NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 5 Analyzing Healthcare Issues

NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 5 Analyzing Healthcare Issues

Analyzing Healthcare Issues

Chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease represent some of the most enduring and expensive health challenges in the United States. These disorders necessitate enduring management measures, including drug compliance, routine healthcare appointments, and substantial lifestyle modifications (Mistry et al., 2021). Regrettably, numerous people encounter difficulties in disease self-management, resulting in complications and diminished quality of life. This paper will investigate the management of chronic diseases, analyzing the problems, impacted populations, prospective solutions, and ethical issues, with the ultimate goal of improving chronic disease management and enhancing patient quality of life.

Chronic Disease Management

Managing chronic diseases is still a big problem in modern healthcare because it is so complicated and puts a lot of stress on people and healthcare systems. Numerous persons with diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease experience challenges in sustaining medication compliance, embracing better lifestyles, and obtaining regular care (Lan & Chen, 2022). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that chronic diseases constitute seven out of ten fatalities in the U.S. and are the primary drivers of healthcare expenditures (About Chronic Diseases, 2024). Liu et al. (2020) assert that insufficient health literacy, social determinants of health, and inadequate follow-up lead to adverse outcomes. Consequently, patients frequently encounter illness advancement, recurrent hospitalizations, and a reduced quality of life. These challenges underscore the necessity for evidence-based therapies and enhanced health system support.

Analysis of Chronic Disease Management

Chronic disease management predominantly occurs in outpatient settings, including primary care clinics, community health centers, and home-based care contexts. Patients frequently experience disjointed care resulting from inadequate clinician communication and coordination. The absence of integration may result in overlooked follow-ups and suboptimal long-term treatment. Patients in rural or underserved regions encounter supplementary obstacles, such as restricted access to specialists, health education, and vital medications. Despite the potential of digital tools and telemedicine in chronic care, discrepancies in access, digital literacy, and internet connectivity hinder numerous patients from entirely using these technologies (Mistry et al., 2021).

Effectively managing chronic conditions is significant to my work and personal life. As a prospective nurse, I advocate for comprehensive and preventive treatment that enables patients to manage their ailments and avert severe complications. Chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension markedly diminish quality of life and escalate healthcare expenses when inadequately controlled (Liu et al., 2020). I have observed close family members contend with these conditions due to insufficient support, limited access to resources, and a deficiency in integrated care. Their experiences ignited my fervor for enhancing chronic disease outcomes by patient education, regular follow-up, and accessible, community-oriented therapies.

Chronic disease mismanagement disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations, including older persons, racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals with low income. These populations frequently encounter structural obstacles such as restricted access to primary healthcare, inadequate insurance coverage, and food instability, which impede effective illness management (Timm et al., 2022). They are also more prone to comorbidities, medication noncompliance, and elevated hospitalization rates. Healthcare providers are affected by this issue, as they handle increasingly intricate caseloads and experience fatigue from navigating disjointed care systems. Enhancing chronic illness care is essential for diminishing inequities, alleviating provider strain, and improving patient outcomes across diverse groups.

Compare and Contrast Potential Solutions

Numerous evidence-based methods have evolved to enhance chronic disease management. Adopting community-based health coaching programs entails trained nurses or community health professionals delivering continuous education, behavioral support, and personalized goal-setting strategies for individual patients (Mistry et al., 2021). An alternative is using telehealth technologies, enabling remote monitoring of disease indicators, virtual consultations, and prompt drug modifications. Furthermore, incorporating interdisciplinary care teams—nutritionists, pharmacists, and behavioral health specialists—can offer a more comprehensive and coordinated strategy. Each strategy aims to enhance adherence, empower patients, and decrease hospitalizations by tackling specific barriers in chronic care.

Studies support several ways to improve the outcomes of chronic diseases. Fritz et al. (2024) found that community-based health coaching helped people in low-income areas better control their blood sugar and blood pressure by providing culturally relevant instruction and motivation. On the other hand, Lan and Chen (2022) talk about how telehealth can be scaled up and improve treatment continuity, especially for people who live in rural or remote areas. Some people like telehealth because it is quick and cheap, while others like health coaching because it focuses on the individual and builds relationships. Both methods have pros and cons, but choosing the best depends on the patient’s needs, available resources, and the healthcare system.

There are many important benefits to community health coaching. These programs get patients more involved, teach them more about health, and give them personalized help that encourages long-term behavioral changes. Health coaches often build trust with their patients, which leads to better adherence and fewer hospital readmissions. There continue to be problems, however. To carry out these plans, spending money on training staff, developing programs, and keeping an eye on things is necessary. It might be hard to reach sustainability without help from the government or institutions (Mistry et al., 2021). In addition, some clinics may not have the resources to provide ongoing coaching, which limits their ability to offer these programs to more people.

Ethical Considerations and Implementation Needs

Implementing a community-based health coaching program necessitates training health coaches, establishing referral pipelines, and securing funds from local health systems or grants. Collaboration with primary care physicians and integration with electronic health records would improve communication and continuity of care. The implementation will also entail monitoring metrics such as medication adherence, blood pressure, and HbA1c levels to evaluate program efficacy (Timm et al., 2022).

Ethical values require meticulous consideration. Beneficence enhances the program by fostering patient welfare via education and empowerment. Nonmaleficence guarantees that patients are safeguarded from harm caused by unqualified coaches or erroneous information. Patient autonomy should be honored by engaging individuals in decision-making and customizing interventions to align with their preferences (Merchant et al., 2021). Justice necessitates equitable access to coaching services, particularly for marginalized people. Mitigating bias is imperative—coaches must be educated to identify cultural and socioeconomic influences that impact patient involvement and treatment choices.

Impact on Spheres of Care

The proposed solution directly tackles issues in chronic disease management by offering ongoing, individualized support. Health coaching improves chronic disease management by providing continuous, individualized support that assists patients in understanding their diagnosis and adhering to treatment regimens. Coaches facilitate the establishment of attainable health objectives, enhance drug compliance, and reinforce clinician recommendations. These interactions facilitate lifestyle modifications, diminish problems, and decrease hospital admission rates (Mistry et al., 2021). Regular communication improves accountability and strengthens the relationship between the patient and provider, an important part of chronic care. Health coaching helps healthcare teams work together to ensure that therapies are consistent and effective. Coaching improves patient outcomes and the overall quality of care by helping people deal with the daily problems of a chronic illness.

In addition to addressing illnesses, health coaching fosters well-being and disease prevention. Coaches assist patients in adopting good behaviors such as balanced nutrition, physical exercise, and smoking cessation, diminishing the likelihood of future health difficulties (Merchant et al., 2021). They assist in recognizing early warning indicators and promote routine testing for ailments such as diabetes and hypertension. This proactive strategy facilitates early intervention and diminishes healthcare expenditures in the long term. Preventive education enables individuals to manage their health and avert the onset of comorbidities. Consequently, patients attain enhanced well-being, increased self-assurance in health management, and diminished long-term healthcare obligations.

Conclusion

Managing chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease entails persistent hurdles due to the necessity for continuous lifestyle modifications, drug compliance, and integrated care. This report examined the issue, its root causes, impacted demographics, and possible solutions. Setting up a health coaching program focusing on the community is a good way to help people with chronic illnesses and improve their health. By following ethical guidelines and areas of care, these interventions can improve patient outcomes and lessen the burden of chronic illness on people and the healthcare system.

References

About chronic diseases. (2024, October 4). Chronic Disease. https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/about/index.html

Fritz, M., Grimm, M., Hanh, H. T. M., Koot, J. A. R., Nguyen, G. H., Nguyen, T., Probandari, A., Widyaningsih, V., & Lensink, R. (2024). Effectiveness of community-based diabetes and hypertension prevention and management programmes in Indonesia and Viet Nam: a quasi-experimental study. BMJ Global Health, 9(5), e015053. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-015053

Lan, Y. L., & Chen, H. C. (2022). Telehealth care system for chronic disease management of middle-aged and older adults in remote areas. Health Informatics Journal, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/14604582221141835

Liu, L., Qian, X., Chen, Z., & He, T. (2020). Health literacy and its effect on chronic disease prevention: evidence from China’s data. BMC Public Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08804-4

Merchant, R. A., Tsoi, C., Tan, W., Lau, W., Sandrasageran, S., & Arai, H. (2021). Community-Based Peer-Led intervention for healthy ageing and evaluation of the ‘HAPPY’ program. The Journal of Nutrition Health & Aging, 25(4), 520–527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-021-1606-6

Mistry, S.K., Harris, E., & Harris, M. (2021). Community Health Workers as Healthcare Navigators in Primary Care Chronic Disease Management: a Systematic Review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(9), 2755–2771. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-06667-y

Timm, L., Annerstedt, K. S., Ahlgren, J. Á., Absetz, P., Alvesson, H. M., Forsberg, B. C., & Daivadanam, M. (2022). Application of the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability to assess a telephone-facilitated health coaching intervention for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes. PLoS ONE, 17(10), e0275576. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275576

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Assessment 5 Instructions

Selected Topic:
Managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and
heart disease can be challenging due to the need for ongoing medical care,
lifestyle changes, and medication adherence. Poor management of chronic
diseases can lead to complications and reduced quality of life.

In your healthcare career, you will be confronted with many problems that demand a solution. By using research skills, you can learn what others are doing and saying about similar problems. Then, you can analyze the problem and the people and systems it affects. You can also examine potential solutions and their ramifications. This assessment allows you to practice this approach with the real-world problem you’ve selected.

Prepare

For this assessment, you will analyze the same current healthcare problem or issue topic area you selected for Assessments 2 and 3. To explore the chosen topic, use the first four topics of the Socratic Problem-Solving Approach for critical thinking.

1. Start by defining the healthcare problem or issue based on the selected healthcare topic.
2. Provide details about the problems or issues that are part of the chosen topic, and identify causes for the problems or issues.
3. Identify at least three scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles about the topic you are discussing by using articles you found for Assessment 2 or by searching the Capella library using the BSN Program Library Research Guide.

Write Your Paper

1. Use scholarly information to explain a healthcare problem or issue related to your selected topic.
   • Cite credible, relevant sources to validate and reinforce the information used to explain the healthcare topic.
2. Analyze the problem or issue.
   • Describe the setting or context for the problem or issue.
   • Describe the reasons that make the problem or issue important to you.
   • Identify groups of people affected by the problem or issue.
3. Compare and contrast potential solutions for the problem or issue.
   • Describe potential solutions.
   • Compare and contrast your opinion with other opinions you find in sources from the Capella library.
   • Provide the pros and cons for one of the solutions you are proposing.
4. Explain how the ethical principles (beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice) apply if your potential solution were implemented.
   • Describe what would be necessary to implement the proposed solution.
   • Explain what ethical principles need to be considered (beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice) and how they apply if your potential solution were implemented. How would bias need to be considered?
   • Provide examples from the literature to support the points you are making.
5. Explain how the solution you present will benefit or help to improve your selected topic as it relates to at least one of the Four Spheres of Care:
   1. Wellness, Disease Prevention.
   2. Chronic Disease Management.
   3. Regenerative/Restorative Care.
   4. Hospice and Palliative Care.

Organize your paper using the following structure and headings:

• Title page. (A separate page.)
• (A one-paragraph statement about the purpose of the paper.)
• Identify the elements of the problem, issue, or question.
• Analyze, define, and frame the problem, issue, or question.
• Consider solutions, responses, or answers.
• Choose a solution, response, or answer.
• Implementation of the potential solution.
• (One paragraph.)

Academic Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• Length:Include at least 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages, in addition to the title page and reference page.
• Font and font size:Use Times New Roman, 12 point.
• Writing: Produce text with minimal grammar, usage, spelling, and mechanical errors.
• Sources:Integrate into text appropriate use of scholarly sources, evidence, and citation style.
• References:Use at least three scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles and three in-text citations within the paper. Visit Evidence and APA if needed. Use scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles published during the past 3–5 years that relate to your topic. Visit BSN Program Library Research Guide for help with research.

Example assessment: You may use the Assessment 5 Example [PDF] to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like

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