Kidney Disease and Dialysis - Essay Example

Kidney Disease and Dialysis Effects of climate, such as relative humidity, wind, ionization, and barometric pressure, are more subtle and widespread than such obvious climatic hazards as frostbite or heatstroke. Changes in humidity and pressure can trigger arthritic attacks, affect the pain of corns on the feet due to increased pressure against shoes, and have effects on kidneys too. High humidity retards the loss of heat by reducing the evaporative cooling effect of sweating. High temperatures increase the need for water. Under severe conditions like California most people can tolerate a water deficit of 5% of body weight; they become very listless with a 10% deficit, and a 15% water deficit can be fatal at 30°C (86°F). Sweat losses of more than 2 liters daily may be encountered in hot climates, and the continual dermal loss of mineral ions, especially sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulfate, can be significant. The total nitrogen loss may exceed 5 grams daily, and more than 1.7 grams of amino acids may be lost in one day's perspiration. These physiologic changes bear may lead to the effects of chronic kidney disease (CKD). It has been shown that the prevalence of kidney stones in places like California with a hot climate may reach 2% of the general population. This condition may be associated with increased sweating, evaporative loss of water from the skin and lungs, and increased concentration of calcium, oxalates, and urate in the urine. Davita headquartered at 601 Hawaii Street El Sequndo, California provides dialysis services for those who are suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). One of the important factors that Davita concentrates is on customer care service. The staff is well trained and is always at its best when dealing with customers. The quality of the service is of high degree. On the marketing side the company has to speed up its operations because if it won’t meet the market demand it would loose potential ground. In the marketing sector Davita considers development and implementation of marketing plan to be very important and a thoughtful business plan cannot be overemphasized because much hinges on it: financial support, management of the available resources like operation and finances, credit from suppliers, promotion and marketing and last but not the least company’s goals and achievements. A marketing plan is considered to be a tool comprising of three basic purposes, which are communication, management and planning. A business plan serves as a communication tool that helps in attracting investment capital, attainment of loans, hiring workers and convinces them to work for the company and importantly plays a part in attracting strategic alliances and business partners. A marketing plan is said to be successful if the outcome of the business is profitable, a business plan that cannot help in attain profits is said to be an incompetent business plan. A realistic approach is required at almost every stage of business and allows an entrepreneur to workout all the potential problems and all the alternatives before launching the actual business. For Davita marketing plan helps as a management tool in tracking, monitoring and evaluating the progress of the business. It gives a realistic and hands on experience on developing management skills and gain knowledge on different aspects of management. Business plan helps in establishing timelines and milestones and compare theoretical projections to the realistic accomplishments. Davita offers many services like DaVita Dialysis, DaVita Home Dialysis, DaVita Nocturnal, Kidney Education and You, DaVita Guest Services, DaVita Acute Dialysis, DaVita SOURCE, DVA Laboratory Services, HomeChoice Partners, Lifeline Vascular Access, VillageHealth DM, Village Health, DaVita Quest and DaVita Physicians. 1b) Sometimes considered an invisible benefit is the free choice of a physician by the patient. Even though the actual selection of a doctor is always limited by the realities of geography and economics, many people resent arbitrary assignment in this regard. Both patients and physicians may be adamant about maintaining at least nominal free choice. The handling of issues such as pharmaceutical benefits varies greatly and is not always predictable. Flow of information, in both directions: to the user, education about services provided by Davita, disease prevention, nutrition, dialysis planning; from the user, hopes, fears, symptoms, observations, clues for an alert medical worker to use in planning better services. Primary prevention of disease by immunization, distribution of available medicines, and other prophylactic measures. Procedures for screening real or potential health problems, especially among weaker sections and patients critical in nature. Distribution of medicines to those desiring them. Secondary prevention by provision of medications when needed for confirmed cases of chronic disease such as CKD. This is also a means of primary prevention for contacts of patients. Diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of cases of common minor illnesses. First aid for trauma and other accidents. Arrangement for assistance with Davita Home Dialysis. Referral, when necessary with transportation provided, of complex, difficult, or emergency cases to better-trained workers at better-equipped facilities. Maintenance of records and vital statistics. The resolute implementation of broad health measures in behalf of the workers, such as a) improvement of health care services in residential areas b) establishment of communal feeding on scientific-hygienic principles; c) organization of measures to tackle in eventuality of worsening the disease d) enactment of health care legislation. The control of kidney and diabetic diseases. The providing of accessible, low cost, efficient medical and pharmaceutical services. The common practice in of issuing very small amounts of drugs, free or at minimal cost, has both good and bad features. Wastage is prevented, over dosage is minimized, and patients are discouraged from selling their drugs to others. However, repeated visits are annoying, inconvenient, expensive to the patient, and wasteful of staff time. Insufficient dosages of drugs may lead to resistance by microorganisms. Whereas many medical benefits have upper use limits, some have made special provisions for catastrophic illness. In the United States patients with chronic kidney disease, have special government funding or receive help from disease or organ-related voluntary agencies. Davita uses this scheme as an opportunity to attract customers and provide facilities as needed and impress the patients by their high degree of customer care. 2a) Some of the information gathered is accurate and some is not. Davita provides services related to dialysis and for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. How the people perceive the services of Davita is difficult to tell. The crucial and complex subject of health-related information often suffers from neglect by those whose motivation in life is healing the sick or conducting biomedical research. Even health services administrators may not consider the collection, dissemination, and utilization of such data matters of great urgency. Nonetheless, accurate information is the lifeblood of decision-making, and in the present day the demand for reliable data is greater than ever. But data costs money, and as with most other things, the higher the quality, the greater the cost. For poor people the higher the quality, the greater the cost, where the need for medical services is acute and resources are perpetually inadequate, the funds allocated for collection, transmission, and analysis of data always fall short of requirements. In general, where disease occurrence is highest the numbers are the least trustworthy. In addition to their health-related prediction and evaluation functions, other branches of government at municipal, county, provincial or state, and national levels also need statistical data about health. Legal requirements for detecting, reporting, and combating locally important diseases; laws dealing with occupational and environmental hazards, regulation of hospitals, and training and licensing of professional personnel; and many similar subjects all clearly depend on relevant data. References Davita. (2009). Kidney disease and dialysis information. Retrieved March 16, 2009 from, http://www.davita.com. Frick, K., Jensen, P.L., Quinlan, M. and Wilthagen, T. (eds). (2000). Systematic Occupational Health and Safety Management. Amsterdam: Pergamon. Hutchings, S., Hall, J. & Lovelady, B. (2003). Teamwork: a guide to successful collaboration in health and social care. Bicester: Speechmark. Shi, L. &Singh, D. (2004). Delivering health care in America: A systems approach. 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