Assessment: Public health Promotion, Cancer Prevention, and Interprofessional care
Assessment: Public health Promotion, Cancer Prevention, and Interprofessional care
1) Assessment of chemotherapy-induced nausea
Chemotherapy, which simply refers to the used of medicine and chemicals, is one of the commonly used treatment strategies for various types of cancers. The use of chemotherapy is aimed at killing cancer cells that may have metastasized to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy is used for three primary purposes, to destroy the cancer cells, to prevent the spread of cancer cells to other body parts and to reduce the adverse effects of cancer treatment options. When a patient is subjected to chemotherapy, he/she is likely to develop serious side effects (Bourdeanu & Dee, 2013). Physicians have a role to ensure that a comprehensive assessment of the patient is carried out to ascertain the possibility of side effects following chemotherapy. Loss of hair, nausea, and vomiting are the common side effects associated with chemotherapy (Hawkins & Grunberg, 2009).
A customized approach should be used in the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. An assessment of the medications being administered to the patient should be done to determine the combination that has led to increased risk of nausea and vomiting. The following factors should be evaluated to determine the most appropriate drug combination for the patient: the stage of cancer, the age of the patient, the type of cancer, and the overall health of the patient (Hawkins & Grunberg, 2009).
The most appropriate dose for the patient should also be determined since chemotherapy medications have a narrow range of dosage safety. The medication dosage should be adjusted appropriately for younger patients are highly likely to experience chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) as compared to adults (Bourdeanu & Dee, 2013). The social history of the patient should also be analyzed in patients with a history of alcohol consumption since they are likely to suffer from CINV. Another important aspect to consider during the assessment of CINV is the weight of the patient. Also, the duration, the frequency, and the amount of vomit should be evaluated to determine the Severity of CINV for the patient. It is also important to determine the duration the patient stays before experiencing nausea following the administration of chemotherapy drugs (Rice, 2011).
One of the tools used for the assessment of CINV is the Rhodes Index for nausea, vomiting, and Retching (INVR). This tool uses the 5-point Likert scale to capture nausea, vomiting, and retching and comprises of different items including frequency, amount, severity, distress, and duration (Ahmad, et al. 2016). These components capture nausea and vomiting within a period of 12 hours. A major limitation of this tool is that it does not link the items to the time of chemotherapy administration. The other assessment tool that can be used for this patient is the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). This tool is used in the assessment of both acute and delayed nausea and vomiting (Ahmad, et al. 2016).
2) Inter-professional Care
Treatment of cancerous conditions calls for a multidisciplinary approach involving care providers from different specialties. These professionals have distinct roles to play in cancer treatment and management of the patient. Collaboration among these specialists is crucial for enhanced outcome of care. Some of the cancer-care team members include oncology nurses primary care doctors, palliative care physicians, nurse practitioner oncologists and physician assistant.
Oncology nurses
Oncology nurses are core health team members involved in the care for cancer patients. These professionals are highly trained on issues revolving around different types of cancer. The primary role of nurse oncologists is to coordinate care throughout cancer treatment. Cancer diagnosis and care comprise of multiple and complex activities some of which use high-level technology (Cancer Treatment Center Of America 2014). It is the role of the oncology nurse to ensure that all aspect of patient care including documentation of health records, symptoms management, participation in therapy, patient and family education, as well as an organization of referral are well executed. These nurses act as the first line of communication between the patient and oncologists thus allowing continuous patient communication, early detection of emergencies in addition to regular emotional support. Oncology nurses are also involved in direct patient care. It is the responsibility of these specialists to ensure that the right patient is administered with the proper dosage of chemotherapy medications (Cancer Treatment Center Of America 2014). Another crucial role of oncology nurses is symptom management. These nurses are involved in the assessment of patients to determine the risk of side effects especially among those undergoing chemotherapy. It is also the responsibility of the oncology nurses to provide patients and family members with emotional support (Cancer Treatment Center Of America 2014). These nurses spend a great deal of time with patients suffering from severe pain due to their health conditions. These nurses, therefore, have a responsibility to use appropriate pain management strategies as well as emotional support mechanisms to create a healing environment for the patients (Cancer Treatment Center Of America 2014).
Palliative care doctors
Palliative care doctors are also involved in the direct care of cancer patients. These professionals offer care and support for the patient as well as the family members. The role of these nurses, as noted by Beng (2016), does not differ from other cancer-care team members. However, contrary to primary care practitioners who provide treatment for cancer, palliative care doctors focus on prevention and alleviation of suffering in addition to improving the quality of life (Beng, 2016). These professionals collaborate with other team members to ensure seamless delivery of care to the patient. Palliative doctors hold open discussions with patients and family members to identify the needs and interests that should be satisfied for enhanced outcome of care. In practice, these professionals are guided by the perception that cancer is a serious illness that subjects both the patient and family members to extreme psychological suffering (Beng, 2016). Consequently, they concentrate on mechanisms, which can offer relief from the symptoms and stress of cancer. These doctors appreciate their role in listening to patients and aligning their treatments with what is essential besides helping families go through the complex health care system (Beng, 2016).
3) Public Health, Health Promotion, Cancer Prevention
Cancer has been recognized as an issue of public health concern. Different types of cancer have been classified as the leading causes of death globally. Consequently, health care organizations at local, national, and international levels have developed effective health promotion and cancer prevention strategies. In Australia, the government is fully committed to increasing awareness on different types of cancer as well as cancer prevention strategies to minimize the burden of this health menace. Initiatives have been developed to facilitate cancer screening among the people especially the populations at risk. Cancer screening programs including the national bowel cancer screening, breast screening Australia, and national cervical screening, have been established to offer supporting information in addition to facilitating early detection of cancer symptoms. The government aims to increase the number of those at risk of various types of cancer who undergo screening (Australian Government, 2017).
The department of health is involved in educational programs to enlighten the people on some of the ways through which they can protect themselves from cancer. The government encourages people to embrace healthier lifestyles by consuming nutritious foods and participating in regular physical activities (Australian Institute Of Health and Welfare, 2014). The government uses the mainstream media to pass information concerning cancer prevention and health promotion. The government advocates for a collaborative approach driven by care specialists, health care organization, palliative care institutions, and humanitarian organizations to ensure that the fight against cancer is not focused only on the patients presenting with symptoms, but also on the populations at risk (Australian Institute Of Health and Welfare, 2014).
The Department Of Health recognizes research on cancer as a key contributor to progress in overcoming this health issue. Through collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – Australia, the government has established a mission to ensure research on causes of human cancer is conducted in a coordinated manner (DuBois, 2006). The activities of this IARC are conducted in a strategic manner aimed at strengthening cancer prevention and health promotion in Australia. The department of health in conjunction with IARC-Australia supports the Healthy People 2020 initiatives that challenge individuals, communities, and professionals to take the necessary measures to ensure all enjoy good health.
The cancer council acknowledges the internationally recognized cancer campaigns and events including the pink ribbon breakfast during the month of October, the lung cancer awareness in November and ovarian cancer awareness in February. Extensive campaigns have also been conducted to increase the people’s awareness of some of the risk factors associated with different types of cancer. Cancer, council, for instance, has set up several skin-cancer prevention programs including ‘Slip!, Slop!, Slap. These campaigns are targeted to shifting the behaviors of the people away from activities that increase their risk of cancer. The ‘Slip!, Slop!, Slap campaign is aimed at discouraging people from tanning which enhances the risk of skin cancer.
References
Ahmad, M., et al. (2016). Tool Development to Assess Nausea and Vomiting Among Patients Receiving Chemotherapy. International Journal of Cancer Oncology, 3(1): 1- 5.
Australian Government, (2017). Campaigns & events. Retrieved from https://canceraustralia.gov.au/healthy-living/campaigns-events
Australian Institute Of Health and Welfare. (2014). Preventing and treating ill health. Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/australias-health/2014/preventing-ill-health/
Beng, T. S., (2016). The Little Handbook of Palliative Care. Partridge Singapore,
Bourdeanu, L., & Dee, V. (2013). Assessment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in women with breast cancer: a Neuman systems model framework. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 27(4):296-304.
Cancer Treatment Center Of America. (2014). The role of the oncology nurse. Retrieved from http://www.cancercenter.com/community/newsletter/article/the-role-of-the-oncology-nurse/
DuBois, R., (2006). Cancer prevention: strategy for the future. Carcinogenesis, 27(6): 1126–1127.
Hawkins, R., & Grunberg, S. (2009). Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Challenges and Opportunities for Improved Patient Outcomes. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 13(1): 54-65
Rice, M. (2011). Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting. Retrieved from https://www.oncolink.org/healthcare-professionals/o-pro-portal/articles-about-cancer-treatment-and-medications/management-of-chemotherapy-induced-nausea-and-vomiting
Our Service Charter
-
Excellent Quality / 100% Plagiarism-Free
We employ a number of measures to ensure top quality essays. The papers go through a system of quality control prior to delivery. We run plagiarism checks on each paper to ensure that they will be 100% plagiarism-free. So, only clean copies hit customers’ emails. We also never resell the papers completed by our writers. So, once it is checked using a plagiarism checker, the paper will be unique. Speaking of the academic writing standards, we will stick to the assignment brief given by the customer and assign the perfect writer. By saying “the perfect writer” we mean the one having an academic degree in the customer’s study field and positive feedback from other customers. -
Free Revisions
We keep the quality bar of all papers high. But in case you need some extra brilliance to the paper, here’s what to do. First of all, you can choose a top writer. It means that we will assign an expert with a degree in your subject. And secondly, you can rely on our editing services. Our editors will revise your papers, checking whether or not they comply with high standards of academic writing. In addition, editing entails adjusting content if it’s off the topic, adding more sources, refining the language style, and making sure the referencing style is followed. -
Confidentiality / 100% No Disclosure
We make sure that clients’ personal data remains confidential and is not exploited for any purposes beyond those related to our services. We only ask you to provide us with the information that is required to produce the paper according to your writing needs. Please note that the payment info is protected as well. Feel free to refer to the support team for more information about our payment methods. The fact that you used our service is kept secret due to the advanced security standards. So, you can be sure that no one will find out that you got a paper from our writing service. -
Money Back Guarantee
If the writer doesn’t address all the questions on your assignment brief or the delivered paper appears to be off the topic, you can ask for a refund. Or, if it is applicable, you can opt in for free revision within 14-30 days, depending on your paper’s length. The revision or refund request should be sent within 14 days after delivery. The customer gets 100% money-back in case they haven't downloaded the paper. All approved refunds will be returned to the customer’s credit card or Bonus Balance in a form of store credit. Take a note that we will send an extra compensation if the customers goes with a store credit. -
24/7 Customer Support
We have a support team working 24/7 ready to give your issue concerning the order their immediate attention. If you have any questions about the ordering process, communication with the writer, payment options, feel free to join live chat. Be sure to get a fast response. They can also give you the exact price quote, taking into account the timing, desired academic level of the paper, and the number of pages.