ESSENTIAL

VII 1

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Frostburg State University

Tiebe Michael Green

ESSENTIAL VII 2

Health Promotion and DIsease Prevention

Essential VII discusses the need for prevention and population health in nursing. Also it

consists of health promotion and disease prevention at the individual and population level which

are necessary to improve population health as they are important in the continuation of nursing

career. Health promotion and disease prevention are what makes the health care system so great

in the United States. More people have access to the hospital or some kind of health care. The

problem comes in when there is a number of people who can not speak English therefore it is

very important to utilize qualified translators and communicate the need for health promotion

and disease prevention. Community nursing is fully engaged in preventation of diseases and

promothing healthy living.

In the community assessment project the need for prevenatative health was one of the

needs that was assessed in Prince William County. Health promotion and disease prevention go

hand in hand in the community as the county has one of the largest growing county as more

immigrants migrate in to the community. This 22 percent increase of immigrants bring in more

need for education of health promotion. There is a great need for education on street drugs and

prescription drugs. The county had 11.7 % death rate due to Opiod overdose last year, this

clearly shows that there is need for community nurses to educate the patients and family

members on sign and syptoms of addiction. There is a trend that seems to mirror the national

problem of prescription drug addiction. The community nurse and clinicians as a whole have to

be engaged with what is happening nation wide. As essential VII points out disease prevention

needs to be discussed with patients and family members so the dialogue will opoen doors for

more patients in the community to come and discuss their fears and needs in freedom without
ESSENTIAL VII 3

being judged. The staff also has to be educated in how to take care of a patient who is addicted to

opiods. The other important aspect of caring for the patient is assessing the need of the patient

and the family. Essential VII portrays the need to discuss the importance of health promotion at

the individual and population level. In order to communicate the need for health promotion the

community nurse assessed the need of the community and then break down the process in order

to reach everyone. Planning holds the key component of health promotion and disease

prevention. It is important for the nurse to understand the population that they are serving.

During the community assessment there were three idnentified problems which can

impact promotions of healthy living similar to the essential VII. The top 3 identified problems

are low socioenconomic status which is the leading cause of poverty. When there is poverty in

the community people are not going to be compliant with the health care system. The second

indentified problem was the increase number of drug users: The county lost 46 residents over

opioid overdose in 2016, As this is also a national problem this sudden increase is a burden for

the healthcare system as it impacts Ambulance services, Rehabilitation services, Hospitals and

police departments. Again on of the three identified problem is language barrier as it impacts

communication: Communication is one of the most important element of knowledge. In order to

aid with prevention of sickness and promotion of health it is important to understand the person.

Utilizing the translator phones or utilizing qualified translators will be costly over time.

In conclusion, this community assessment and essential VII have portrayed the

population that lives within the county and the challenges the county is facing due to various

reasons. According to the community assessment the county tends to face several issues due to

immigration, lack of cultural awareness, language barrier, 24% that dont graduate high school,

low socioeconomics that leads to poverty, high cost of living, over utilization of government
ESSENTIAL VII 4

funded clinics (one closed early March) and an increase in the number of people who are drug

abusers. All these identified problems can be addressed one by one in order to promote healthy

living and practice preventions of diseases.

ESSENTIAL VII 5

Reference:

Dart, R. C., Surratt, H. L., Cicero, T. J., Parrino, M. W., Severtson, S. G., Bucher-Bartelson, B.,
& Green, J. L. (2015). Trends in opioid analgesic abuse and mortality in the United States. N
Engl J Med, 2015(372), 241-248.

Ruan, X., Luo, J. J., Kaye, A. M., & Kaye, A. D. (2017). Non-medical use of prescription
opioids is associated with heroin initiation among US veterans. Addiction, 112(4), 727-728.

Waljee, J. F., Li, L., Brummett, C. M., & Englesbe, M. J. (2017). Iatrogenic Opioid Dependence
in the United States: Are Surgeons the Gate keepers? annals of surgery, 265(4), 728-730.

Holm, A. L., Gorosh, M. R., Brady, M., & White-Perkins, D. (2017). Recognizing Privilege and
Bias: An Interactive Exercise to Expand Health Care Providers Personal Awareness. Academic
Medicine, 92(3), 360-364.

http://www.behealthybehappyprincewilliam.com/index.php?module=Indicators&controller=inde
x&action=socionee

http://www.virginiapreventionworks.org/docs/prince-william-county-needs-assesment/?(2016)

https://www.pwcs.edu/