*** please respond to peers DQ answers, add citations and references 🙂 *****

Response one: The health care reform in shifting the focus to a health care system that promotes wellness and prevention rather than a disease oriented one is to stop diseases before they start, and for all Americans to strive to be healthy and fit. The nursing profession is centered around caring for the whole person. The health reform has chosen some areas to help obtaining and maintaining this change. (1)Healthy and safe community environments, Health should be taught in our homes, schools, and workplaces. Building and promoting affordable, accessible, and safe housing that is free from toxins, hazards, and pollutants, we can give all people an equal opportunity at healthy living.(2) Clinical and community preventive services. People should receive preventive care, such as immunizations and cancer screenings, they have better health and lower health-care costs (3) Empowered people. Help to provide people with the tools and information to make healthy decisions. People want to be healthy; we need to provide them with easy and affordable options to maintain their health. These options include access to healthy food, places to exercise, appropriate nutrition information, and positive social interactions. (4) Elimination of health disparities. Education can increase health knowledge and allow people to make better-informed choices for themselves and their families. Employment can provide access to health. (5)Areas of priority should be focus on tobacco-free living, preventing drug abuse and excessive alcohol use, healthy eating, active living, injury- and violence-free living, reproductive and sexual health and mental and emotional well-being, these can be to underlying problems that lead to chronic diseases.

Nursing fits into this shift of the medical care system that is focused on wellness and prevention in a variety of ways. They will ultimately be tasked with alot of education and reinforcement of preventative and wellness healthcare. Through the use of evidence-based recommendations, nurses will need to encourage patients to receive preventative services. Nurses working in public health will be able to educate and inspire more people to engage in healthy lifestyles in order to live longer lives.

Reference

US National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3185312/

Response two: Over the years there has been a change from nursing care focused on disease to nursing care focusing on prevention and wellness. This change has occurred because of the recognition that disease prevention will decrease health care spending and prevent chronic conditions (Democratic Policy Committee, 2009). With a focus on prevention and wellness, there will be a decrease in death related to chronic disease and a higher quality of life for those living with cancer, diabetes, and heart disease (Democratic Policy Committee, 2009).

The Institute of Medicine Report (IOM) believes that the nursing field play a large role in making changes to the health care system; nurses have value able insight, work firsthand with the patient for hours or days, and have the ability to communicate with many other workers in the health care field (Whitney, 2018). The health care reform helped shift the focus from disease-oriented care to wellness and prevention through recognizing the strength and necessity of the nursing field and legitimizing the nursing profession (Whitney, 2018). Through educating the nurses, leadership positions, recognizing improvement efforts, and data collection the health care system has recognized the benefits of wellness and prevention over disease-oriented care (Whitney, 2018). Through continued education the nursing field can continue this trend. However, other factors such as government, businesses, organizations, and insurance companies will need to continue making appropriate adjustments and contributions to continue improving the health care system in collaboration with the nursing profession (Whitney, 2018). Nurses should continue their education, attend nurse residency programs, take annual education courses, and accept new opportunities in order to continue improving the profession (Whitney, 2018).

Democratic Policy Committee. (2009). Health Care Reform: The Need for Prevention and Wellness Efforts. Retrieved from https://www.dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc.cfm?doc_name=fs-111-1-86.

Whitney, S. (2018). Grand Canyon University (Ed). Trends in Health Care: A Nursing Perspective. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/#/chapter/1