Response to Erin Langmead
Yes, I agree with that disease prevention results in significance improvements in the longevity and quality of life. However, the function of prevention in the U.S health system is not convincing at all. Less than five percent of the U.S’ healthcare expenses are for prevention of diseases and injuries as compared to the about 80 percent of the country’s health care expenditure being put in treating persons with serious conditions. The use of tobacco takes billions of dollars while obesity results in loss of productivity among those with the condition. However, the U.S health care system is unable to implement prevention programs fully due to a number of barriers. The barriers of prevention programs are divided into four categories, namely taxation and cost issues, demographic issues, political barriers, and personal barriers.
Response to Jenna Johnson
However, raising taxation on alcohol and tobacco only minimizes consumption of these substances. However, unintentional health effects crop up because of the use of illicit and unregulated tobacco and alcoholic products. Second, most developed nations, including the U.S, have huge or growing elderly population that strain health and social services (Caicedo et al.,2020). The U.S health system is forced to use more resources in treating diseases that are prevalent among the elderly than in prevention efforts. Third, political factors put barriers on prevention efforts in the U.S healthcare system. For example, politicians are afraid of putting stringent measures on smoking in public places as it may reduce their popularity and cost their political ambitions.
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Response to Elizabeth LeVeque-Bolt
It is better if we understood it this way. The enablers of prevention programs are availability of resources, the health care professionals, and leaders. For example, if the adequate financial resources are channeled into the U.S health care system, it will be able to implement prevention programs such as health promotion to encourage people to quit smoking and exercise to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Similarly, it is the role of health care professionals to educate the public on the importance of prevention (Houghton et al., 2020). They also educate the public on the various methods of preventing diseases. Political leaders have a huge influence on the people that voted for them, and can use this influence to encourage their people to cooperate with the healthcare system in preventing diseases.
Response to Kristin Bloom
Barriers to implementation can be eliminated in several ways. Instead of rising taxes, and cost issues, the U.S government should fund programs that fight addiction to tobacco and alcohol. Also, demographic barriers to prevention of disease can be mitigated by setting up hospices and care centers to take care of the old other than spending billions of dollars in treating terminal diseases. Political barriers can be eliminated by allowing politicians to make benefice decisions for the good of the public. Personal barriers such as cost and quality and information can be eliminated with adequate health education and promotion (Strickland & Strickland, 1996). Some people cannot implement prevention measures because they are not aware of them. Prevention is better than cure. However, the U.S health care system is barred by several factors from implementing prevention measures. For example, politicians are afraid of making stringent rules and regulation to combat alcoholism and smoking because they reduce their popularity. According to The Power of Prevention (2009), the solution for all these problems is the U.S health care system to respond appropriately by adopting benefice measures.
References
Caicedo, H. H., Hashimoto, D. A., Caicedo, J. C., Pentland, A., & Pisano, G. P. (2020). Overcoming barriers to early disease intervention. Nature Biotechnology , 38 (6), 669-673.
Houghton, C., Meskell, P., Delaney, H., Smalle, M., Glenton, C., Booth, A., ... & Biesty, L. M.
(2020). Barriers and facilitators to healthcare workers’ adherence with infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines for respiratory infectious diseases: a rapid qualitative evidence synthesis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews , (4).
Strickland, J., & Strickland, D. L. (1996). Barriers to Preventive Health Services for Minority
Households in the Rural South. The Journal of Rural Health , 12 (3), 206–217.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-0361.1996.tb00795.x
The power of prevention . (2009). CDC. Retrieved June 1, 2021, from
https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/pdf/2009-power-of-prevention.pdf
