Assignment 2: Course Project—Plan to Address Health Issue

Running Head: RESEACH PAPER 1

Plan to Address Health Issue

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Date

Introduction

Evidence-based practice refers to the integration of clinical expertise, research evidence, and application of patient values during the process of making decisions for the care of clients and patients. The practices have been tested and studied comprehensively to ensure that they are conscientious and explicit for the provision of the best care to the patients (Baker & Tickle-Degnen 2014). In the case of the two previously exposed campaigns, project action and teens stopping AIDS in Sacramento there is need to assess the strategies put forward and evaluate whether they are in line with evidence-based practice.

A comparison and contrast of the campaign strategies with evidence-based practice

The strategies which were employed by the two campaigns have some similarity as well as differences in different perspectives. The campaign strategies were divided into phases which are similar to the evidence-based practice. For example, in teens stopping Aids campaign, the first phase is to describe the problem which had led to the conduction of the campaign (Fisher et al., 2014). Similarly, in evidence-based practice, the first thing which is done is to ask a question which provides the problem of the patient or client. Other similar phases include evaluation, planning, and selection of the best interventions.

On the other hand, there is some difference between the campaign's strategies and evidence based care. The two campaigns are employing a group of people who are involved in decision making who represent many groups in the population of interest. However, the nurse for example in evidence-based care is the one who uses their expertise and refers to the documented scientific evidence and then decide what is best for the patient but of course in collaboration with the patients who are being cared for (Rundle, 2014).

Adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the strategies proposed

Prevention of Aids transmission is not a simple task and therefore comprehensive and suitable strategies needed to be adopted, implemented and ensure that they remain active and in use in preventing further cases of infection. The primary focus strategy of the two campaigns was behavioral change. This aspect is supreme in determining whether the policies proposed will be adopted, implemented and maintained in the community or not (Kalichman, 2014).

Through heavy campaigning, the aim was to provide information about the disease, reduce stigma, enhance the accessibility of services, delaying the first onset of sex, reducing the number of sexual partners among others all of which are part of the behavior that needed to be changed. Other than that, provision of comprehensive information was vital to ensuring that the strategies were adopted and maintained by the community (Cordner, 2014). This was done by making sure that all necessary parties affected were involved in their formulation as well as implementation to ensure that no resistance was faced from any group.

The plans were had a relative advantage in that it provided a strong link and efficient way to evaluate other interventions in the community. This was unlike the previous strategies which had failed to provide this linkage that affected how they were adopted and implemented. For example, the use of condoms had not been well informed about, and therefore teens continued to contract aids despite using the condoms due to poor usage (Wates, 2014). The plans also had triability as the youths could get the information and services easily and even recommended to their friends about the strategies of curbing aids.

Appropriate working group for implementation of strategies

Implementation of the policies proposed is a very critical step as it determines whether the goals of the strategies will be met or not. The largest influence on the application and in particular for a social campaign is the representation of all the parties affected by the problem and ensuring that they are in agreement with the strategies which are proposed (Wates, 2014). Failure to do so will only see the project failing no matter how good and suitable it is.

The working group appropriate in ensuring the implementation of the strategy shall be composed of aids patients, faith groups, civic organizations, parents, youths as well as health and education representatives. These representatives should be recruited through a volunteer program and well trained to ensure they can be able to influence the implementation of the strategies (Hardin, 2014). Also, to make sure that the correct and most appropriate group is chosen, they should be vetted and determine whether they are fit for the task at hand. Also, the group should be provided with technical assistance, and research support from organizations with good know-how and resources to coordinate the support process for the representatives.

Conclusion

Since all parties which are influential in the implementation process are involved, the strategy is having a relative advantage in that the link with the community is strengthened and the chances of success are high. Nevertheless, the strategy will still have a tough task of ensuring that the whole process of implementation and maintenance takes root in the society and that behavior change shall occur to favor the outcome.

References

Hardin, J. G. (2014). Father involvement and academic achievement in parenting teen girls (Doctoral dissertation, California State University, Sacramento).

Braun, B., Brown, V., & Sarkar, M. (2014). A Study of the Teens Take On Health Initiative.

Kalichman, S. C. (2014). Preventing AIDS: A sourcebook for behavioral interventions. Psychology Press.

Kaufman, M. R., Cornish, F., Zimmerman, R. S., & Johnson, B. T. (2014). Health behavior change models for HIV prevention and AIDS care: practical recommendations for a multi-level approach. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 66, S250-S258.

Wates, N. (2014). The Community Planning Handbook: How people can shape their cities, towns & villages in any part of the world. Routledge.

Cordner, G. (2014). Community policing. The Oxford handbook of police and policing, 148-171.

Baker, N., & Tickle-Degnen, L. (2014). Evidence-based practice. Willard and Spackman’s occupational therapy, 12th edn. Lippincott, Philadelphia, 398-412.

Fisher, A. L., Mahadasu, S., Ayuk, P., Unterscheider, J., O’Donoghue, K., Malone, F. D., ... & Rundle, S. (2014). Evidence based practice. Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal Edition, 99(1), A107-A108.