4b Healthcare Flashcards
What is complementary medicine/ alternative therapies? Give some examples
- defined as a group of diverse medical and health care practices and products that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine
- home made
ie lemon and honey for a sore throat - Commercial
ie st johns wort for depression - Self administered practices (ie meditation)
- therapies delivered by a practitioner (ie acupuncture)
what is the clinical iceberg?
- the professional health service only treats a very small fraction of the total burden of ill health
what are the implications of the clinical iceberg?
- studies using only health service data use will grossly underestimate the burden of ill health in society
-the value of conventional health services may be enhanced by recognizing more explicitly the value of different approaches (eg there are situations when alternatives to healthcare services are more appropriate) - most healthcare is self care
what is the Kaiser pyramid
- it is a model that depicts the care of people with long term health conditions
-at the wide bottom there are 70-80% of the people with long term conditions. These have a high percentage of self care.
- in the middle there are people who are high risk cases, they have equally shared care.
- at the top there are complex cases with comorbidities, these have a high percentage of professional care
draw the kaiser pyramid
Medication sale restrictions: vitamins and supplements
- these are classed as a food supplement and regulated under the Food Safety Act
- ie vitamin C
Medication sale restrictions: traditional herbal registration
- some herbal remedies have restricted access (ie prescription only) but most are on general sale
ie St Johns Wort
Medication sale restrictions: General sales list
- available on open shelves ie supermarkets
ie paracetamol
Medication sale restrictions: Pharmacy list
- can be sold under the supervision of a pharmacist
ie ranitidine
Medication sale restrictions: Prescription only medication
- only available with a prescription
ie flucloxacillin
Medication sale restrictions: controlled drug
- only available with a detailed prescription.
- stored in a locked cupboard with record of distribution maintained
-eg diamorphine
Give 3 examples of ways in which health services now try to support self care
- TELEHEALTH
the use of devices at home to measure patients vital signs (ie BP, blood glucose) and convey that information to health care services. Health car professionals can contact a patient if results become abnormal - EXTRA CARE HOUSING
A type of adapted housing that is designed to support older people with higher levels of needs to live at home - TRAINING PAITENTS IN SELF MANAGEMENT
ie expert patient programme
How did Freidson describe family care?
-Freidson described how people ten to discuss medical issues with friends/family/colleagues before seeking professional advice. This lay referral system is used for:
- interpreting symptoms
- reassurance
- seeking advice about a remedy
- seeking a referral to another lay person or professional (ie you should talk to..)
What does community care mean in the UK?
- As well as forming an important part of the lay referral system the term community care has taken on different meanings in different countries
- in the UK the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 led to large scale relocation of people with mental illness out of large psychiatric hospitals and into sheltered housing or small local hostels
What are the main functions of self help groups?
- increasing number sof self help groups exisit, nearly for every conceivable disease
- they conduct a number of functions
- source of information on disease
- Connect people with the condition
- raise funds to support research
- lobby government and clinicians for prioritisation of the disease/ needs of affected people
Note some self help groups might receive considerable funds ie from pharmaceutical agencies