Health planning frameworks and implementation strategies

Health Planning

Heart disease today is one of the most significant ailments among the Western population. There are a number of factors contributing to this. A combination of inactivity and a tendency to overindulge in substances such as sugary and fatty foods, for example, creates a platform for the increased likelihood of heart disease.

The main goal of this effort is to determine ways in which existing programmes in the Campbelltown LGA can be used to implement heart disease recovery programmes. A further goal is to provide as much community support as possible for people recovering from the condition. To accomplish this, the objective is first to identify the potential of existing prevention programmes to accommodate a recovery element as well. Second, it will be determined whether additional programmes are in fact needed to provide assistance to persons who are recovering from heart disease.

It was found that, while existing programmes do address prevantitive measures in terms of heart disease, few exist in the LGA to address the needs of those who have in fact undergone heart surgery.

The recommendation is therefore that a strategic plan be developed to incorporate both post- and pre-heart disease programmes to support all the persons in the LGA who are suffering as a result of heart disease.

Introduction

Heart disease today is one of the most significant ailments among the Western population. There are a number of factors contributing to this. A combination of inactivity and a tendency to overindulge in substances such as sugary and fatty foods, for example, creates a platform for the increased likelihood of heart disease. In addition, heart disease also occurs to persons with a genetic family history of the condition, in which case preventative programmes would make occurrence less likely, but not eliminate the possibility altogether. Although many programmes have been implemented to focus on dealing with heart disease and its causes, most of these focus on preventing heart disease by means of exercise and diet. However, few community programmes exist to help individuals recover from heart surgery. This report will therefore focus specifically upon the Campbelltown LGA in Australia in order to suggest how existing programmes can be used to integrate recovery from heart disease as part of their function.

1. GOALS and OBJECTIVES

The main goal of this effort is to determine ways in which existing programmes in the LGA can be used to implement heart disease recovery programmes. A further goal is to provide as much community support as possible for people recovering from the condition. To accomplish this, the objective is first to identify the potential of existing prevention programmes to accommodate a recovery element as well. Second, it will be determined whether additional programmes are in fact needed to provide assistance to persons who are recovering from heart disease.

As mentioned, most community programmes in the Campbelltown LGA are focused upon preventing heart disease rather than recovering from it. The main reason for this is the current trend towards healthier lifestyles to promote a better quality of life and health in general. Because heart disease remains a common issue, these programmes are often focused specifically upon prevention efforts.

The Australian Government (2010), for example, provides a number of programmes by means of which Australians can ensure their health. One of these is the National Heart Foundation of Australia, which provides a programme known as Heart Foundation Walking (HFW). This is a typical prevention programme, which provides communities with the opportunity partake in weekly walking groups. Participation is offered free of charge, and is led by a Walk Organiser for each community, while groups are coordinated by an Area Coordinator.

The programme also provides professional development opportunities, support materials, merchandise, reading materials, and promotional tools. In addition, recognition and incentives are offered for regular participation.

Heartmoves is a similar programme, offered by the National Heart Foundation's NSW Division. This programme includes low-to-moderate intensity exercises for small groups. Exercises are designed to safely develop strength and fitness, as well as balance and stretching.

Both these programmes can be redesigned to include and element for recovering heart disease patients. These persons can, for example, be grouped together to provide support for each other during their training efforts. Furthermore, this can be a good basis not only for physical well-being, but also for building friendships and obtaining personal support from like-minded individuals.

In order to include this extra element, administrators and professionals will have to work closely with the hospitals and doctors involved in providing treatment for the recovering persons. Furthermore participants recovering from heart disease need to be carefully monitored during their training efforts to ensure their continual health and safety when participating in the programme. This can be done with the help of medical personnel to lead and supervise the training, while individual participants should also monitor themselves and each other.

An additional community programme that can be offered is a support group or similar gathering, during which participants can discuss the challenges they face, the difficulties of the recovering process, and obtain information on how to ensure a smooth recovery. Information offered at these sessions can include elements like those provided by the FamilyDoctor.org (2010) Website and the Cleveland Clinic (2010).

Information in this regard offers advice on lifestyle choices such as exercise, not smoking, and avoiding certain foods. For many, particularly those who have followed a habitual lifestyle of unhealthy choices, these choices could be difficult, and community support is vital. Hence a recovery support group will provide individuals with the necessary psychological and moral support to create and maintain a healthier lifestyle for a longer life. These support groups can then be valuably supplemented by means of the exercise programmes, as mentioned above.

Finally, the Internet is a valuable source of communication and community contact. Online groups can be used to supplement group meetings and gatherings. These can also be used to forge friendships and offer support where needed.

Another important aspect that can be taken into account is the demographic groups affected by heart disease. Bertola (2010), for example, suggests that women in Australia are particularly susceptible to heart disease. This is why Campbelltown Hospital implemented a support programme for the Heart Foundation's annual Go Red for Women campaign. This campaign provides information regarding the risk factors women face in terms of heart disease, as well as what can be done to prevent it.

2. NEEDS ASSESSMENT

According to the Campbelltown City Council (2010), there is a significant number of health risk factors among the residents of the Campbelltown LGA Indeed, the health risk rate in this area is somewhat higher than that for the rest of the country, with higher premature and avoidable mortality than for the rest of the country. In addition to higher psychological distress levels, a further factor is a lower level of private health insurance. There is therefore a higher demand for public health services. The implication is that more programmes to focus on the impacts of heart disease are necessary to help people not only act preventatively, but also to make healthier choices to ensure longevity after the occurrence of a cardiac event.

Currently, there is a quality framework and registration system in place to help ensure the quality of services provided via the Healthy Communities Initiative. In the case of heart disease, this is particularly important, because a lack of proper quality and standards could mean the difference between life and death, particularly for persons who have already suffered a cardiac event.

2.1 Review of Data

Current demographic data suggests that, as mentioned above, heart disease kills four times the number of women as breast cancer does. Specifically, this means that more than 11,000 women per years die of heart disease (Bertola, 2010). At the same time, the awareness of this factor is somewhat low among citizens, suggesting the need for informative community programs to help women protect themselves against preventable risk factors.

The main reason for this lack of awareness is the fact that women are misinformed about heart disease, along with a general community assumption that only older men are at risk, with the indicators of the disease being obvious. Neither of these is in fact the case. While the Campbelltown hospital participates in a yearly campaign to raise awareness, the data appears to suggest that this is not sufficient to reach all who need to be informed about the risks. Indeed, the campaign was generally focused upon hospital visitors and personnel. While this is a good beginning, certainly more needs to be done to reach a wider community of persons, particularly because heart disease is a particular risk factor in Campbelltown.

Here also, the Internet provides a valuable opportunity for informing a wider community about risk factors. Indeed, if the hospital's effort can be combined with online and offline support and exercise groups, this would integrate the opportunities that people have to obtain information about following a good diet, quitting harmful habits like smoking, and exercising.

The Better Health Channel (2010) can be used as a model in this regard. It provides a list of foods that can promote heart disease, and of those that can protect the individual against it. Research has suggested that a small intake of alcohol can also play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease.

Maslen (2010) even suggests that dark chocolate could potentially reduce the risk factors that lead to heart disease. Although unconventional wisdom, the author cites research by a Melbourne university, which suggested that dark chocolate contains antioxidants that decrease the effect of free radicals in the blood, thus promoting a healthier heart.

In short, the population in the Campbelltown LGA is at particular risk from factors that could lead to heart disease. It also follows that, if not treated preventatively, these factors could in fact lead to the necessity for operations or at least a period in the hospital. Most programmes currently focus upon preventing rather than recovering from heart disease. Hence, a specific need for this area is to implement programmes that approach heart disease from the post-operative perspective, while also focusing upon specific demographic and age groups such as women, older men, young people, etc. Support groups should be implemented to supplement the activity groups. Specifically, support groups can focus on healthy habits such as following a good diet, or upon reducing unhealthy habits such as smoking.

2.2 Consult Stakeholders

There are a variety of stakeholders that can be consulted in implementing additional community programmes to help treating heart disease sufferers. The first consultations will then be conducted with administrators of existing programmes, including those in the leadership positions of these programmes. They will be questioned regarding the viability of using the existing programme platform to include additional elements into existing programmes. On a wider scale, medical professionals will also be consulted for input on the needs of the community regarding the proposed programmes. Representatives of the Heart Foundation and the hospital in the area will be consulted for recommendations on implementing new programmes.

Consumer groups will also be consulted regarding their perception of the heart disease problem in the Campbelltown community, and on the possibility of using existing facilities for group meetings and the like.

Finally, members of the community will be approached with questions regarding their experience of heart disease, whether they perceive themselves to be at risk, and what they consider to be risk factors. Also, questions will include the proposed need for support groups to support healthy habits and the need for Internet sites to provide further information and support. It is, for example, possible that not all community members will be inclined towards meeting in a group, but that they will prefer to meet online in a "virtual" capacity.

2.3 New Data

It has been suggested above that new data indicates the potential of limited alcohol use and dark chocolate to reduce risk factors associated with heart disease. These are important findings, as they can provide the community with additional means of promoting health while fighting the disease.

Furthermore, consultations will be held with university departments to determine the likelihood of these findings, and whether more investigations have been made into the validity of the findings. For Campbelltown, specifically, these findings are applicable as the LGA has a high rate of risk factors for heart disease. Furthermore, experts will also be consulted regarding the viability of these findings for promoting the health of post-operative heart disease patients.