The Hospital of St Vincent: History and Reputation

Discuss about the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs to COPD.

I worked at the Hospital of St Vincent for my research project. The Hospital of St Vincent’s remains one of the most reputable tertiary organizations of healthcare in all of Australia. The facility provides patients services including emergency and critical services, acute medical services, and diagnostics. Other services include residential care, aged care, allied health, and rehabilitation. The Department of Health and Human Services introduced the Health Independence Program in 2008 to bring together the four services, which were previously performed separately. The services included Residential in Reach under common guidelines, Hospital Admission Risk Program, Post-Acute Care, and Sub-acute Ambulatory Care. The primary intention of the HIP is the delivery of improved outcomes for the clients and the team of support to the healthcare facility for proper management and flow of work. The hospital aims to deliver coordinated and integrated care to the clients across all hospital settings together with the community interface. It aims to reduce duplication and fragmentation of services and to ensure client centered planning of care. The project sees the coming together of clinically discrete and separate teams offering many home, community, and center based rehabilitation and support. They offer support to clients and their families of care, with chronic diseases, psychosocial issues and other complex issues.

Various ways can be employed in the prevention of Pneumonia. One of the primary ways is through proper vaccination. One is expected to get a flu shot every year to prevent them from acquiring influenza. Flu is one of the main causes of the disease and therefore preventing flu infection is the best way to prevent pneumonia. Children under the age of 5 years and senior adults more than 65 years are supposed to vaccination against Pneumococcal pneumonia. It is also recommended that children and adults who have the risk of developing other infections take the vaccine. Every patient needs to find out from their physicians the kind of treatment correct for them. Various other infections can be used in the prevention of Pneumonia and other infections including chicken pox, measles, and pertussis. Proper hygiene practices like the washing of hands after visiting the toilet are essential in keeping the disease at bay.

greater bearing and effect on smokers’ bodies.  The disease normally follows and manifests like normal flu infections (Boyle, 2017). Patients need to be keen on it as they might think it is normal flu infection when it is in fact Pneumonia.

Services and Program Offerings at Hospital of St Vincent

The guidelines made through the collaboration of the Australian government departments and the Australian agencies charged with medical services developed the mechanisms most especially for the Australians and the US, however largely they are meant to serve internationally among diabetic patients (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012). In congruence with the service opinion, the guideline has until now been a helpful resource for nurses and doctors caring for people with Pneumonia. Due to the extreme sensitivity of the issue at hand and the rate of need for such a course, there were several mechanisms put into place to ensure the smooth running and the eventual success of the of the medical practice guidelines (Merrifield, 2016). The need for adequate expertise saw the increase and expansion of the expert committee to about 120 heath care professionals and specialists who volunteered from various health sectors across Australia and the US (Mukasa, 2015). The move was aimed at bringing additional expertise from a broad scope of medical practice settings so that the issue could be understood from the various angles to provide the easiest way to the solutions (Rogowski et al., 2013). There was another addition to the committee to include the people suffering from the said disease so that their views and preferences regarding the necessary recommendations are taken into consideration.

One of the conditions associated with the infections is pneumonia. The paper hence examines the role of prevention bundles. Regular exercises, well-balanced diet, and plenty of rest are essential in keeping the body’s immune system intact (Freser et al., 2017). A drug in the series of Synagis is usually developed and given to children below one year to help their fragile immune system. Access to antibiotic and vaccines is the main factor that determines the rate of child mortality in developing countries (Lakea et al., 2017). Some children die due to lack of access to proper sanitary towels. Sanitary towels have become a convenient way of maintaining proper hygiene for the girl child (Hertel, 2016). Pneumonia infection may come about as a component or may come as a section of a larger infection for example HIV/AIDS. Acquiring HIV positive weakens one’s immune system.

The project undertaken displays the current pathways and services provided by the St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne for a program called pulmonary rehabilitation as a part of their health Independence Program (Khan et al., 2017). Pulmonary rehabilitation is an intervention and comprehensive program for the people suffering with chronic lung diseases who usually suffer from the symptoms of breathlessness. Parasites, fungi, and bacteria are the most common forms of Pneumonia infection (Grant, 2016). The age of the patient may be helpful in developing a hypothesis for the sake of variation on diagnostics. Different stages of the infection require a different approach for treatment and diagnosis. Research speaks of conditions acquired through the hospital environment (Brown et al., 2014). Health care facilities like hospitals face the challenge of having to offer their services to many patients. A focus on the number of patients at the same time compromises the quality of health care services output.

Health Independence Program at Hospital of St Vincent

The primary aims of the activity was to create or design a visual service mapping poster by gathering information on various services provided to the respiratory patients by the hospital. As per the research that I have done, both quantitative and qualitative studies worldwide report poor patient engagement. The main reasons for the low patient acceptance include lack of perceived benefit from attending the program, unaware of the program benefits, uncertain and challenging referral process, uncertainty of whose role it is to refer, and difficulties in access of the program (Freser et al., 2017). Pneumonia being a global disease-affecting people of different calibers, races, and ethnicities, it would have been much easier to assume that there is an international participation in the strategies aimed at controlling it (Grant, 2016). However, in the real situation and ideological framework of bringing up the clinical practice guideline to help in controlling and managing Pneumonia, just a few organizations had been involved (Khan et al., 2017). Pneumonia who horrors have been advancing every five years since 1992 has seen many health practitioners and clinical organizations worried about the appropriate course to take in attempts to curb its spread, effects, and advancement into other more severe stages (Hertel, 2016). The Clinical and Scientific Section (C&SS) of the Australian Pneumonia Association is one key organization that has put its feet onto this course.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation for people affected with breathlessness remains one of the most rewarding aspects of physiotherapy. However, it remains one of the most neglected facets of the study. The study is rewarding for the way it provides real improvement and relief for people entangled in a web of inactivity, helplessness, and low self-esteem. Various scholars complete studies about the same issue of health care and health management. The aspect of neglect accrues from the belief that patients have reached a dead end in their lives and nothing can save them. Physiotherapists may at times feel helpless when they encounter people who prove to be overly breathless. Pulmonary rehabilitation helps the patients in reduction of the respiratory symptoms, increases exercise tolerance, improves their quality of life, and ensure long-term commitment to physical activity (Apisarnthanarak et al., 2017). Therefore, this poster as per my understanding acts as a tool in increasing the awareness on pulmonary rehabilitation and thereby increasing the program uptake. The standard differential diagnosis for adults that present with lower leg edema is venous disease, adverse reaction to surgery of the ipsilateral limb, lipedema, and lymphedema (Wallace, 2013). The condition can be confirmed using lymphoscintigram, El-Hara, ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging. Causes of the disease include low levels of albumin, allergic reactions, obstruction of flow, and critical illnesses. Treatment of edema entails the treatment of its underlying cause. For examples, allergens can be used in the treatment of allergies as a way of treating edema (Takahiro Kamada et al., 2017). Edema caused by a block of fluid blockage can be handled by making the fluid to start flowing again. The treatment of blood clots in the legs takes the form of use of blood thinners, which streamline the flow of blood. The treatment of blood tumors blocking the flow of blood takes the way of shrinking the tumor or removing it by the use of surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.

Preventing Pneumonia: Role of Prevention Bundles and Various Preventive Measures

The disease has its ultimate origin from the improper functionality of the pancreatic gland that is charged with the responsibility of producing insulin to help regulate the amounts and rates of blood sugar in the body system. For a long time the diseases had been assumed to be cut out for the older people (Boey & Kiss, 2017). However, this narrative has seemed to change with the disease now known to be present even among children as young as five years of age. The condition is very much accustomed with specific symptoms such as frequent urination, increased rate, and intensity of thirst and most of all the growing rate of hunger among the casualties (Boyle, 2017). The disease can grow into an acute stage thus causing massive complication if not treated in time. Using Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) which involves evidence-based documents that help in facilitating the use of evidence in daily emerging nursing issues, a better strategy has thereby been proposed to help fight Pneumonia. The facilitation that has received immense support from the Australian Pneumonia Association has so far been hailed as a promising front in the management of Pneumonia (Brown et al., 2014). Through the clinical practice guideline, it is established that there can be an improved diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic recommendation for the care of individual suffering from Pneumonia.

Despite Pneumonia being a common disease among people of all ages and occupations it is unique in the sense that every patient requires a type care that is consistent with their type of disease and responds to different care and medication. Gone is the age when the disease was considered a reserve of the old and obese (Younga et al., 2017). Thanks to new technology and an enhancement in research about the disease, however, optimal care for Pneumonia is possible. The following policy looks at the steps that are taken to take care of Pneumonia patients. The research draws a parallel between the types of Pneumonia and their care, defining in retrospect the aspect of optimal care for the disease as well as on-going research in Australia and America about ways of managing the disease better (Battié, 2013). The essay examines the roles of the different stakeholders in the care and treatment of Pneumonia as well as develops recommendations for contributions to be made to better the care and treatment of the disease. Pneumonia is a metabolic disease that associated with high level of sugar in the blood over a prolonged period.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Patients with Chronic Lung Diseases

Because of the shortness of breath, they find it very difficult to do daily activities such as walking, cleaning even showering, and dressing (Apisarnthanarak et al., 2017). The research that I have done shows that the pulmonary rehabilitation program help these people breathe easier by improving their exercise tolerance and help them in improving quality of life by increasing their knowledge about their disease and ways to manage it (Battié, 2013). One ought to wash their hands after blowing their nose, before preparing or eating food and after coming out of the toilet. Smokers are at greater risk of developing the disease as Tobacco makes the lungs weak and makes them unable to fight off any kinds of infections (Boey & Kiss, 2017). Smokers are one of the high-risk groups of people who are considered for the vaccine against Pneumonia as a preventive measure. Smokers should take the vaccination because the disease is likely to have

Based on the results of the research I designed a poster, which can be helpful for people with the condition. Health independence program at St Vincent’s Hospital introduced this program to deliver improved outcomes and to provide help to people suffering with respiratory diseases. The program is offered center-based, home and at the community centers which makes it easier for access and as a means to overcome the barriers for uptake of the program (Shekelle, 2013). Risks associated with Deep Vein Thrombosis include inheritance of a blood clotting disorder, long periods of bed rest for instance in the event of a hospital stay or when paralyzed. Surgery or injury and pregnancy can lead to the disease (Soones et al., 2017). The use of pills of oral contraception or birth control and therapy for hormone replacement are two risks that can lead to the disease. Cancer, smoking, and obesity are other reasons why people develop the condition. People above the age of 60 are at a higher risk of contracting the disease compared to those below the age.

The studies were as such important in developing and supporting each recommendation of the strategies of the medical procedures. Diabetic people being diverse and heterogeneous group regarding race, age, sex and even social status, it is necessary that the treatment measures be made on individual patient’s capacities (Soones et al., 2017). Through the proposed guidelines, decisions are to be made dependent on the available evidence about the condition to be treated except in therapeutic conditions in which decisions are made depending on the relationship between the patient and the caregiver (Souverein et al., 2017). The proposed guideline any treatment as such must be evidence based to help outweigh the possible benefits or harm that a process may cause. It is also recommended that under severe circumstances the patient opinions should not be counted upon in decision making unless the situation requires the patient’s consent for a process to be commenced.

Australian Disease Control Center places the number of people affected with Pneumonia in the Australia at an annual rate of 900,000 people. Up to 30% of all reported cased of the condition die within the first month of diagnosis of the disease. The estimate brings the number of people who die of the state of 100,000 people every year. The primary significance of the matter lies in the fact that many of the patients who suffer the disease do so unaware, of what the issue is until it is too late. The condition calls for research into how it can best be detected before it becomes a danger to the patients’ lives. Management of the Pneumonia condition is based on a method of the diagnostic algorithm. History of the state and physical examination of the patient are non-specific most of the time, and this limits their values in the clinical process of investigation. Majority of patients with Pneumonia lack the symptoms that to explain their condition. Few clinical tests can be used to increase the probability of testing for the state. Swellings on the legs and the things can be determined by measuring the circumference of the thighs and the legs. Collateral superficial dilated veins and Oedema might be found on the affected side of the leg or the thigh. The nurse should look out for tenderness on the path of the deep veins. The inner anterior thigh experiences compression along the groin all the way to the adductor canal.

Other patients develop the condition due to a family history of the same (Souverein et al., 2017). Signs of the disease include rapid breath, feelings of light-headedness or fainting and chest pain when coughing or taking a deep breath. Various complications accrue from DVT. They include heart failure, pulmonary embolism, and Post-thrombotic syndrome. Standard tests for ruling out DVT include Venography, D-dimer test, or an Ultrasound.

The period of pregnancy causes various significant hemodynamic and metabolic alterations in the body. The body needs to be in a position to accommodate the growing fetus. At times, the body might fail to adapt to the new changes, and this might lead to complications in the woman’s health and wellbeing (Thomas A. Hooven & Polin, 2017). Complications that accrue from such phenomenon are referred to as hypertensive pregnancy disorders. They include preeclampsia, hypertension, preterm birth, and Gestational Pneumonia. Peripheral Artery Disease is one such complication (Merrifield, 2016). The disease entails the blockage of blood vessels in the legs. Physicians can save the woman’s life if the complication is detected early. Early detection prevents the risk of acquiring a heart attack or stroke (Rogowski et al., 2013). A pregnant woman needs all the help she can get to remain healthy especially during pregnancy.

The main aim of the project is to display a poster on the pulmonary rehabilitation services, which aids in increased understanding of the services provided by the hospital and in turn helping the patients and referrers to get maximum awareness on uptake of the program. Although it is well established that pulmonary rehabilitation has many beneficial effects, but only very few people uptake the program and fewer complete it (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012). By examining the kinds of vaccines available, one can know the chances they have left. Programs aimed at fighting Pneumonia remain underfunded despite the great threat the disease poses (Younga et al., 2017). After the germs that cause Pneumonia enter the lungs, they fill the lungs with fluid, and the lungs become inflated. Inflation of the lungs makes it difficult to breathe and hence prevents oxygen from reaching the bloodstream (Virginia Saba & McCormick, 2015). When the blood lacks enough oxygen, the body loses its ability to perform simple functions. The type of treatment depends on the type of Pneumonia one catches. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial Pneumonia. Antiviral medicines are used to treat viral Pneumonia (Speck et al., 2016). Antibiotics may also be prescribed to prevent the patient from the risk of contracting secondary infections. Examination of the patient involves chest x-rays and blood tests to ascertain the level of infection.

A committee of experts was appointed to help in driving the workability of the proposed practice through a strategic plan purpose to see its assimilation into the system in its fullness and as such, there were three-year volunteering experts from the different countries tasked with this goal. As much as several preparations had been in the underway awaiting the implementation of the clinical procedures, some setbacks could still be witnessed jostling the progressiveness of the system.  Cost is one significant issue still facing the full implementation of the proposed guideline with very many health practitioners and the patients fearing the costliness of the whole procedures. Due to the duration is taken to treat the disease or even manage its effects, health professionals have concluded that there is a substantial cost increase in correlation with the prevalence of the disease increase over time.

References

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Boyle, D. (2017). Nursing Specialty Certification and Patient Outcomes: What We Know in Acute Care Hospitals and Future Directions. Journal of the Association for Vascular Access, 22(3), 137-142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.java.2017.06.002

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Soones, T., Lin, J., Wolf, M., O’Conor, R., Martynenko, M., & Wisnivesky, J. (2017). Pathways linking health literacy, health beliefs, and cognition to medication adherence in older adults with asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 139(3), 804-809. DOI:10.1016/j.jaci.2016.05.043

Souverein, P. C., Koster, E. S., Colice, G., Ganse, E. v., Chisholm, A., Price, D., et al. (2017). Inhaled Corticosteroid Adherence Patterns in a Longitudinal Asthma Cohort. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 5(2), 448-456. DOI:10.1016/j.jaip.2016.09.022

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Younga, H. N., Len-Riosb, M., Brownc, R., Morenod, M., & Coxe, E. (2017). How does patient-provider communication influence adherence to asthma medications? Patient Education and Counseling, 100(4), 696-702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.11.022