NUR 701 Journal Entry 5 With Update

Siu Bong Wan

Module 5 Nur 701

Community Health Workers and Mobile Technology: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Rebecca Braun, Caricia Catalani, Julian Wimbush, Dennis Israelski

Public Health Nursing

Braun, R., Catalani, C., Wimbush, J., & Israelski, D. (2013). Community Health Workers and Mobile Technology: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Plos ONE, 8(6), 1-6. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065772

Why was this article, blog, post, or multimedia chosen?

            This article was chosen because it represented a purpose of explaining how community health workers (CHWs) affect healthcare as a whole and what their purpose is in the development of health systems in the community.  This article presents the CHWs with technology and how it is used in the community to effectively treat individuals.

What makes it interesting, appropriate, or reputable?

            The article is interesting because it reflects on the ability of technology as a health care tool to aid those in need and help healthcare workers become more accessible to their clients.  This is due to the reduced time of travel, reduced expense of travel, and providing that bridge to individuals who feel discriminated or too poor to seek healthcare.  The article is also appropriate because it explains some reasons why mobile technology is changing the healthcare landscape, which is only going to increase in the near future.

Is it an opinion? Case study? Research study? Product review?

             This is a research study of literature.  This article examines 25 different articles that reports on 28 studies.  These articles are global and expand throughout rural and urban areas.  There is a significantly broad range of health issues addressed.

What was the need, problem, issue or trend addressed in the article, blog, post, or multimedia?

             The trend being addressed is how effective can mobile technology is in the environment of community health care.  The problem is how to get access to medical care to people who are so poor or far from others that it proves nearly impossible for medical personnel to access them and medical facilities to be established.  Mobile technology is the tool communities are using to gain access to these communities and provide them with basic or advanced medical care.

What was the solution for which technology had an answer?

             The solution is to assess effectiveness, gain insight, and record program that are used in the community that the literature collected.  This is important to understand that studies are being performed everyday on how mobile technology is changing the healthcare landscape.

What implications might this have in healthcare delivery?

             Healthcare delivery will be expanded into communities in need.  This is made possible by healthcare workers that may be less trained than professional hospital staff, but have access to medical resources and personnel through mobile technology.  This is important to realize that community health care is meant to assess, treat, and record effectiveness of feasible medical care.  Surgeries, or several diagnostic imaging studies will not be available but basic human health like medications, education, and physical therapy may be available to the communities that are unable to access adequate medical care.

What did you learn from it that might have application for your practice?

             This article has enlightened me to the reasons why CHWs are so vital in the future.  This has also explained the reasoning behind why these workers are not as professionally trained and may not be paid as much to provide the care they do.  This is all designed to give communities the access they need to treat specific conditions and still have some resonance of medical care in the community.

What I Learned

             I learned that CHWs are workers that are utilized to provide care to communities that medical establishments choose not to or unable to build facilities near.  This leads me to believe that CHWs are positions that enable medical care to the citizens unable to access it.  Medical corporations have millions of dollars to open a medical facility but do not see the actual people who need it.  The need to give medical care to millions of individuals does not seem appropriate enough to establish a medical fund to build facilities.  People need eye doctors, dentists, medical doctors, and imaging studies.  CHWs will not be enough in the coming future unless strides in medical treatment are made in diagnosis, treatment, and access by even lesser expensive means.

NUR 701 WA 7 Journal Entry 4 with Update

What I Learned

      I learned that public health nursing is currently being reworked and analyzed for its greater focus in the near future.  The state of current services, interventions, outcomes, and evaluation are sub par and require improvements to be fully realized.  This is a system that must be standardized for improved patient care and documentation.  Public health nursing may take a greater stage soon and its preparedness is imperative to its success.

Siu Bong Wan

Module 4 Nur 701

A Systematic Method to Document Population-Level Nursing Interventions in an Electronic Health System

Mary Jo Baisch

Public Health Nursing

Baisch, M. (2012). A Systematic Method to Document Population-Level Nursing Interventions in an Electronic Health System. Public Health Nursing, 29(4), 352-360. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1446.2012.01008.x

Why was this article, blog, post, or multimedia chosen?

             I chose this article because its focus on examining public health nursing and how it can be improved.  The documentation currently in place for public health nuring is insufficient and requires more examination and analysis of effective interventions to truly be viable in the healthcare initiative.

What makes it interesting, appropriate, or reputable?

             This article is interesting because it examines why public health documentation is currently inadequate in its current state.  This is to be because it is relatively new to the health care field and its presence has had little research to justify the community level services that are required.  Public health nursing is growing larger and its presence will be more focused as the health care initiatives gain traction in the near future.  It is appropriate that research be started sooner than later in determining a list of interventions that could improve practice in public health nursing.

Is it an opinion? Case study? Research study? Product review?

             This is a research study is based on using the Automated Community Health Information System (ACHIS) to record community health nursing interventions.  The research study is critical in providing information about how public health nurses document interventions and how the need for electronic health systems requires significant change to be appreciated in the health arena. 

What was the need, problem, issue or trend addressed in the article, blog, post, or multimedia?

            The problem addressed is the analysis of current public health documentation systems are inadequate for the services offered today.  More research must be provided to ascertain the list of growing interventions that are required in public health nursing and make it so that a systematic method can be produced from the interventions provided.

What was the solution for which technology had an answer?

            The solution is more research of the expanding services required in public health nursing.  The technology is being implemented just as it is now in the health care facilities.  The public health nurses are being outfitted with tablets, laptops, and electronic health documentation.  The analysis of its current state suggests more interventions and outcomes can be recorded for proper processing and evaluation of community health services.

What implications might this have in health care delivery?

             The implications are very large as it is a step in the right direction.  The need for public health nursing will be a larger focus in the coming years and it needs to be ready for the public.  There are still deficits in the system with adapting to new data systems and interventions to help record outcomes for patient care.  The health care system is slowly changing and analysis of public health nursing now can help provide changes necessary for public health professionals.

What did you learn from it that might have application for your practice?

            I learned that the public health nurse has more to offer than just education.  It is about teaching a community how to live healthy.  That may require building of gardens, providing housing assistance, and community outreach.  It is taking what is known about home health and applying it to a community of individuals who vary in all their stages of health.  The research being done can help improve the data systems for new and improved public health interventions and the outcomes can be recorded to facilitate better evaluation of nursing standards and procedures.

NUR 701 WA 5 Journal Entry 3 with Update

What I Learned

I learned that PHM is in theory effective in managing costs only if an established framework is utilized.  This framework needs to reduce estimates of health care costs individuals are assigned.  The PHM theory is also difficult to manage costs initially when so many chronic conditions are apparent in today's society.  As time passes and the public is being educated and assisted in managing their conditions the costs should come down.  This is the difficulty in PMH and the public at large.

Siu Bong Wan

Module 3 Nur 701

A Method for Estimating Cost Savings for Population Health Management Programs

Shannon Murphy, John McGready, Michael Griswold, Martha Sylvia

Health Services Research April 2013, Vol. 48 Issue 2pt1, p 582-602.

Murphy, S. E., McGready, J., Griswold, M. E., & Sylvia, M. L. (2013). A Method for Estimating Cost Savings for Population Health Management Programs. Health Services Research, 48(2pt1), 582-602. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2012.01457.x

Why was this article, blog, post, or multimedia chosen?

             This article explains an experimental method that reduces the sources of loss finances in Population Health Management Programs.  As health care costs rise, corporations and employers are looking for methods to reduce health care costs for their employees.  This is especially apparent for those with chronic conditions.  There have been several studies that range from weak research to significant randomized techniques yield less than significant cost savings. 

What makes it interesting, appropriate, or reputable?

             The article is interesting because it examines what makes Population Health Management (PHM) cost effective and detects the methods of significant cost savings.  The future of health care is aimed at managing costs and mitigating overages.  The theory behind PHM is reducing costs but it has to be truly proven.  It is suggested but not always profoundly possible to experience significant

Is it an opinion? Case study? Research study? Product review?

            Research study that examines services of PHM programs in place from 2003 to 2005.  This research study calculated and compared measures that were in place for thousands of people.  This study measures the participants cost and savings and how statistically not significant programs and services differ in price.  The study examined two groups that even over time minimal reductions in costs were established. 

What was the need, problem, issue or trend addressed in the article, blog, post, or multimedia?

             The problem being addressed is establishing a framework that analyzes PHM expenditures for employers and companies.  The estimates need to be more accurate, analyzed deeper for specific processes that reduce costs.  The main culprit is ineffective measurement of estimates for health care costs, and chronic conditions not correctly managed by personnel.

What was the solution for which technology had an answer?

             The quasi-experimental experiment recommended more confident investment decisions through PHM framework.  The utilization of services geared toward chronic condition clients and effective PHM services that aim to prevent illnesses before they become chronic are especially significant.  A large problem is ineffective cost estimates for services rendered in the PHM.  These ineffective estimates prove difficult in mitigating costs because the data is skewed.

What implications might this have in health care delivery?

             This could prove significant in health care delivery by providing cost mitigating endeavors to PHM.  This is especially important in managing chronic conditions intelligently to reduce health care costs.  The cost of controlling chronic conditions helps manage one of the most expensive elements of health care.  PHM is about being preventative in the care of patients.  This is important in controlling health care costs for obesity, asthma, diabetes, chronic conditions that are easily managed and sometimes preventable but cost the health care industry millions of dollars a year.

What did you learn from it that might have application for your practice?

            PHM is an element being more closely examined to help with the future of health care.  The cost of health care is growing exponentially out of control.  In my practice, I currently see the exacerbations of chronic conditions that are poorly managed.  The patients state they are non compliant and often uneducated about the management of their chronic condition.  If I were to enter the PHM field, education and preventative measures are significantly important in mitigating costs.  I can hope to educated patients and help schedule them for follow up appointments.  This is important for patients that are more non-compliant or unmotivated to manage their care.