Risk Assessments and Readiness for Change Survey, Term Paper Example

Measures to reduce incidences and severity of cardiovascular diseases

The purpose of the clinical project involving a risk assessment and readiness for change survey is to enhance health risk assessment and health promotion strategies for cardiovascular diseases in the acute care setting.

Cardiovascular diseases entail a category of diseases that are commonly linked to the vessels of the heart and the blood. The most prevalent cardiovascular diseases are the coronary artery ailments that include myocardial infarction, which is also termed as the heart attack, and angina.  There are also other notable cardiovascular diseases such as venous thrombosis, the rheumatic heart disease, the stroke, the hypertensive heart disease, cardiomyopathy, the atrial fibrillation, the congenital heart disease,endocarditis, aortic aneurysms as well as the peripheral artery disease (Fonarow & Peterson, 2009).

The clinical project will be presented in three parts as indicated below:

Development of a risk assessment and readiness for change survey

The principal mechanism for risk assessment and readiness for change survey aimed at enhancing health risk assessment and health promotion strategies for cardiovascular diseases in the acute care setting wioll be a factor of the precise disease that is to be addressed. The cardiovascular diseases such as the stroke, coronary artery disease as well as peripheral artery disease are based on atherosclerosis. In implementing readiness for change programs, it is imperative to appreciate that, smoking, poor diet, excessive consumption of alcohol, high blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol, inadequate physical exercise and diabetes are potential cause of this class of cardiovascular diseases. For example, high blood pressure has been associated with 13 percent of the deaths that are related to the cardiovascular diseases. Smoking tobacco on the other hand has contributed to 9 percent of the cardiovascular diseases, diabetes is linked to 6 percent of cardiovascular diseases, obesity 5 percent and lack of physical exercise 6 percent of the deaths attributed to cardiovascular diseases. It is also prudent to mote that, 90 percent of all cardiovascular diseases can be prevented (Fonarow & Peterson, 2009).

The appropriate measure for risk assessment and readiness for change therefore are rooted in reduction of the risk factors that consequently reduce the level of atherosclerosis. In this regard, it is imperative to consider regular physical exercise, eating healthy diets, reduction of alcohol consumption as well as reduction of tobacco smoking. Timely intervention and treatment of diabetes along with high blood pressure is an equally critical measure for risk assessment and readiness for change against cardiovascular diseases. Other cardiovascular diseases such as rheumatic heart diseases can be arrested through application of antibiotics to the people suffering from strep throat. Effective treatment of cases of cardiovascular diseases can be linked to constructive outcomes (Fonarow & Peterson, 2009).

Development of a health promotion plan

The health promotion plan to be employed in the case cardiovascular diseases will be aimed at the reduction incidence and minimize the severity of cardiovascular diseases. The health promotion plan will also assist the patient regain normal health conditions as before. Therefore, the plan will be improve coping strategies by developing the most suitable intervention skills and eliminating the approaches that appear to be ineffective in coping (Fonarow & Peterson, 2009).

Presentation of the health promotion plan

The health promotion plan must offer appropriate tools as well as resources that can build suitable infrastructure through the use of policy changes, wellness committees as well as the objectives which address the most crucial health behaviors. They include healthy eating habits, engagement in regular physical activities, reduction of tobacco use, proper stress management, employment of appropriate preventive screenings as well as services, proper use of assistance benefits as well as supporting the  breastfeeding mothers. These are the most important demographic survey items that are relevant to the cardiovascular diseases and the population in addressing health and lifestyle factors in order to cut the cost associated with treatment, improve productivity as well as reduction of turnover.

The risk assessment survey can be administered through routine surveys and BRFSS questionnaire. Surveys are extremely resourceful in surveillance of cases of cardiovascular diseases that is achieved through asking the people all vital information including their private behaviors, mental health status as well as attitudes (Groseclose, Sullivan, Gibbs & Knowles, 2000).  Surveys also give information of the modifiable and non-modifiable factors that can be manipulated or otherwise in disease interventions. The modifiable behaviors may include the willingness of the patient to attend to a health care facility while the non-modifiable behaviors may entail private behaviors, mental health status as well as attitudes. BRFSS questionnaire are commonly administered continuously by means of telephone through sampling methods that entail random-digit dialing. This gives a good probability sample for the households that are equipped with a telephone (Groseclose, Sullivan, Gibbs & Knowles, 2000).

The risk assessment surveys is resourceful in collection of sociodemographic information such as ethinicity and race, sex, level of education, the level of income in the household, employment, age cultural, social, economic, environmental and spiritual factors (Groseclose, Sullivan, Gibbs & Knowles, 2000).  Identification of priority Nursing Diagnosis (NANDA) such as supportive assessment and specific relative interventions are also important considerations in the health promotion plan.

References

Fonarow, G.C. & Peterson, E.D., (2009). Heart failure performance measures and outcomes. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association; 302(7):792–794.

Groseclose, S.L., Sullivan, K.M., Gibbs, N.P. & Knowles, C.M., (2000). Management of the surveillance information system and quality control data, Principles and practice of public health surveillance. Teutsch SM, Churchill RE, editors. Vol. 2. New York: Oxford University Press.