Scholar Practitioner Project Paper

Chronic and acute illness are extremely serious issues in the United States today. Although the two can go hand-and-hand, there are distinct differences between them. Chronic diseases is a leading causes of death and disability in the United States today. Conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and arthritis are known to be among the most common, costly, and preventable of all chronic health problems. Two of the chronic diseases, heart disease and cancer, together accounted for nearly 48% of all deaths (CDC, 2016).

Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors account for 50 percent of preventable death in the US. As the diversity of the US population increases, health care providers are expected to provide services that are reasonable and responsive to the unique cultural and ethnic identity, socio-economic condition, emotional and spiritual needs, and values of patients and the population. In this class, I have learned various diseases and conditions of all ages and ethnicities (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2017). Through case studies, I was able to apply broad, organizational, client-centered, and culturally appropriate concepts in the planning, delivery, management, and evaluation of evidence-based clinical prevention and population care and services to individuals, families, and aggregates/identified

From an economic perspective, there is an increased recognition of the benefits of society from the promotion of health and the prevention of disease, disability, and premature death. In addition, financing health care has been focused on medicine and some progress has been made towards health promotion and disease prevention; however, the progress in this direction is very slow due to social and institutional beliefs and values.

Many people throughout the United States (US) have some form of chronic disease. Chronic diseases are conditions that are not passed from person to person (noncommunicable), have a long duration, are commonly slow in progression, and generally have no cure (World Health Organization (WHO), n.d.b). Currently, chronic diseases are the leading cause of disability and death in the US and about half of all adults have at least one chronic illness (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016b). This means that nearly every person in the US will be affected by chronic conditions whether it be personally or through loved ones having these diseases. The most prevalent types of chronic

Health and human services policymakers expressed the need to move from single –disease solutions to population health interventions. The need is due to a growing public health concern- almost 1 in 3 Americans is diagnosed with multiple chronic conditions and more than 65% of health care spending is for care given to this group. (Kangovi peer research October 2017).

Heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease (CVD), is the leading cause of death in the world (World Health Organization [WHO], 2016). A depressing number of Americans are diagnosed with heart disease every year at 11.5% (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] 2016a). With 1 in every 4 deaths being from heart disease, the national age adjusted death rate of 167 and over half of the deaths are from men, we can see that heart disease is a serious problem (CDC, 2016b; CDC, 2016c). Oklahoma is no exception, with a CVD related death rate of 228.1 (CDC, 2016d). Community and individuals are dependent upon the demographics and qualities of that community to determine their health. Currently, Oklahoma faces a number of issues that affect overall health, including cardiovascular health of the entire state and the included communities. Therefore, this paper will analyze CVD statistics in Oklahoma, compare data and demographic features to Minnesota, and discuss lifestyle risks related to Healthy People 2020.

This research study analyzes the publically available data from California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2011–2012 dataset. CHIS is the largest and most comprehensive state-based health survey in the United States. It is a population-based telephone survey of California’s population. CHIS is conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (UCLA-CHPR) in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, the Department of Health Care Services, First 5 California, The California Endowment, the National Cancer Institute, and Kaiser Permanente (UCLA-CHPR, 2013). CHIS data and results are used extensively by federal and State agencies, local public health agencies and organizations, advocacy and

My Disease-Specific Program Planning Guide is titled “A Heart Disease Prevention Program Planning Guide for Older Adults.” I decided to create a guide for a professional audience to find current and evidence-based resources in order to reduce the risk of heart disease among older adults. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, more than 600,000 Americans die of heart disease each year. Older adults is a population at risk for heart disease because as people age, chronic diseases are more prevalent, and most will be affected by chronic conditions. It is estimated that at least 80% of older Americans have at least one chronic disease,

Upon the first examination of the scholar practitioner, it seems clear that this role explores real-world solutions to problems rooted in research that effectively advances the literature of the field in a timely, relevant manner (Short, 2011). But there is a natural almost co-dependent relationship to scholarship and practice that can be described as the joining of two areas that contribute equally to the improvement of the given field of study (Snow, 2015). In consideration of this symbiotic relationship between concept and practice, Nganga suggests that often that the relationship occurs organically but grows as our interests and experiences evolve (Nganga, 2011).

The second intervention is through patient education and outreach. Patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease should undergo extensive education in regards to their disease and medication. Patients should be educated on self-management strategies and how to incorporate medication into their daily lives. In addition, the families, friends and primary caregivers of patients with cardiovascular disease should be educated on the importance of adherence and side effects on non-adherence. Healthcare providers should educate the patients as well as their families by breaking down the complex medical terminology associated with the treatment and knowledge of cardiovascular disease. Finally, healthcare professionals should directly and indirectly reach out to patients with cardiovascular disease, particularly the elderly. The patients should be provided with medication as well as disease and medication education (Kolandaivelu et al, 2014).

In the United States (U.S.) 117 million adults have chronic diseases, approximately 24.3% of this population has at least one chronic disease and 26% has multiple chronic diseases (Ward, Schiller et al. 2014). Seven of the top 10 causes of deaths in the U.S. are chronic diseases (Statistics 2016). Incidence and mortality rates are different for different racial groups (CDC MMWR, 2013); African Americans (AA) particularly experience higher incidence and mortality rates for chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer and heart disease (CDC, 2013). Furthermore, African Americans in South Carolina (SC) have some of the largest health disparities in the nation (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and

The program, being a health education and promotion program with the aim of achieving at least 50% increased awareness of CHD, its risk factors, prevention and control measures, as well as a 50% reduced incident rate by December 2016 within the Los Angeles county, strategic partners will be required. Besides the program coordinator, who will be the leader of the program and the health educator who will lead the education segment of the program, other members of the coalition will be the epidemiologist, the IT specialist, the mayor, a local church (and the clergy), a local bank (as well as the manager), hospital and medical professionals (a medical doctor and a public health nurse), a dietitian, a gym and exercise instructor.

The Heart and Stroke foundation fails to acknowledge that low income and poor living conditions are major leading causes of CVD and that living a “healthy lifestyle” has very little to do with preventing heart disease. From my own personal experience, when I was in elementary school , every single year a representative from the Heart and Stroke foundation would come to my school and talk about heart disease and how to prevent it. They put major emphasis on eating healthy and engaging in regular exercise. They would hand out jumping ropes and healthy eating charts to every student. For years I was under the impression that heart disease could be prevented if I ate my fruits and veggies, exercise regularly, and didn’t smoke, it wasn’t until I read these articles how far off the Heart and Stroke foundation is regarding the leading causes of CVD. These traditional disease associations unfortunately don’t even acknowledge the effects of adverse social determinants of health, and more often than not lessen how social determinants of health even acknowledge “healthy lifestyle choices” to be formed by those who are most vulnerable to these diseases (Raphael, 2014a). The Majority of people are under the impression that if they were

It’s no surprise that Los Angeles is one of the largest populated areas in the United States, representing over 25% of California’s residents living within a 4,057 square mile radius. The healthcare systems in Los Angeles are measurements of the county’s commitment to retain only the best standards of living, through the use of patient centered networks, utilizing the top healthcare providers in medical research, health care and its community amenities.

As a family nurse practitioner I will have the opportunity to deliver care to patients throughout their lifespan. I will be able to educate patients and their families about disease prevention and health promotion. The topic I am interested in researching is cardiovascular disease prevention through health promotion. Since cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death from chronic disease worldwide it is important to educate patients as early as childhood on ways to eliminate risk factors (Ribeiro, Cotta, & Ribeiro, 2012).