Patient Centered Medical Home, Reaction Paper Example

Introduction

Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) refers to a methodology of health care delivery which centers on the provision of vital elements of primary health care. The core components of this type of health care include the following.

This type of medical care is comprehensive. It includes prevention, treatment, and chronic or convalescent care. This is done through the use of expert medical personal, nurses, doctors, social workers, nutritionists and other care providers (Robert Graham Center, 2007).

The patient must be at the center of all policies and actions under this type of care. The patient must be appreciated holistically. Their family, cultural practice, religious beliefs, is highly valued and particular preferences of the patient are given precedence (Robert Graham Center, 2007).

The PCMH Model

The PCMH also adheres to the principle of coordinated care. This principle seeks to provide for care at all levels, at the community, family and hospital level. It is meant to cover persons who are discharged from hospitals in a state of convalescence and transition between different centers of care (Showstack, Rotham, & Hassmiller, 2004).

Accessibility is another pillar of primary care. This single area provides that medical personnel should be available and easily accessible by the patients at short notice. This includes but is not limited to their physical availability and electronic availability such as through email and phone calls (Showstack, Rotham, & Hassmiller, 2004).

A final pillar of primary health care is the continuous improvement principle or the safety and quality principle.   This infers the use of modern technology to continuously monitor and keep track of the health developments of a patient.

The PCMH model of primary health care bears two significant strengths. The first outstanding advantage of the model is that it is entirely a comprehensive engagement. The patient is covered in a number of areas, diagnosis, review, and follow up. The model considers the risk that discharged patients face once outside a hospital environment-the risk of relapse if not properly cared for. The model covers this risk by proposing for coordinated and accessible care (Collins, 2006).

The weakness of the model is that it seems to propagate a system that can only work in highly industrialized and technologically advanced Countries. The system amalgamates numerous medical practices and incorporates novel methodologies of dealing with patients. The system may not work as well in less developed Countries, and yet the need for medical services of this kind and nature is highest is the areas mentioned (Collins, 2006).

It has been argued convincingly that the cost of applying a comprehensive primary health care system like PCMH is greatly limited by the issue of finance. According to research, the methodology of treatment is cheap for the patient in the long run, however it the system is costly to initiate. It requires the application of feasibility studies, pilot studies and where possible amalgamation efforts with other medical systems that are already in practice. Proposals to keep the scheme cheap, propose the use of medical insurance covers for the patients and financial aid from government to instigate such medical systems (Showstack, Rotham, & Hassmiller, 2004). Cheap and effective proposal always leave a remarkable impact behind them and always gets noticed whenever needed.

The PCMH model faces challenges when it comes to implementations. The two most significant ones include the attitude of the patient and the difficulty in convincing other medical institutions to adopt the practice. Patients normally prefer to be treated in the manner that they choose and most select to visit a health facility when they choose; the issue of follow up for such patients does not make sense. In addition it is very difficult to bring already established health firms into the PCMH model of care, some find it tedious and out of their scope of development plan (Showstack, Rotham, & Hassmiller, 2004). Health firms are designed to facilitate the medical needs of the person and their decisions, models and rules highly affect the nursing field in many ways.

In conclusion, the PCMH methodology of primary health care is the new wave in medical care. It seeks to incorporate changes in development and technology by proposing the use of comprehensive, and accessible services to instigate a safe and continuous, qualitative reform in health care. Patient care is one of the most important subjects in nursing, and it should be treated in all cases. One should be very careful while treating any patient as nurses and Para-medical staff is the one who deals with the patient in difficulty, and patient relies on them so one should be soft enough and capable of dealing with patient softly and calmly. The essay sheds light on patient care, model and its limitations. One should be strong enough and must hold extra patience while entering in the field of nursing as this is one of the most complex fields that require extra patience, extra tolerance and extra politeness. The PMCH model holds great significance in nursing field although it has some limitations that can overcome.

References

Ad Hoc Task Force on Definition of the Medical Home. (1992). The Medical Home. Pediatrics, 774.

Collins, S. (2006). Gaps in Health Insurance: An all American Problem. New York: Commonwealth Fund.

Robert Graham Center. (2007). The Patient Centered Medical Home:History, Seven Core Features,. Washington: Robert Graham Center.

Showstack, J., Rotham, A., & Hassmiller, S. (Eds.). (2004). The Future of Primary Care. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.