PUBH6003 Health systems and Economics: Diabetes in Australia

Assessment Description:

Public health professionals must work across various sectors and with key stakeholders such as other professionals and community groups in order to improve health outcomes. Often, these stakeholders have competing interests and conflicting ideas about health, and about what would be the most effective ways to meet public health needs and outcomes. Stakeholders may not even share the same values related to improving public health. In some cases, using a systems thinking or intersectoral approach may pose many challenges for implementation.

To prepare for this assessment, choose one public health issue (e.g. obesity, a chronic disease) in

yo any country origin for which it is obvious that a systems thinking approach has not been, or is not being, applied.

• Describe the public health
• Explain the roles of stakeholders, both within the health system and in other sectors in addressing this
• Drawing on research evidence, explain the obstacles that are preventing the application of a systems thinking approach to this
• Based on the literature, offer suggestions (e.g. new governance arrangements) for how a systems thinking approach could be applied to this

Proper control of this infection reduces the risk of stroke and heart attacks among patients. In Australia, diabetes is considered as a chronic health condition which means in a controlled situation it can restore life. The most common type of diabetes which affects people in Australia includes diabetes type 1 and diabetes type 2. Type 1 diabetes which is also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes is mostly diagnosed in children and teenagers. This type of diabetes occurs when the beta cell in the pancreas fails to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the common type of diabetes which infects people of all age even children. This kind of diabetes starts when the body of the patients resists insulin, a condition in which fats, muscles, and the liver cells do not utilize insulin properly (Lee et al., 2013). People who are overweight and inactive which means they do not participate in physical exercises are at very high risk of been infected by type 2 diabetes. Treatment of this health hazard includes taking diabetes medicines and drugs, having a controlled diet and exercising regularly.

Role of Stakeholders within Healthcare System in Addressing Diabetes in Australia

Various stakeholders play vital roles and responsibilities in treating diabetes in Australia. The first group of these stakeholders includes healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals play a crucial role in providing proper care for patients who are suffering from diabetes, and they enhance self-care management among diabetic patients in Australia (Brownson, 2017). Healthcare professionals in Australia are charged with the role of giving prevention advice to patients through use of behavior change and health coaching techniques. Nurses and other physicians ensure that they screen citizens in Australia more often so that they can be able to detect this infection in early stages. It is also necessary that healthcare professionals promote self-care among patients in such a way that patients are able to take good care of their health condition. The Australian government is another stakeholder which should actively participate in addressing the diabetes issue in the country. The government should create awareness in which people are warned about some risk factor which contributes to diabetes. It should also ensure that people participate in public education in which they are told about some prevention measures which they can apply to control and manage this infection. The patient is also a key stakeholder in prevention of diabetes (Parkinson & Parker, 2013). They should ensure that they adhere to all the medication and treatments as advised by healthcare professionals. Patients should also ensure that they take balanced diets which do not expose them to the risk of this infection and they should also participate in a physical exercise to reduce complications which are associated with diabetes

Obstacles That Prevent Application of System Thinking Approach to Prevention of Diabetes

There are various obstacles which makes it difficult for the use of system thinking approach in the prevention of diabetes in Australia.  In Australia, a large number of the population is infected with diabetes and thus managing and controlling it becomes complex in such a way that a system thinking approach cannot be practical to address the health hazard (Eldredge et al., 2016). Instead of applying the system thinking approach, successful diabetes management and monitoring requirements that people in the country create new habits in response to medication and treatments which healthcare professionals give them and that they change their lifestyle which includes the types of diets they take and participate in physical exercises more regularly. Another obstacle which is making application of system thinking approach more difficult to apply to address diabetes in Australia is self-licensing.  Mostly the situation occurs in cases where patients accomplish their goals of having balanced diet and participating in physical activities (Matheson et al., 2013). Self-licensing is a very powerful situation which makes it hard for application of system thinking approach. The nature of this infection does not allow for the use of a system thinking approach. This is because this infection is made up of various types which are hard to diagnose and multiple things cause them.

New Governance on How a System Thinking Approach Can Be Applied To Address Diabetes in Australia

There is an establishment of new governance in Australia which makes it possible to use a system thinking approach to treat diabetes in the country. These governance includes identifying and clarifying the problem. In diabetes prevention, it means that stakeholders who are part of the system thinking approach go deep in the identification of the leading cause of this health hazard and they clarify the problem so that patients can understand their health situation (Bailie, Matthews, Brands & Schierhout, 2013).  System thinking approach should also ensure that there is an increase in productive discussion in which individuals are made aware of things which they should avoid to reduce the risk of this infection and also to reduce health complications which are associated with diabetes. Enhancing inquiry and challenges preconceived ideas is another governance which can be applied. System thinking approach should also be able to break complex problems into small, simple problems which are easy to handle (Galletly et al., 2016). Health officers should be in a position of identifying the types of diabetes through consideration of the potentials signs and symptoms and advising patients respectively on the possible mechanisms of curing and preventing.

References

Bailie, R., Matthews, V., Brands, J., & Schierhout, G. (2013). A systems-based partnership learning model for strengthening primary healthcare. Implementation Science, 8(1), 143.

Brownson, R. C. (2017). Dissemination and implementation research in health: translating science to practice. Oxford University Press.

Eldredge, L. K. B., Markham, C. M., Ruiter, R. A., Kok, G., Fernandez, M. E., & Parcel, G. S. (2016). Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. John Wiley & Sons.

Galletly, C., Castle, D., Dark, F., Humberstone, V., Jablensky, A., Killackey, E., ... & Tran, N. (2016). Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for the management of schizophrenia and related disorders. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 50(5), 410-472.

Lee, C. M. Y., Colagiuri, R., Magliano, D. J., Cameron, A. J., Shaw, J., Zimmet, P., & Colagiuri, S. (2013). The cost of diabetes in adults in Australia. Diabetes research and clinical practice, 99(3), 385-390.

Matheson, G. O., Klügl, M., Engebretsen, L., Bendiksen, F., Blair, S. N., Börjesson, M., ... & Khan, K. M. (2013). Prevention and management of non-communicable disease: the IOC consensus statement, Lausanne 2013. Br J Sports Med, 47(16), 1003-1011.

Nankervis, A., McIntyre, H. D., Moses, R. G., Ross, G. P., & Callaway, L. K. (2013). Testing for gestational diabetes mellitus in Australia. Diabetes Care, 36(5), e64-e64.

Parkinson, A. M., & Parker, R. (2013). Addressing chronic and complex conditions: what evidence is there regarding the role primary healthcare nurses can play?. Australian Health Review, 37(5), 588-593.