The Role of Health Education in Health Promotion Sample

Health education seeks to empower communities to make conscious decisions about living healthy lives. The objective of the education is to sensitize members of the public about risky health behaviors that put them at the risk of contracting chronic diseases. Health education is important because it helps to transform individuals, society, and the healthcare systems.

The nursing process is critical in developing health education because it uses problem-solving criteria in identifying, preventing, and treating health problems. Nurses are an important part of health promotion because they educate patients and the public about disease prevention and how those afflicted can manage their medical conditions. Through health education, nurses help individuals/societies to take charge of their lives by avoiding risky health behaviors.

Obesity and overweight are one of the contemporary health issues that many families grapple with today. Facts about obesity reveal that 36.5% of adult Americans have obesity, while another 32% are overweight (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Besides, obesity is associated with over 60 chronic diseases making it one of the most serious diseases that lead to reduced quality of life and poor mental health. Concerning mortality, obesity is ranked as one of the top five leading causes of death as it kills over 2.8 million people worldwide every year.

Nurses help in the fight against obesity through health education. Nurses can educate individuals/the public about the causes of obesity so that that the public can change their health behaviors by avoiding risky health habits. For those already afflicted with obesity, nurses educate patients about the risk factors that come with the disease. The overall objective is to get the public to avoid risky health behaviors that expose them to chronic diseases and other morbidities.

Reference

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Obesity is a Common, Serious, and Costly Disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 27 April 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

Role of Patient Safety Sample 2

Patient safety in hospitals reduces risks of harm or injury. The objective of patient safety is to curb risks and harm that may happen to patients during their stay or visit to healthcare facilities. Patient safety is a critical factor in quality care while reducing errors that harm both patients and hospitals. Today, patient safety is a phenomenon that healthcare facilities cannot ignore. Facilities that do not take patient safety seriously suffer from costly lawsuits and damaged reputations (Vincent, & Coulter, 2020, p. 76). The biggest role of patient safety is to eliminate risks that may cause further harm or injury to patients while visiting or when admitted to healthcare facilities.

Patient safety boosts the reputation of healthcare facilities. Today, patient safety is one of the parameters for judging healthcare facilities. Patient safety is at the top of many hospitals because patients do not want to go to healthcare facilities that have a bad reputation concerning safety (World Health Organization, 2017). Many patients would rather pay more to get medication from hospitals with good quality patient care.

Federal initiatives used to prevent unintentional death

Several Federal agencies in America have initiated programs aimed at curbing medical errors and unintentional deaths in hospitals. The Centers for Medicaid Services initiated a private-public partnership for patients aimed at making hospitals reduce and prevent hospital-acquired diseases (Dhamanti, 2019, p. 64). Medicaid works with public and private hospitals to sensitize them about the danger of patients contracting other ailments in their facilities. Another Federal initiative to prevent unintentional death is the initiative by Healthcare Research and Quality. This agency leads research in improving patient safety. These organizations, together with the CDC are members of the Department of Health and Human Services which oversights hospitals concerning patient safety.

References

  • Dhamanti, I., Leggat, S. G., & Barraclough, S. (2019, June). The role of governments in the implementation of patient safety and patient safety incident reporting in Indonesia: a qualitative study. In healthcare (Vol. 7, No. 2, p. 64). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
  • Vincent, C. A., & Coulter, A. (2002). Patient safety: what about the patient?. BMJ Quality & Safety11(1), 76-80.
  • World Health Organization. (2017). Patient safety: making health care safer (No. WHO/HIS/SDS/2017.11). World Health Organization.