Healthcare Program, Within Your Practice.
Question: Tell us about a healthcare program, within your practice. What are the costs and projected outcomes of this program? Who is your target population? Healthcare Program, Within Your Practice.
Response: A healthcare program being implemented in my practice is the prevention of childhood obesity through multiple intervention strategies.
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The issue of childhood obesity has gained much interest from: healthcare providers, policymakers, teachers, the federal and state governments and non-governmental organizations in the recent decades. It is undoubtedly an issue of public health significance today, affecting school-going children in the United States and across the globe. It has also been associated with increased economic costs, poor academic performance, low self-esteem and a high risk of chronic lifestyle diseases which negatively impact the quality of life in adulthood. Similarly, it has been observed to be a major issue affecting the population served within my practice. The exact costs of the program are yet to be finalized. The program’s main outcome is to prevent obesity and ensure a reduction in the current obesity rates among school-going children.
Question: What is the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of this healthcare program? Healthcare Program, Within Your Practice.
Response: Nurses will have to engage and inform with the childhood obesity prevention agenda locally, regionally and nationally as healthcare providers and as advocates for the populations they serve. They will have to develop a philosophy that promotes healthy lifestyles by identifying family, school, and community wellness programs that can be integrated into the childhood obesity prevention program. This will adequately be achieved through the generation of evidence and engaging in research. Besides, nurses will plan to undertake a mandatory training program on preventing childhood obesity to increase their knowledge and increase the chances of successful program outcomes.
Question: What is your role as an advocate for your target population for this healthcare program? Do you have input into design decisions? How else do you impact design?
Response: As an advocate for the target population of this healthcare program, my major role will be to advocate for behavior change and healthier environments in family, school and community settings through various communication channels. This includes: encouraging parenting styles that promote physical exercise and reduce sedentary lifestyles and modeling of nutritive dietary choices in school and home settings (Waters et al., 2014). Healthcare Program, Within Your Practice. I will also engage with relevant stakeholders and partners in the design and implementation of the prevention program to ensure maximum support from state and non-state actors. Guiding stakeholders through the design and implementation processes, especially in setting SMART goals and determining the most relevant and attainable health outcomes will be an additional advocacy role. Since public policy provides a good option to address the childhood obesity epidemic, my other role will be to advance childhood obesity prevention policies on the agenda of policymakers. Healthcare Program, Within Your Practice.
Question: What is the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation? How does this role vary between design and implementation of healthcare programs?
Response: Nurses will perform the following during the implementation of the program:
Performing holistic nursing assessments to determine social and environmental factors which contribute to a child’s obesity
Taking BMI measurements to identify obese children and those at risk of obesity. Children with a BMI above the 95th percentile tend to be at a higher risk of obesity and the associated comorbidities.
Recommending specific changes in diet to reduce the intake of foods rich in calories, fats, sugars, and salts
Collaborating with dieticians to discuss with families and learning institutions relevant food recommendations for lunch, breakfast, and dinner. Healthcare Program, Within Your Practice.
Encouraging parents and teachers to reward positive behavior changes to reinforce healthy dietary habits
Encouraging teachers and families to establish a regular pattern of 60 minutes of daily physical exercise to increase activity levels.
Question: Who are the members of a healthcare team that you believe are most needed to implement a program?
Response: The most suitable members of the healthcare team who will be needed during the implementation of the program are: a representative from the public health department, parents, children, a representative from the hospital’s leadership, health advocacy and fitness groups, nurses, elected government officials, family support groups and teachers from different learning institutions. Each of these stakeholders will have specific roles to play for successful program outcomes. Healthcare Program, Within Your Practice.