Diabetes Management
Diabetes Management
Population Health Issue
Diabetes is among the most challenging health issues among African Americans. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, African Americans are up to 80% more likely to contract diabetes at some point in life. According to the DHHS, 3.7 million African Americans are currently suffering from diabetes. This is more than fourteen percent of the entire population that hails from this race (Jack, 2010). The prevalence rates of diabetes among African Americans are disproportionately higher.
This is because of risk factors such as genetics, obesity, dietary habits and standards of living. Over the years, government health agencies have been at the forefront of controlling diabetes among African Americans. Additionally, nongovernmental entities have also spearheaded numerous campaigns to fight diabetes among African Americans. Despite these initiatives, the health issue is still prevalent (Unger, 2010). This calls for an aggressive health advocacy program that will alleviate the high prevalence rates of diabetes among African Americans.
Advocacy Programs
Bray et al. (2011)
This advocacy program encompasses the application of integrated care delivery to enhance the control of diabetes among African Americans. The authors emphasize on the need to incorporate training programs in caring for diabetic African Americans. In addition to training, this program also advocates for additional funds for health care institutions to promote the quality of care among diabetic African Americans. The authors highlight that an integrated framework will be instrumental in addressing the racial disparities for diabetes in America (Bray, 2011).
Treadwell et al. (2010)
This program encompasses a health initiative for controlling diabetes among African Americans using a community-based framework. The authors emphasize that community-based initiatives would be effective in addressing the high prevalence rates of diabetes among African Americans.
This program mainly focused on Lorain County that has a high percentage of African Americans. Empowering the patients was an essential perspective of this initiative. Although the initiative only included men, there was a considerable enhancement in the quality of health among participants (Treadwell, 2010).
Attributes that Made the Programs Effective
High standards of effectiveness were evident in both programs. In the first initiative (Bray, 2011), the development of an all-inclusive policy was a critical success factor. The policy sought to empower diabetic African Americans with sufficient knowledge on how to deal with the problem. The program was also effective because it involved different stakeholders such as physicians, nursing practitioners and policymakers.
The second program was effective because it encompassed evidence-based practice. Such an approach helps in strengthening the quality of outcome in different types of health advocacy campaigns. This initiative was also effective because it focused on one gender.
Health advocacy campaign
Policy Solution
Diabetes among African Americans is the public health issue of focus in this health advocacy campaign. In this race, diabetes affects all age groups and genders. This is because of the numerous risk factors of diabetes among African Americans. This advocacy program seeks to introduce a policy that will allocate resources to public hospitals for fighting diabetes among African Americans. In 2009, the average number of diabetes-related deaths per 100,000 of African Americans was 40.4 (Jack, 2010).
Among African American men, the death rate was 45.3 while the death rate among women was 36.6. On the other hand, the average number of diabetes-related deaths per 100,000 of Non-Hispanic whites was 18.4. This shows the sharp disparity in diabetes-related deaths. During the current fiscal year, the federal government allocated $1 billion for fighting chronic diseases (Unger, 2012).
This amount is insufficient considering rising costs of treatment and health care. Such funds would thus not help in alleviating the scourge of diabetes among African Americans. This advocacy program will sensitize policymakers on the importance of additional resources for public hospitals to fight diabetes among African Americans.
Specific Objectives
The policy seeks to increase the annual budgetary allocations for fighting chronic diseases including diabetes among African Americans. The policy also seeks to enhance the involvement of public hospitals in fighting diabetes among African Americans. Another objective pertains to the enhancement of public awareness about dealing with diabetes. The policy intends to alleviate the prevalence rates of diabetes among African Americans.
Implications of the Health Advocacy Campaign
This initiative will have different types of implications upon the population and the entire health care system. Patients suffering from diabetes face numerous health risks. These risks include hypertension and other forms of circulatory infections. Addressing the problem of diabetes among African Americans will thus help in alleviating the health risks. This section seeks to elucidate the various implications of the health advocacy campaign.
a) Improving Diabetes Treatment for Elderly African Americans
The incidence of diabetes is conspicuous within the older population. This trend has been a stumbling block in the end of life treatment among elderly African Americans. This is because the medication and health care services for diabetes are quite costly. However, the health advocacy campaign will help in addressing this issue. Through the new policy, elderly diabetics will access affordable health care services. The policy also seeks to enlighten health care practitioners about the benefits of developing specialized programs for the elderly patients (Treadwell, 2010).
Through these programs, it will be possible to mitigate the risk of hypertension among the patients. The improvements in treatment will help in boosting the life expectancy among African Americans. Currently, the life expectancy of this race is well below other races. This is because of the high receptiveness to chronic diseases. Since the advocacy campaign will minimize these health risks, it will boost the levels of life expectancy.
b) Enhancing Awareness about Chronic Illnesses
This advocacy campaign is also helpful In terms of enhancing awareness about chronic illnesses in the population. This not only applies to diabetic African Americans but the entire population. The lack of awareness or information has been a critical factor contributing towards the high prevalence of diabetes in the population.
Although health agencies and the government have been keen to educate the public about chronic illnesses, the impact is minimal. This justifies the need for an aggressive campaign that informs the public about chronic illnesses. This will help in promoting healthy lifestyles within the population and better standards of health care. Information is among the best pillars of enhancing health standards in the population (Jack, 2010).
c) Promoting Nursing Research
This advocacy initiative also serves as an excellent basis of enhancing the standards of nursing research. Nursing practice should be founded on evidence-based practice. This is the best approach towards maintain the relevant standards of patient outcome. However, it is difficult to promote the evidence-based practice without having a reliable framework of research. The advocacy campaign presents an excellent platform for nursing research.
This is because reliable data will result from the program. For instance, the program will help in generating essential data pertaining to the actual number of diabetic patients without access to reliable health care services (Jansson, 2011). The program is also beneficial in terms of gathering reliable data on the resources required to deal with the problem of chronic illnesses in the population. Through nursing research, it is possible to establish the pertinent areas of improvement with regard to the enhancement of health care delivery in the country.
Communicating with Stakeholders
Several strategies will come in handy while communicating to stakeholders about the policy. The stakeholders include the DHHS, CDC, health NGOs, physicians and nursing practitioners in public hospitals. Representatives of diabetic African Americans will also form an essential part of the stakeholder analysis. Seminars will form an essential platform for addressing different stakeholders about the policy (Jansson, 2011).
The seminars will be beneficial in terms of enlightening the stakeholders about the significance and necessity of the policy change. One-on-one discussions will also be vital while communicating the policy change to stakeholders. All stakeholders will receive a copy of the policy framework. They will then offer their response of feedback after reviewing the policy. Their recommendations and input will also form an integral part of the final policy draft.
Effective communications will result into an effective process of implementation. It is necessary to ascertain that all stakeholders understand the various components of the policy framework. Interviews with health care practitioners will be essential towards indentifying the strengths and weaknesses of the advocacy campaign. Their input will be critical towards streamlining the entire health advocacy program. Apart from the interviews, the media will serve as a useful platform for communication. This mostly applies to public sensitization campaigns (Jack, 2010).
The target population will access information about the advocacy campaign through the media. Technological platforms such as emails will form the basis of obtaining feedback about the program from stakeholders. By integrating different communication tools, it will be easier to attain the various goals of the advocacy campaign. It is also vital to integrate many professionals in the policy implementation process. This will help in boosting the quality of patient outcome (Jansson, 2011).
Influencing Policymakers
Influencing policymakers is a critical aspect of securing support for the policy. In order to influence the health care practitioners, they will be enlightened on the beneficial implications of the new policy to public hospitals. For instance, the policy has the capacity to reduce the number of diabetes admissions in hospitals. The government agencies such as DHHS and CDC will be enlightened about the positive implications of the policy on population health across all states (Jansson, 2011). The policy is also an effective instrument for the federal government to save of health costs. It will also be critical to sensitize the patients about the impact of the policy upon their health. Through the policy, patients will have the ability to manage diabetes.
The current standards within the health care system in USA are less comparable to other nations in the west. For instance, the Scandinavian countries enjoy excellent health care systems that cater for the entire population. Similar standards are also evident in Germany or Japan. The United States is clearly lagging behind in terms of streamlining its health care system (Ivanov, 2008).
However, the health advocacy initiative represents a suitable stepping stone for enhancing the nation’s standards of health care. Although it mainly targets African Americans, it will be an excellent milestone in boosting the country’s health care system. This perspective will serve as an essential tool for influencing policymakers (Jack 2010).
Policymakers will be compelled to adopt the policy in order to boost the declining health standards in the population. The disparities in health care standards between African Americans and other races are evident for everyone. This aspect will also serve as a platform for persuading the policymakers to adopt the new initiative.
The Three-legged Approach
The first section of this design is the capitol. In essence, this comprises of government platforms such as congress and local authorities. Intensive lobbying will be done at the capitol level in order to streamline the effectiveness of this campaign. This is an essential aspect of obtaining support from authorities. The second component of the three-legged approach is the media. It is difficult for the campaign to be successful without having adequate support from the media. Media houses will be encouraged to air messages that show the beneficial implications of the advocacy campaign. The media will enhance communications with the target population. The third component is the community. If members of the public rally behind the initiative, it will be easier to attain the various goals.
Applying the Effective Programs
The two advocacy programs could be applied to this policy framework in different ways. From both programs, it is evident that the inclusion of stakeholders is a crucial perspective in promoting the effectiveness of policies. For this policy, the input of all stakeholders will form a crucial part of the final draft. Apart from stakeholder involvement, it is also essential to gather sufficient resources for the implementation framework (Ivanov, 2008).
Such resources will help in preventing potential breakdown of the policy at a crucial stage of implementation. The programs will also from the framework of communicating effectively with health care practitioners. The program would not be effective without integrating health care practitioners into the decision making process. From the advocacy program that involves the establishment of community-based initiatives, it is clear that constant follow up is essential. This form a critical component of consideration while implementing the new policy.
Impact of Existing Laws on Advocacy Efforts
There are various agencies that provide regulatory frameworks for policy changes. The federal, local and state regulations will have implications on this campaign. For instance, the campaign must not violate the different policy reform regulations in provided by federal authorities. The Department of Human and Health Services (HHS) is responsible for implementing most of the federal policies on health care (Jansson, 2011). Consequently, the advocacy campaign must conform to the different regulations stipulated by HHS. For instance, the advocacy campaign must have an inherent capacity to benefit the entire population. Apart from the HHS, the National Institutes for Health also presents various regulations in line with this advocacy campaign. Consequently, the campaign should demonstrate the relevant standards of evidence-based practice.
Legislative Obstacles
The first legislative obstacle for this campaign pertains to obtaining approval from Congress. Intensive lobbying will help in seeking approval from lawmakers. Federal regulations might also undermine the approval of the advocacy campaign. However, the NIH and HHS will be used as platforms for obtaining support from the government. State regulations might also affect the successful implementation of the program. This will not serve as a stumbling block after obtaining approval from Congress.
Ethical dilemmas during the advocacy campaign
There are numerous perspectives of ethical concern in health care reform. The effectiveness of the entire advocacy campaign depends on how the ethical concerns are addressed. In order to maintain the relevant standards of ethics, it is essential to ensure that the stakeholders are familiar with all ethical perspectives. For the advocacy campaign on diabetes, the first ethical issue that might arise pertains to the incentives for participation.
In order to encourage individuals to participate in the advocacy campaign, there should be one or more incentives. Such incentives include health improvement and enhancement of health care standards in the society. However, some stakeholders might perceive the advocacy campaign as having financial incentives.
Although the campaign does not involve financial incentives, it still serves as an ethical issue. Some participants might also demand financial incentives so that they can take part in the initiative. Consequently, this presents the financial framework as a sensitive issue of ethical concern during the campaign (Jack, 2010).
Another ethical issue during the advocacy campaign pertains to data. All stages of the advocacy campaign involve the collection and analysis of information from the patients. Some participants may be unwilling to provide sufficient information due to concerns about privacy. Maintaining the right standards of confidentiality is thus a sensitive issue of ethical consideration during the campaign.
Although confidentiality is an essential component of health care initiatives, some form of disclosures are critical towards attaining the goals. For instance, it is difficult to obtain financial support from authorities without providing accurate data. In such instances, it is complex to maintain the right standards of ethical balance. This advocacy mainly targets African Americans suffering from diabetes.
This approach might elicit ethical concerns with regard to racial bias. The American society comprises of numerous races in addition to African Americans. However, this advocacy campaign just focuses on African Americans. Consequently, racial bias is an issue of ethical concern during the advocacy campaign.
Resolving the Ethical Issues
Written consent will be sought before making disclosures concerning participants’ records. This will help in averting the ethical dilemma on confidentiality. This is a continuous process that will take place throughout the entire campaign. The advocacy campaign will also avoid all forms of financial incentives. None of the participants will have financial incentives for participating in the initiative.
Avoiding financial incentives will help in maintaining the right ethical standards (Unger, 2012). Other alternatives such as regular medical checkups will serve as effective incentives for the campaign. African Americans have a higher likelihood of diabetic infections than other races or ethnicities. This perspective helps in justifying program’s focus on African Americans.
Ethics Laws and Reporting Requirements
There are various stipulations from the ANA code of ethics that apply to this initiative. According to the ANA, initiatives by health care practitioners such as nurses should help in improving the wellbeing of patients. The advocacy campaign fulfills this stipulation since it focuses on the alleviation of diabetes among African Americans. The ANA code discourages the pursuit of selfish gains by health care practitioners while establishing health initiatives (Treadwell, 2010).
The advocacy campaign conforms to this provision since it benefits the community. From a different perspective, there are various reporting requirements that apply to this program. The advocacy initiative must obtain support from a credible institutional review board. This is an essential aspect of the reporting requirements. The IRB also helps in ensuring that the advocacy campaign conforms to the relevant ethical standards.
Special Ethical Challenges
The advocacy campaign mainly targets African Americans. There are various ethical challenges specific to this population. Firstly, the standards of living within this population are significantly low. This is because of lower income levels as well as other economic perspectives (Jack, 2010). There are numerous ethical challenges that arise while dealing with such a population. For instance, there might be misconceptions that the advocacy targets this population because of economic vulnerability.
This is a special ethical challenge that might undermine the effectiveness of the advocacy campaign. Members of this population are evidently temperamental compared to other races. This is a genetic issue and is notable among most African Americans. These temperaments might undermine the outcome of the health campaign since some participants might be hostile. Dealing with such an ethical challenge requires frequent educational programs. These programs will help the participants understand the implications of the advocacy campaign.
References
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