Disease and Illness: Impact in Public Health - Essay Example

Disease and Illness: Impact in Public Health It is important to clarify the difference between disease and illness. For Larsen and Lubkin (2009, p. 4), disease presents a status of standardized pathological process. In contrast, illness is characterized by individual symptom experiences. A specific example is the prevalence of circulatory conditions in most communities in United Kingdom (European Observatory on Health Care Systems, 1999, p. 3). At this point, processes in anatomical and functional alterations, such as enlargement of coronary parts or narrowing of vessels, comprise the disease concept. In relative text, an illness behavior is apparent in an excerpt in Figure 1 (please see Appendix A). Although health services dealing with these concepts are addressed in United Kingdom, the impact of elevated cases of debilitating diseases seems to interrupt the fight for better public health and social program implementation. Health Service Program In the sector of public health, several points are significantly addressed in the aim of providing quality health services to communities. In description, public health is viewed as “the science and art of preventing diseases, prolonging life and promoting health through organised efforts of society” (Mohamed, 2006, p. 271). Note that the primary goal is more on preventive mechanisms, performed not only by health personnel concerned, but by other associated entities in the society. One way of achieving the major objective is to determine the prevalence of diseases present in given communities. This is the investigation on the set of morbidity (disease) cases plaguing communities, may it be new cases or older ones (Anderson & McFarlene, 2010, p. 30). The drawn results can serve as the parametric basis in which management actions can be planned and implemented. Thus, the role of prevalent studies on disease is important for this paves way in which health activities can either be a success or not. In the face of public health adversity, government in UK safeguards rights to health through the establishment of National Health Service (NHS). It seeks to improve perceived weaknesses in health-service performance, as well as enhance standards on the level of care (Ham, 2007, p. 2). In current public thrust , Health Lives, Health People, the collaboration of the entire government sector (from national to local), and private and volunteering agencies are solidified in generating cost-efficient health care (Public Health Development Unit, 2010, p. 6). In illustrative portrayals, Figure 2 (please see Appendix B), more health activities and burdens are relegated to local government, as they are in direct contact with the stakeholders in care. Moreover, modification necessitates increase in professional knowledge. As exemplified by nurse specialists in Coast-to-Coast Collaborative Program, they are given more independence in the provision of care: rendering medication controls for hypertensive case, as needed in the community (Addleman, 2004, p.37). Approaches in Well-being As a long-standing condition in United Kingdom, cases of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), plague the status of public health in the country. In the latest survey, almost 200, 000 deaths are accounted to CVD, rendering UK as the top contender for CVD cases in the entire continent of Europe (Care Quality Commission, 2009, p. 8). In reflection, as these groups of diseases remain resistant to any health care approaches, the high morbidity and mortality cases it triggers could mean the domination of CVD in United Kingdom, and even in other parts of the world (Astin & Atkin, 2010, p. 1). In this country, the strategy on local-focused care renders a step towards a “selection of preventive health practices for special funding priorities in the payment for general practitioners” (Tulchinsky & Varavikova, 2009). In spite of this stratagem, there is still no guarantee that such measures can improve the chronicity of citizens’ overall health status. Unfortunately, availability of general practitioners are time-bounded, spending a few hours of consultation and treatment; in the remaining hours, clients struggle to manage with their disease conditions. In some studies, primary home care is deemed insufficient in meeting the needs of clients. Specifically, citizens with cardiovascular conditions are best supported with practitioners that are experts, especially with a complete set of medical facilities (Mavaddat & Mant, 2010). The perception is that primary care personnel lack the experience commonly observed in higher medical institutions, and more so with long-term care in chronic disease. In the case of worsening health status with little chance of recovery, care is modified from disease treatment to alleviation of diseases and illness symptoms. The basic principle in palliative care centers on “prevention and relief of suffering...(through) treatment of pain” and overall factors affecting individuals and family members (Skilbeck & Payne, 2004, p. 327). Present Lifestyle for Future Reference With the growing realization that chronic diseases can interrupt economic productivity and general health status on communities in UK, several efficient steps had been initiated to combat this situations. In a report by the World Health Organization (n.d., pp. 1-2), almost 20 billion dollars of economic loss can be accounted to death associated with chronic conditions. In counteract, national and local programs (“smoke-free policies, increased taxation...and open criticism”) work to modify these unlikely habits into positive ones, but the willingness of each individuals to change their ways also account for the success of health communities (Tulchinsky & Varavikova, 2009). The thrust towards healthier communities in United Kingdom addresses the defects eating habits, lifestyle values and tobacco smoking. However, emphasis is prioritized on individualized care in communities, foregoing the role of care providers in rendering quality care. The importance of disseminating health information is part of the functions that these practitioners need to exercise, in order to sustain the balance in knowledge and skill in the management of chronic diseases (Niar & Finucane, 2003, p. 257). Thus, it is important to include the total commitment of the involved medical practitioners in effectively modifying lifestyles in favor of healthier body and mind. All in all, the impact of diseases and illnesses in community set-ups is not as dramatic as most are led to believe. Community services are focused on preventive measures, and not on the overall treatment of disease conditions. As lifestyle habits and values contribute to the enhancement of diseases, programs created by the government in United Kingdom ensure quality care by addressing problems on individual levels; altering negativity in health to constructive ones. As the process of change is instigated, the collaborative presence of those involved in health care provisions must also be attended to, in order to enact better care management and services in holistic manner. Thereby, the impact of diseases serves as the triggering point, but the sustenance of quality health services depends on the collaborative interaction of all parties in health care--citizens, medical staff, and policy makers for health. References Addleman, M., 2004. Managing health failure effectively in the community. The British Journal of Primary Care Nursing, [Online] Available at: http://www.bjpcn-cardiovascular.com/pdf/1996/Vol1_Num1_May_2004_p35-37.pdf?sid=c1f9a8659694858c [Accessed 23 December 2010]. Anderson, J.M. & McFarlene, E.T., 2010. Community as partner: Theory and practice in Nursing. USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Astin, F. & Atkin, K., 2010. Ethnicity and coronary heart disease: Making peace of risk and improving care. Better Health Briefing, [Online] Available at: http://www.better-health.org.uk/files/health/health-brief16.pdf [Accessed 23 December 2010]. Care Quality Commission, 2009. National study: Closing the gap. [Online] Available at: http://www.cqc.org.uk/_db/_documents/Closing_the_gap.pdf [Accessed 22 December 2010]. European Observatory on Health Care Systems, 1999. Health care in transition: United Kingdom. [Online] Available at: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/96419/E68283.pdf [Accessed 21 December 2010]. Ham, C., 2007. Clinically integrated systems: The next step in English health reform. [Online] Available at: http://www.northwest.nhs.uk/document_uploads/Transforming_Community_Services/ClinicalIntergratedSystemsChrisham.pdf [Accessed 22 December 2010]. Larsen, P.D. & Lubkin, I.M., 2009. Chronic illness: Impact and intervention. 7th ed. Canada: Jones and Barlett Publishers. Mavaddat, N. & Mant, J., 2010. Primary care research and clinical practice: Cardiovascular disease. Post-Graduate Medical Journal, [Online] 86. Available at: http://pmj.bmj.com/content/86/1022/696.full [Accessed 22 December 2010]. Mohamed, H.H., 2006. What is public health? Sudanese Journal of Public Health, [Online] 1 (4). Available at: http://www.sjph.net.sd/files/vol1i4p271-276.pdf [Accessed 22 December 2010]. Niar, B.R. & Finucane, P.M., 2003. Reforming medical education to enhance the management of chronic disease. MJA, [Online] 179. Available at: http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/179_05_010903/nai10275_fm.pdf [Accessed 22 December 2010]. Public Health Development Unit, 2010. Healthy lives, healthy people: Consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health. [Online] Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_123001.pdf [Accessed 23 December 2010]. Skilbeck, J.K. & Payne, S., 2004. End of life care a Discursive analysis of specialist palliative care nursing. Issues and Innovations in Nursing Practice, [Online] Available at: http://www.brown.uk.com/palliative/skilbeck.pdf [Accessed 22 December 2010]. Tulchinsky, T.H. & Varavikova, E.A., 2009. What is “New Pulblic Health?” Public Health Reviews, [Online] Available at: http://www.publichealthreviews.eu/show/f/23 [Accessed 22 December 2010]. World Health Organization, n.d. The impact of chronic disease in the United Kingdom. [Online] Available at: http://www.who.int/chp/chronic_disease_report/media/uk.pdf [Accessed 23 December 2010]. Appendix A Figure 1. Sample Text on the Concept of Illness (Harleman 2008 cited in Larsen & Lubkin, 2009, p. 4) Appendix B Figure 2. Diagram of Involved Sectors in the Process of Program Implementation (Public Health Development Unit, 2010, p. 7) Read More