Long-Term Illnesses: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments - Essay Sample

Abstract

Long term condition (LTC) refers to a particular condition in a patient that cannot be cured at present. however, such illnesses can always be controlled by various medications and therapy programs (Department of Health, 2012). The name long term condition is synonymous with chronic diseases, and the most widely known chronic disorders include epilepsy, diabetes, heart diseases, chronic pains, mental illness, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and asthma (Bellamy and Booker, 2004; Gold 2010). Typically, the department of health has lately prioritized issues concerning long term conditions, primarily intending to allow future organizations (Gillespie, 2010). This is because studies have indicated that the needs of the patients who are suffering from the LTC have rampantly changed over time depending on their various health conditions.

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Introduction: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Long term conditions are usually intricate and the group of patients who usually tend to suffer from a varied range of chronic diseases often gets into risks of suffering from other chronic conditions as well (Department of Health, 2017). This is because, when one is suffering from chronic conditions, more complications usually sets in, which is more likely to affect the general activities of one's daily life (ADL's). Imperatively, this has always left such patients in great danger of easily contracting other diseases thus hardening their general way of living. Studies ascertain that a patient is more likely to suffer from chronic related illnesses without getting any form of relief. Due to such reasons, is easily becomes an acute user of NHS (National Health Service) that has so far attributed to approximately 80% of all practitioner consultants. Out of this, NHS has about 80% of the total inpatient beds and a whole 40% for outpatient appointment medication purposes [Office of National Statistics, 2002]. These statistics are of great importance because in one way or the other, they influence the primary and acute care periodical budgets by healthcare institutions and even the national governments in the UK regions. In fact, according to the Department of Health, around 69% of the total budget usually carter for the treatment and care of long-term conditions.

In response to this tragedy, the National Health Service in the UK is currently putting more effort to ensure that a proper delivery system that is more effective and efficient is made available for the patients suffering from LTC. This is governed by the organization's vision of ensuring that in the future, every individual in the society can access good quality community healthcare. This will in turn motivate and encourage the patients to administer and partake personal care plans at individual levels, as a plan to improve the care and attention offered to people with LTCs. The aim has been a long time wish by the patients with LTCs, to have an effective and safe delivered service, done either at home or in their communities.

In this discussion, a case study of a woman with a comorbid LTC will be reviewed and a proper management mechanism derived for the patient. However, for confidentiality and privacy, I would use a pseudonym name Oliver, which is not his real name, as per the policies and guidelines provided by (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2015). About five years ago, Oliver underwent a diagnosis process of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Oliver was continuously admitted and discharged from the hospital on several occasions, as his condition changed from worse to better and better to worse for a long period. His family lived some miles away from the hospital; thus, it was practically uneasy to have frequent visits and offer any kind of relevant care that would be needed. At certain moments, Oliver even missed some of the scheduled medications, when he failed to turn up in healthcare. The family and doctors or nurses in control had plans of granting Oliver home care, in a place where they could easily offer him the necessary forms of care assistance. However, the doctor supported the idea but on one condition that the family had to hire a full-time nurse to help him with the home care activities and make relevant follow-ups.

Pathophysiology

COPD is recognized by its first characteristic of making a patient have a restricted airflow and a simultaneous persistent inflammatory reaction that is experienced in the airways, lungs in the presence of toxic particles and gases. It is always important that the diagnosis decision is explored and evaluated widely to ensure that the correct COPD diagnosis is being granted because there is a higher likelihood of confusing this with the symptoms of asthma (Walters et al. 2011). Asthma and COPD, are two different types of illnesses that usually tend to have a series of similarities in their symptoms, hence the derivation of a preferable and most relevant diagnosis process usually becomes hectic and a vital challenge. Nevertheless, thanks to the fact that, the two also have some primary differences which can be used to select the best diagnosis (Nepal & Bhattarai, 2008).

After the completion of the diagnosis process for Oliver there was a need to assess his educational and personal needs, as this was of great significance in determining the best treatment care plans for her. In this case, the family was helpful and they even employed to operate as their full-time nurse, so I was supposed to take care of his medical needs. His doctor further released him into home-based treatment care, and it was my second chance to care for a patient with COPD, although every patient is usually unique, and so be it the care. To manage the process, I was accurately briefed by the doctor who previously in charge concerning his conditions and personal needs or choices.

One of the national survey firms in the UK that are concerned with issues of COPD noted that the available services for providing care and managing patients with chronic diseases were very limited because there were only a few specialists or respiratory nurses at the community level. The community-based national survey further stated that there was also a regular mismatch between the services that were being offered to the patients with COPD, and the pieces of evidence for the effectiveness of those services (Bartley 2012). Moreover, the documentation of the past treatment and diagnosis plans by the community specialists are not available. As a recommendation, such data needs to be documented and stored well, so that the information is always readily available at any time of need by the health practitioners and policymakers.

Pharmacology

The first step was to gather and record all the necessary pieces of information for Oliver in the most accurate manner. In pursuit of achieving this objective, I decided to use the acronym SOFTMASH, which is an abbreviation for Symptoms, occupation, family histories, potential triggers and treatment plans, medication, atrophy, allergy and activity and finally history (Cornforth, 2012). The information obtained from this set, was helpful as I used to make any holistic clarifications and provide medication suggestions to the family whenever they need inquiries. Oliver, in his state was not able to engage in-home activities as recorded by the neighbor, due to the effects of COPD. For this reason, he often suffered from anxiety and depressions, which consequently triggered his condition, both mentally and physically. A loss of weight is a shred of typical evidence due to the effect of anxiety and depression. I suggested that Oliver gets subjected to many therapeutic plans and supplemented medication to assist him in coping better. His family took the steps and ordered for a community pharmacist and a psychologist. In collaboration with all these partners, Oliver was in a good position because he received the care, attention, therapy, and counseling that he needed. This included offering him an informed explanation of his condition on the medication.

Earlier, he had retreated himself and never wanted to be part of any ongoing medication activities. On most occasions, he was repellant and never even considered opening the door for anybody who made inquiries about his ongoing, although his sister never gave up and continued to listen to his sentiments and concerns accordingly. In the position of a caregiver, I further suggested that Oliver be placed under a self-management program, as a way of granting him more control and giving him a chance to have exerted more confidence in himself.

Psychological Implications and Responses

A self-management support is necessary for improving the well-being of a person with LTC, by reducing the various corresponding health inequalities concerning the provision of custom-made evaluation for the self-management program fundamental requirements:

• Obtaining all the (SOFTMASH) related information, cultural, educational, and personal preferences for developing the self-management support program.
• Engaging in the assessment system to deliver the patient's self-management objectives.
• Providing goals for self-management support.
• Ascertaining that the Oliver is part of the arrangement for the self-management support program.
• Setting aside a multidisciplinary body, whose aim is to explicitly explain the various concepts and ideas of the self-management plan, and
• Ensuring that the updates or any other vital piece of information are shared with the consented individuals to promote the privacy of personal health information (PHI).

Besides, strategies should be laid to factor out some other potential ways that individuals with long-term conditions can form part of the other patient’s support as a manner of improving a Collaborative Improving Self-Management Support is also essential. The primary benefit of offering a self-management program is that, it can empower long-term condition patients. Other scientists and researchers refer to it as ‘The Expert Patient Programme’ (Lloyd and Heller, 2012). The self-management practices offered by the EPP is also underpinned by Social Cognitive Theory (Randall and Ford, 2011). Ideally, the introduction of the EPP has resulted in imperative changes and progresses mainly to the patients suffering from psychological or physical problems. Van Grieken et al (2013) suggested that regardless of the success guaranteed by the self-management support, program, the benefits can only be realized in the presence of health professionals, due to their extensive research and understanding of the enthusiasm and confidence roles. The same idea was supported by (Piette et al 2013) who noted that, if the time taken by a health professional can be reduced in the control of a self-management support program, then it is more likely that depression instances can be triggered gradually back to their initial states (Harrild 2010).

The online platforms and websites that offer both education and practical knowledge and skills about self-management support are more beneficial compared to the ones which primarily offer information or education alone. Researchers have found self-management education to be so productive in an array of areas, such as but not limited to: provision of better coping mechanisms, provision of adherence, improvement of self-efficacy, managing COPD symptoms accurately and improvement of the quality of care to the LTC patients.

Oliver in support of his sister, fully engaged in the self-management program. This was evidenced by the fact that Oliver resumed his interest in playing the piano, that had before the complications of COPD. The positive response from the program was only a short-term, hence more promising positi...