Health risk appraisal

1. What areas of information are missing from this appraisal that would be helpful to you as a clinician? Though the appraisal was quite thorough, it did lack appropriate information regarding patient and family medical history (Chowdhury et al., 2002). While the patient’s lifestyle has an undisputed influence on any health problems he or she might be experiencing, insight into medical history has the potential to reveal genetic propensities that might weigh heavily on the patient’s health (2002). Also missing from this appraisal form is information regarding medications currently being taken by the patient. This is also useful to the clinician as it gives an idea of previous/existing conditions as well as the possibilities for side-effects, allergies, and interference with the drugs that might be presently prescribed for the patient (Nordenberg, 2000). 2. How can this tool be used to create a plan of care? This tool could be used to create a lifestyle change care-plan. The tool probes a wide variety of life-style areas and has the potential to reveal areas in which the patient has compromised his or her health by making and perpetuating bad lifestyle choices. Dietary assessments can be made and regimens created to improve the patient’s nutrition. Physical activity level is also made very accessible by this tool, and exercise plans can be created and modified for the patient starting with the assessment made using this tool. 3. What areas of the appraisal had you not considered previously in your assessments that you now recognize as being beneficial? The safety issues and the environmental issues were areas I had not previously considered in my assessments. I do see the necessity of these factors now, as decisions made regarding safety and environment can contribute as much to the well-being of a patient as diet and exercise. If, for example, a patient is routinely involved in mixing drinking with driving, then life expectancy will likely be reduced, even in the presence of regular exercise, proper diet, and good family medical history. 4. Would you use this appraisal with all assessments? Because of the nature of the lifestyle questions, which seem to be better suited for certain demographics, I would not use this appraisal with all assessments. If not, which aggregates or situations would you implement it with? I believe that the nature of the lifestyle questions dictate that the appraisal in its entirety is best suited for a healthy young population. The aged and aging might be able to relate to the dietary and safety questions, but will likely not be able to relate to those areas concerning strenuous physical activity. If you do not implement it with all clients, what measures will you include in order not to miss at-risk persons? I will incorporate many of the questions but not all of the sections. For example, the physical activity sections might be modified to accommodate lower levels of strain for geriatric patients. Furthermore, since falling is a hazard for older patients, balancing activities may also be included in that section. The dietary section could also be modified to include some of the areas necessary for geriatric patients, such as increased consumption of protein, calcium, and other minerals that deplete with aging. 5. What two things would you suggest to improve this health risk appraisal tool? In order to improve the tool, I would include measures of such lifestyle areas as stress levels and the patients’ financial capabilities. These too have the potential to increase the risk of illness in patients or to preclude their ability to properly care for their illnesses. 6. How could this tool be adapted to meet the time constraints of the nurse yet be comprehensive at the same time? One way to expedite time in the process of collecting the information would be to distribute the assessment to the patients prior to their meeting with the nurse. This way, the patients will be granted the time to fill it out at their leisure before bringing it in at the time of consultation. 7. How can the nurse use information gained from this appraisal to encourage or motivate others to change their behavior or lifestyle? The point system that the test utilizes has the potential to motivate patients, as higher scores boost morale and lower ones demonstrate that greater efforts would improve the patients’ lives. The breakdown of the test into areas also allows the patient to pinpoint the areas where changes would be appropriate. Therefore, stressing the benefits of behavior and lifestyle change in those areas would also encourage the patient to do what is necessary to get these desirable results. 8. How can the nurse ensure honest responses for the client in answering personal questions? In order to promote honesty, the nurse would ensure the confidentiality of the consultation as well as of the results of the assessment. Meeting in a private area would emphasize this, as would the use of envelopes as containers for the completed questionnaires. The nurse should also formally assure the patient of the confidentiality with which the information provided will be treated, and see to it that all other workers adhere to privacy guidelines. References Chowdury,   M. V. Chongsuvivatwong, A. F. Geater, H. H. Akhter, T. Winn (2002). â€Å"Taking a medical history and using a colour scale during clinical examination of pallor improves   Ã‚  Ã‚   detection of anaemia.† Tropical Medicine & International Health 7 (2), 133–139. Nordenberg, T. (2000). â€Å"Make no mistake: medical errors can be deadly serious.† FDA    Consumer Magazine. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved on March from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2000/500_err.html

The aim of this paper is to discuss achievement in South Africa

The aim of this paper is to discuss achievement in South Africa since 1976 in terms of youth and revolutionary morality as well as youth and class. During the Soweto Uprising, the youth of South Africa has firmly established itself on the national political scene:‘[I]n 1976, South Africa’s youth took center stage and remained there throughout the unrest and strife of the 1980s and the political transformation of the 1990s. In fact, many observers see 1976 as the political watershed that culminated in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. A direct line can be drawn between the Soweto uprising of 1976 and these elections’ (Slabbert et. al., 1994, p.9).  Ever since, the youth has played a major role in the public life of the country (Worden, 2000). By being preoccupied with burning political and social problems, the youth in South Africa takes control over their own future.Revolutionary identity, which was developed in 1976 and subsequent decades of struggle against apartheid, is still present in the young generation (Dlamini, 2005). However, youth in South Africa gradually accepts models of behavior typical for other developed nations. The development of youth subcultures is associated with the influence of new technologies and mass media as well as with increasing level of well-being of certain strata of the society (Dolby, 2001).Another reason for this development is that the decades of universal political activism are gone. As politics became routine matter and major social change was brought about by the deeds of young revolutionaries, the attention to politics has been gradually decreasing. At the moment, young people are more interested in solving problems of economic and social nature (Saul, 2005).Thus, other factors prove to be more important in the process of youth identity formation. Speaking about the process of youth identity formation in more detail, it is necessary to note another change that occurred in the recent period. For a long time, identity formation happened across racial lines, since blacks and whites developed subcultures of their own. Yet as the society becomes more just and integrated, there is a need to take into account all other factors influencing identity formation, such as class, gender, and ethnicity:‘The mutual political accommodation of the essentially human characteristics (identities) of the various categories of black South Africans may accordingly prove to be one of the crucial aspects determining the future of the country’ (Zegeye, 2002, ‘The end of black politics?’, para.5).   Proceeding with the discussion of challenges young people encounter, one of the major problems the youth faces nowadays is associated with lack of social power and deep class segmentation of the society:‘South African society is, even after the change brought about by the demise of apartheid in the 1990s, characterized by deep segmentation not only on t he basis of culture, race, historical background, language and religion, but also on the basis of economic and/or class status’ (Zegeye, 2002, para.7).  Many young people with string revolutionary identity and desire to contribute to social good are trapped in the vicious circle of poverty, isolation, and deprivation. It is of paramount importance for the government to unleash the creative potential of these young South Africans.On the practical level, this can be done by offering universal access to different types of education and crating more employment opportunities for the young. With unemployment on the rise, many young people cannot reap the benefits of vertical mobility and stay in the lower class for the rest of their life, despite their ability and willingness to work hard.Another major preoccupation for young people in South Africa is the HIV/AIDS. The spread of this disease produces a powerful impact on the patters of sexual conduct as well as sexual identity of young people (Peltzer, Pengpid & Mashego, 2006). HIV prevalence rate is especially high is young female citizens (Pettifor et. al., 2004). Apart from youth NGOs, church and religious organizations are believed to play a major role in addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS through encouraging healthy sexual behavior patterns in the representatives of 15 to 24 age group which are at the highest risk (Ruden, 2000).Numerous youth organizations address the issue. In fact, it is necessary to mention that during the 1990s youth is South Africa manifested astonishing skills in advocacy and self-organization. As early as in 1992, the National Youth Development Forum as the united platform and the voice for the youth was founded (SAYC, n/d., ‘Historical Background’).Summing up, it is possible to observe that revolutionary identity is still present in the youth, yet activism is directed as solving problems related to social justice, economic empowerment, and public health.ReferencesDla mini, S.N. (2005). Youth and Identity Politics in South Africa, 1990-94. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Dolby, N.E. (2001). Constructing Race: Youth, Identity, and Popular Culture in South Africa. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.Peltzer, K., Pengpid, S., & T.B.Mashego. (2006). Youth Sexuality in the Context of HIV/Aids in South Africa. New York: Nova Science Publishers.Saul, J.S. (2005). The Next Liberation Struggle: Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy in South Africa. New York: Monthly Review Press.Slabbert, van Zyl F., Malan, C., Olivers, K., & R. Riordan. (1994). Youth in the new South Africa: Towards policy formation. Pretoria: HSRC Publishers.Worden, N. (2000). The Making of Modern South Africa: Conquest, Segregation and Apartheid, 3rd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.Pettifor, A.E., Measham , D.M., Rees, H.V., & N.S. Padian. (November 2004). ‘Sexual Power and HIV Risk: South Africa.’ Emerging Infectious Diseases, 10(11), 1996-2004.Ruden, S. ( May 17, 2000). ‘AIDS in South Africa: Why the churches matter.’ Christian Century, 117(16), 566S.

Parent Involvement in Education

Children learn first at home with the support and encouragement from their parents. When your child becomes a student, as a parent you still need to be involved inside and outside the classroom. Attending school sponsored functions, working in the classroom as a volunteer, monitoring homework and communicating with your child about their day are features that will express to your child the need for them to succeed. But why is parent involvement important in education? The answer to this research question will be sought out by using different internet sources. Articles will include general information about parent involvement, not looking at specific states or countries. I have been in a classroom since childhood. With my experiences in college I have seen parents who are involved and those who are not. As a coach in a neighboring district from my hometown I have been able to compare and contrast the amount of parent involvement between districts. Introduction As parents, children learn and grow from the encouragement and guidance that is given to them along the way. The definition of parent involvement is extensive and includes different aspects of education and how parents participate in their children’s lives in and outside of school. The research paper will attempt to explain the importance of parent involvement in education through research done using different internet sources. Throughout the research report readers will see that parent involvement in directly related with student achievement. The level of achievement is apparent due to the amount of time and effort that parent put into being present in their child’s education inside and outside the classroom. When presenting the information the positive outcome will be apparent but the obstacles that hinder the benefits need to be address. These issues include the current rising number of single parents that have to work two to three jobs in order to support their family and the amount of effort that teachers and schools put into providing opportunities for parents to become involved at school. Research included in the report will include information provided by the Michigan Department of Education. The information includes Joyce Epstein of John Hopkins University six types of parent involvement that benefits your child and the National PTA’s six types and created six national standards for parent involvement that branched from Epstein’s. Epstein’s six types include parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at homes, decision making and collaborating with community. The National PTA’s standards include communicating, parenting, student learning, volunteering, school decision making and advocacy and collaborating with community. Parent involvement is an issue that all are concerned will affect the future of world. President Obama recently proposed to improve our education system. His speech to teachers, parents and students included an address of parent involvement. Proposed Program Research will begin with collecting information from different internet sources. Information retrieved from sources will be reviewed. Four questions will be evaluated when determining appropriate information. * What are the types of parent involvement? How does parent involvement effect student achievement? * How can teachers/schools help encourage parent involvement? * What are obstacles of parent involvement? The information gathered will be the fundamental information to apply to the research report. Due to school being out of session and time constraints, observation of students’ achievement due to parent involvement is not suitable. Qualifications and Experience Growing up with a mother as a teacher, a lot of my life has been spent inside a classroom. Volunteering in the classroom and at school sponsored event I have seen the decline of parent involvement. Within the past five years the amount of parents and/or family members that bring students to events has dropped drastically. I have seen children bring their book bags to school with the previous days notes still inside, untouched. Witnessing my mother touch lives of children has led me into the same profession. My college education courses have given me the opportunity to observe students at Freeland Middle School and Willie E. Thompson Middle School. Parent involvement showed through the amount of homework turned in by students. Patterns developed with students’ overtime. Attending a district for thirteen years and now coaching in the neighboring district I have seen differentiation in parent involvement numbers. My district is multi-cultural and predominantly poor to middle class. The district I coach in is mostly Caucasians and middle class. When these two schools play each other in sporting events the amount of parent, family and community support is evident.

Health and Fitness on nutrition needs for body Essay

Nutrition for athletes Journal of sports science. 22(1): 39-55. (2004) Journal on Timing of Energy and Fluid Intake. The journal I read says physical activity increases rate of energy and fluid loss. Your body needs fluid intake and food intake when you exercise if not it results in loss of fat free mass and it increases dehydration risk. The article states years or research says that a diet high in complex carbohydrate, moderate in protein, and relativity low in fat is best for both health and physical activity. Weight loss, weight gain, and weight stability are a matter of energy balance. It also states that you should consider that the weight of fat is not the same as the proportion of fat. Carbohydrates 7 to 8 g/kg body weight per day. Complex carbohydrates rather than sugars are preferred sources. Protein in adult’s 1-2g/kg body weight per day. Protein in a child is 2g/kg body weight per day. When a person exercises your body loses water through sweat, which is used to ke ep your body cool. That’s why when you are exercising its very important to drink plenty of water to keep hydrated so fluid intake is very important. Water helps regulate your body temp. Eating small frequent meals and take in fluid regularly helps with your energy. The more frequent the eating pattern, the lower the body fat and the higher the muscle mass. Frequent eating with smaller meals reduces the size of within day energy deficits and surpluses, helps to stabilize blood glucose, and also results in lower insulin release than calorically equivalent large meals. Excess weight and obesity are significantly more common among people who consume three or fewer meals a day than those having five or more daily eating/snacking opportunities. In general these finding all imply that the dynamics of energy intake and energy expenditure should be closely matched during the day. Sustaining blood volume is critical for maintaining the delivery of nutrients to cells, removal of metabolic byproducts from cells, and sustaining the sweat rate during physical activity. Everyone loses fluids while sweating. Heat dissipation through the evaporation of sweat is the primary mechanism for removing exercise associated heat. About 75 to 80% of the energy burned for muscular work is loss as heat and can result in a 20 times higher heat production during exercise than at rest. The same exercise done outdoors on a hot and humid day would require even more sweat loss to remove the excess heat because the evaporation of sweat is less efficient with high humidity. It is not uncommon for the fluid requirements of some athletes on such days to exceed 3 liters per hour. A person gets thirsty after about 1.5 l of body water. Thirst is a warning sensation that encourages drinking before body water drops to a critically low level. A person should drink small amounts frequently to avoid thirst. A person needs sodium when they loss sweat. Sodium also encourages a person to drink. My conclusion to this journal is that fluid intake is important while exercising. Your body sweats and fluids are needed. Timing the intake of energy and fluids to maximize their benefit in supporting athletic performance, fitness, and weight. Exercise uses energy and fluids which your body needs.

Human Resources- Relationships in the workplace Research Paper

Human Resources- Relationships in the workplace - Research Paper Example Companies have been attempting to establish clear, well-understood policies to minimize the potential for danger – both for the employees and the organization. However the role of the HR in an organization remains controversial as far as dealing with workplace dating and relationships is concerned. Gautier has explored the reasons for workplace romance and found that theories of attraction play a vital role. Social psychology also points out a strong link between proximity, familiarity and attraction. Because of close and frequent interpersonal interaction they are prone to develop relationships. People with similar beliefs, attitudes, education and background are also more likely to be attracted to each other. They have similar traits and goals; share each other’s excitement and frustrations, and celebrations (Loftus, 1995). At the same time, organizational attitude, culture and beliefs play a role in how the companies conceptualize, tolerate and manage workplace romance. The role of HR in workplace relationships is debatable. When Wal-Mart terminated the services of two of its workers who were dating, it was found that the supervisor used an out-of-date policy manual to justify their termination (Losey, 1993). A survey revealed that more than 70 percent organizations permit and accept workplace dating as most were of the opinion that the organization has no right to interfere in the dating between coworkers (Losey, 1993). However, when dating involves an employee dating a boss, or the upper management or the manager dating a subordinate, it has been found to be unacceptable (Gautier, 2007). Only if a supervisor dates a subordinate, can the organizations interfere and this has become important because of some well-known sexual harassment court battles (Jenner, 1993). There have been instances when an employee had voluntary--but not

Organisations and Needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organisations and Needs - Essay Example In the present case study of banking organization, the training dept, faces layoff/down sizing for the last 3 years continuously. Full time establishment in the Trg. Centre was 260 in 2003 but reduced to 136 in 2006. Further the budget of Trg. dept. has also been reduced drastically from 20 million pounds in 2003 to 11 million pounds in 2005. Apart from this reduction, management is expecting the same productivity and output. This situation put tremendous pressure on the remaining work force. Though the downsizing was not only in Trg. Dept. but spread over all the important departments such as Administration, delivery and line management. The workforce, who survived the downsizing, was in traumatic condition due to layoffs of their close colleagues. Not even this but the further announcements of reduction and restructuring of Trg. Dept. and senior managements ultimate of further restructuring and proposal of downsizing the organization Trg. Dept by further 14 in number after at least 3 weeks put additional pressure/stress on the remaining workforce. This announcement creates havoc to the trust of the workforce at workplace. Now the complete atmosphere of uncertainty was widespread and employees working in Trg. Dept. are certainly facing the traumatic, emotional uneasiness. Downsizing the organization basically results in very serious and painful conditions and that can have a profound effect on the entire organization and especially on the employees who looses his/her job or have the fear of loosing jobs in near future. Discharging or likely to be discharging from the job, generates high emotions basically negative emotions towards management and the organization. Though the management/organizations carry it out as a necessity and with all legality but the process of downsizing as a whole always creates an emotional issue with in the organization. Companies' downsizing/layoffs have always a powerful impact on the organization. They can affect the morale of the organization's remaining employees, who may fear losing their jobs in the future. Due to downsizing the first and foremost thing, which will get affected, are productivity, morale, trust and security. Due to downsizing the morale or motivation level of the remaining employees will be at the lowest level, his/her trust with the organization must be shattered and security about future get diminished. All these factors immediately affect the productivity of remaining workforce. So to survive these redundancy and uncertainty about future downsizing, one should not6 be passive and fatalistic but try to be more positive and pessimistic. Now in the position of redundancy, I as an individual and also with my team must priorities and follow certain rules, which has been enumerated below may help to assure us to be retained. Though it's not a guarantee but it helps us. The first and foremost thing is to look more professional rather than casual. Individually or as a team, we should never dress like a fashion model or look like unprofessional so that we could be easily identified separately. Looks always make difference in the perceptions and in the situation of redundancy; perception of unprofessional or non-serious team always goes in the negative way. During the situation of redundancy or within the process of do

Leadership Plan Addendum Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership Plan Addendum - Research Paper Example Leaders have to go through different stages of learning which will help to avoid the errors that one may encounter in the initial stages when one takes up leadership position. This paper will develop a greater understanding of risk issues that will have an impact on Simcenter, Inc. and their leadership styles. SimCenter, Inc. is one the nation’s leading pilot training facilities in the United States and is privately owned by the George Family from its headquarters in Miami, Florida. SimCenter has been providing flight training instructions for over ten years and has built is reputation on providing the airline industry well trained and highly experienced pilots. Air carriers seek pilots trained by SimCenter both nationally and internationally because of their professionalism. Although SimCenter has primarily been a training center for commercial carriers that have large aircraft such as Airbus300 series, Boeing 737s, and Boeing 757s; it is uniquely positioned to profit from both current pilot shortages and hiring requirements of National and International carriers by leasing pilots and creating a charter airline to the Bahamas. This new venture is based on Porter’s Value Chain Theory, which explains the need of producers to provide products and services at the same level of customer demands (Value Chain, 2005). Value chain of any organization reflects its history, the strategy and the approach to implementing the strategy, and the economics of the activities. The purpose of a value chain is to create a process or product that would generate profits. According to Porter, adding value is a strategic means to achieve profit and competitive advantage. Traditionally different business functions perceived and created value differently. Under Porter’s model profitability and market control can be maintained if an organization controls all aspects of the buying experience including supplies,