NUR355: Children and Young People - Assessment Answer

Introduction

The paper will focus on the issue of Asthma as a public health concern amongst young Australian populations. The condition of asthma is a respiratory disorder that manifests from an early onset of life. While the underlying cause of the increased prevalence amongst the Australian population is unknown, multiple triggers have been identified as the root cause. The details of the government surveys collected so far have pondered upon the long-term effects of the condition, overall risk of health, and socio-economic challenges in managing the condition. The following report will draw inferences from a recent media report that highlights this concern. It will also focus on exploring the topic of consideration from the public health perspective and its overall negative impact on managing and controlling the disease spread. The later sections of the report will also focus on identifying and critiquing the most appropriate evidence-based strategies that can be utilized for managing this issue of public health concern.

Media Report

The condition of Asthma is characterized due to underlying respiratory impact on the air passages. The condition is also marked by inflammation of the airways which can result in positive symptoms displayed amongst patients with respiratory distress (McLoughlin et al., 2021). Some of the commonly observed clinical signs and symptoms of asthma include wheezing, increased shortness of breath, excessive coughing, and chest tightness. The details of the young Australian patient population struggling with asthma have been collected over the due course of the period (Simunovic et al., 2021). Usually, an adult is nominated on behalf of a child who assists with reporting of short-term and long-term impact of the disease condition.

Although the overall number of cases of Asthma has been reduced for young patients in Australia over the time, the issue still remains of a close concern for public health advocates. The 2017–18 survey was conducted from a sample of approximately 21,300 people from 16,400 private dwellings across Australia (Alfredsson et al., 2020). According to a media report published on 6th July 2022, a study finds the number of readmissions due to asthma has been observed at 10 years higher than in previous years. Reports have also suggested that this has been majorly due to a lack of immunity. This was caused due to extensive periods of lockdown where a rise in respiratory infections can not be fought due to a lack of immunity. The media report also highlights the fact the number of rise in hospital admissions has been due to poor clinical assessment and management of chronic illnesses. The report from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute published in the Journal of Asthma on Thursday has revealed one in three children with asthma, mostly preschoolers, are readmitted each year to hospital compared with one in five a decade ago. This is a concerning issue as it is contributing to the overall increase in the burden of disease and thereby contributing largely to the public health issue.

Question

What is the overall impact of asthma on the young Australian population and how to fight it?

According to the study that was published in the media, asthma continues to be the most prevalent health problem that is reported among children in the age range of 0 to 14. This has also played a role in the increased number of patients who have been readmitted to care facilities due to the occurrence of frequent episodic occurrences. Some of these severe attacks have been identified as being potentially fatal, and as a result, they are responsible for a significant portion of the overall illness burden (Batra et al., 2022). According to the figures, one out of every ten children in Australia has been diagnosed with asthma, making asthma one of the most pressing health concerns facing the country's population. The problem of readmission raises an additional grave level of worry due to the fact that it further undermines the immunity of the youngsters. As a result, it makes the youngsters more susceptible to the possibility that they will acquire respiratory illnesses again in the future. It is absolutely necessary, in order to successfully manage the sickness, to give careful consideration to both this issue and the causes that contributed to it (d'Amato et al., 2021). Additionally, it is essential for this to be addressed in the primary phases in order to prevent relapses and further contribute to the overall burden of disease for the purpose of managing public health. This might also be brought up in the article that discusses deficiencies in the clinical evaluation of the children and the management of their healthcare. The gaps are mainly to determine the predisposition of children to contract infection again and again and get readmitted to healthcare facilities. Keeping in mind close consideration for the overall impact of the condition of Asthma on younger children, it becomes imperative to cater to the issue with constructive measures.

Describe and Explore the Topic

In this section, I would like to highlight the issue concerning the childhood development and care. Repeated visits to the hospital caused by asthma might have an effect on a child's growth and development. Children have been subjected to inadequate health and care management as a result of their numerous visits to the hospital as well as their ongoing struggles with infections. This has also had an effect on the relatives of these children, as they have been forced to shoulder an increasing financial burden for the treatment and management of care. By taking inferences from the available media report, I will focus more on finding facts and figures from government websites that reflect on this topic of consideration. This has also been represented in the statistical data that has been posted on the website of the Australian Government Welfare, which has been highlighting and compiling the data on a variety of topics pertaining to public healthcare concerns. The condition of asthma in Australia requires further consideration from the perspective of the carer. When it comes to identifying potential causes, healthcare administrators should take repeated paediatric hospitalisations under serious consideration. It is important to take note of these triggers so that the number of admissions can be reduced while also improving upon the clinical practises that are currently in place for clinical assessment and management. The goal of this exercise is to think about ways to create a patient management system that is both secure and efficient, with the goal of improving clinical outcomes.

Identify and Critique Evidence-based Strategies

Community-based awareness and education that is inclusive of both patients and their families are the two primary initiatives that have the potential to be beneficial in mitigating the underlying public health risk. As a result of the frequent admission of the children to the care facilities for management, the most ideal technique to manage the situation and lower the number of admissions is to educate the patients' parents. In the vast majority of cases, families are unable to communicate clearly and are clueless about the condition in general, let alone the therapeutic management of it. Education for families can centre on how to better manage and cut down on the factors that cause asthma attacks. It may also include nutritional counselling for the parents, with the goal of boosting their children's resistance to illness and helping the children's immune systems function more effectively.

Community-based education can be carried out with the assistance of open forums, in which both patients and family members of patients can participate in the discussion of the issue. This can also be accomplished by holding health exams and wellness camps, which will help in the process of data collection on patient populations who are vulnerable. This would also help in keeping a careful monitor on the prevalence of the condition and changing the therapeutic treatments that are already available so that they can be used in the best interest of generating favourable outcomes. It is possible for community leaders and liaison officers to collaborate in order to make healthcare programmes a success and raise awareness about preventative measures that are beneficial.

Conclusion

Individuals with asthma each have their own unique set of symptoms, triggers, and responses to treatment. There is a paucity of information available at this time concerning the management of asthma by general practitioners. When the experiences of people who have asthma are understood, it may be possible to have a better understanding of the emotional, social, and economical burdens associated with the condition. The recent article in the media provides food for thought on a subject that raises significant worries for the general public's health. The development of novel approaches to treat the illness and forestall the spread of disease should take priority in the current emergency response effort. In addition to this, preventive efforts need to concentrate on improving the existing clinical evaluation system, addressing the underlying concerns regarding potential future clinical consequences, and facilitating the achievement of positive clinical results.

References

Alfredsson, L., Armstrong, B. K., Butterfield, D. A., Chowdhury, R., de Gruijl, F. R., Feelisch, M., ... & Young, A. R. (2020). Insufficient sun exposure has become a real public health problem. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(14), 5014.

Batra, M., Vicendese, D., Newbigin, E., Lambert, K. A., Tang, M., Abramson, M. J., ... & Erbas, B. (2022). The association between outdoor allergens–pollen, fungal spore season and high asthma admission days in children and adolescents. International journal of environmental health research, 32(6), 1393-1402.

d'Amato, G., Annesi-Maesano, I., Urrutia-Pereira, M., Del Giacco, S., Rosario Filho, N. A., Chong-Neto, H. J., ... & d'Amato, M. (2021). Thunderstorm allergy and asthma: state of the art. Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine, 16(1).

McLoughlin, R. F., Berthon, B. S., & Wood, L. G. (2021). Weight loss in obese children with asthma–is it important?. Paediatric respiratory reviews, 37, 10-14.

Simunovic, M., Erbas, B., Boyle, J., Baker, P., & Davies, J. M. (2021). Characteristics of emergency patients admitted to hospital with asthma: A population‐based cohort study in Queensland, Australia. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 33(6), 1027-1035.

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