policies meant to induce individuals to increase the sizes of their families. Such policies include illegalizing contraception and abortion like in Romania, offering financial incentives and prices for births like in France, and instituting generously- well paid leaves policies for those mothers who prefer to stay home and care for their children like in Sweden. Although the increasing costs of the older populations are in a way offset by decreasing private and government costs of raising children as a ratio of young people to the working individuals population decreases, aging population raises the total deadweight loss, a loss which usually results from taxation as most of costs of raising children are private, while the costs of taking care of older people are usually footed by taxpayers (Ehrlich & Ehrlich, 1990).
Changes in sizes of generations also lead to more challenges. When a small generation pays increased taxes to sustain and support a larger retired generation, as it will soon be the case in most developed countries, most of the individuals in the smaller generation will feel unfairly burdened. Changes in the size of a generation also influence labor markets. When a small generation from the US born in the 1930s reached the labor markets in the 1950s, the generation’s small size as compared to the demand for new employees and workers brought about easy employment, rapid advancement and high wages. However, when the baby- boom, generation reached the labor markets in the mid 1970s, it experienced a significantly low employment, slow promotion and low wages. This picture is made worse by immigration, in addition to, changing patterns of education and international trade (Lee, 2003).
Recently, the world’s richest man expressed concerns that developed countries are facing a chronic challenge from an increase in the ageing population and increasing welfare costs. Carlos Slim argued that developed countries have not recognized the problem and, as a result, have not come up with a solution. He questioned whether nations like France, UK, USA and Germany had the political ability to make the required changes to deal with the prominent challenge. His opinion was that the ageing population is a chronic challenge for the developed challenge. He pointed out that the retirement ages in most developed nations were extremely low as advancing technology moved the labor force from manufacturing industries to the service industry, and that governments have to come up with more approaches to decrease costs incurred in healthcare. Most developed countries base their age of retirement on life expectancy fifty years ago. As a result, individuals are retiring while they are still useful in the workforce. The tycoon argued that the government need to come up with more structural solutions to solve the challenge of increasing healthcare costs incurred, as a result, of increasing ageing population (Alexander, 2012).
Conclusion
The argument of this paper was that an increase in the ageing population is the most critical challenge many developed countries are facing today. The paper highlighted some of the arguments that some individuals have been pointing out that these governments are capable of coming up with new policies to address new challenges brought about by changing demographics. However, the evidence presented in the preceding paragraphs has shown that though these governments have the capacity to develop policies to counter these challenges, there also is a possibility for governments to be overwhelmed by the challenges related to an ageing population. What was realized is that the developed nations are confronted with several issues when it comes to the ageing population that has to be addressed properly.
References
Alexander, H. (2012). Carlos Slim: Developed nations face ‘chronic problem’ from an ageing population. The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/globalbusiness/8335710/Carlos-Slim-Developed-nations-face-chronic-problem-from-ageing-population.html
Ehrlich, P. & Ehrlich, A. (1990). The Population Explosion. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Eberstadt, N. (1997). World population implosion? Public Interest, 129: 3-22.
Lee, R. (2003). The Demographic Transition: Three Centuries of Fundamental Change. Journal of Economic Perspectives 17(4), 167–190.
Preston, S. H., Himes, C. & Eggers, M. (1989). Demographic conditions responsible for population aging. Demography 26: 691-704.
Health care workforce and financing
Health care workforce and financing
Name
Institution:
Date:
Health care workforce
Do health care providers who reap the benefits of high compensation and social position have an ethical responsibility to repay taxpayers by meeting the needs of the medically underserved?
Yes, health care providers who reap the benefits of high compensation and social position have such a strong ethical responsibility to repay taxpayers by meeting the needs of the medically underserved. Factually, the federal and state government spend millions of US dollars in subsidizing medicine training in universities and colleges across the country. After the establishment of Medicare in 1965, payments to subsidize the residences were created, which means that those training in different medical fields get to pay less (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015). The subsidy comes in form of taxes from the people, even for the medically underserved.
Practically, these practitioners cannot repay taxpayers in form of money, and that is why their service and position in the society should come in handy in helping such groups of people. According to universal ethical standards for medical practitioners, the physicians have a duty to safeguard the health of their patients, and reduce the ravages of disease. This establishment is universally accepted, and hence it applies across the board. As established in the ethical regulations of the American Medical Association, doctors and other related practitioners in the medical field are mandated with ensuring the safety of the patients, even for the undeserved (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015).
Implications of cross training in terms of quality of care, costs and efficiency
Cross-training techniques and activities enable health care practitioners develop knowledge and skills throughout their careers, and organizations they serve. Cross-training events will enable the ability of the employee to function effectively in a collaborative environment, and hence efficiency and effectiveness is improved when handling patients (Nowrouzi, Lightfoot, Carter, Lariviere, Rukholm, Schinke, & Belanger-Gardner, 2015). The second implication of cross-training is reduced costs. Adopting cross-training strategies in an organization allows them to maximize their current staff without having to recruit additional workforce (Nowrouzi, Lightfoot, Carter, Lariviere, Rukholm, Schinke, & Belanger-Gardner, 2015). When a practitioner’s skill set is broadened, they can shift duties and responsibilities when work flows and change from one procedure to the next. This way, costs of hiring new staff, or training new members to handle the work flows is eliminated. Cross training improves quality of care. Cross training allows the organization to accommodate absences, sick-time and vacations without impacting the delivery of care.
Why nursing does not attract more males
Even in the modern times of gender equality, the nursing profession is still dominantly occupied by the females, less men are joining the profession. NMC surveys indicate that only one in ten nurses is registered as a male (Rajacich, Kane, Williston, & Cameron, January). In my opinion, the nursing profession does not attract more men because of the feminism and feminine perception about it. The public generally think that nursing is a female profession and therefore men are skeptical about becoming a part of it. Even for those who join, they suffer a stigma related to the fact that the profession is predominantly for females.
Health care financing
One way in which the following has affected the costs of health care in the United States:
Health insurance industry: Health care in the United States is extremely expensive because of the health insurance industry. In private health insurance industry, consolidation contributes to increases in premiums, which is passed onto the public (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015). Competition for customers amongst the industry players also make the cost of health care very high.
Advances in medical care technology: Through advanced technology in health care, costs of medical equipment have gone up, and the physicians are also trained on how to use these technology (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015). The costs are passed to the consumers, which makes healthcare costly to the Americans.
Changes in U.S demographics: When the population of the United States increases, the demand for healthcare is increased, and since the supply remains the same, health care providers are forced to charge high so that they can match the competition (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015).
Government support for healthcare: Introduction of government sponsored health care programs such as Obamacare reduces the burden of extra costs charged by private insurance companies, which means the costs are considerably reduced for the people (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015).
Consumer expectations: Consumer expectations increase the costs of health care. When patients demand better, and improved quality care for instance, they are forced to dig deeper into their pockets since excellent services come at extra costs (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015).
National policy on health care financing
As a national policy we should allocate a set level of resources and apply these resources in achieving the greatest good for the greatest number, and not the individualist approach. When resources are allocated to help the greatest number, many people are included and therefore a larger group is helped. Since resources are ever scarce, not everyone can be catered for and that is why some people may be left out (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015). However, implementing the individualistic approach is particularly dangerous to the poor. The rich can afford, but the poor cannot afford, and this is why the individualistic approach should not be implemented as a national policy. In addition, it is likely to create a ridge between the poor and the rich.
Positive and negative aspects of disease management programs
Disease management programs are established to ensure patients get better care at reduced costs especially for the chronically ill (Nowrouzi, Lightfoot, Carter, Lariviere, Rukholm, Schinke, & Belanger-Gardner, 2015). These programs also improve the health of people with particular chronic diseases, and reduces the health care costs associated with such conditions. Further, these programs improve self-care practices and reduces the use of common health care services such as emergency rooms and hospital admissions (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015).
As much as these programs are becoming popular in the health care sector, there are some negatives associated with them (Byrd, & Clayton, 2015). The programs are established in such a way that individuals commit a lot of effort and time to improve their health care behaviors and practices. Secondly, low patient compliance is another challenge for disease management programs (Nowrouzi, Lightfoot, Carter, Lariviere, Rukholm, Schinke, & Belanger-Gardner, 2015). Thirdly, communication barriers between providers and patients can be a hindrance to quality care.
References
Byrd, W. M., & Clayton, L. A. (2015). An American health dilemma: Race, medicine, and health care in the United States 1900-2000 (Vol. 2). Routledge.
Nowrouzi, B., Lightfoot, N., Carter, L., Lariviere, M., Rukholm, E., Schinke, R., & Belanger-Gardner, D. (2015). The relationship between quality of work life and location of cross-training among obstetric nurses in urban northeastern Ontario, Canada: a population-based cross sectional study. International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health, 28(3), 571-586.
Rajacich, D., Kane, D., Williston, C., & Cameron, S. (2013, January). If they do call you a nurse, it is always a “male nurse”: Experiences of men in the nursing profession. In Nursing forum (Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 71-80).