Tutorial 2 Flashcards
What is the definition of sustainability and how might it apply to health and healthcare?
Sustainability is the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level
Application to healthcare: low carbon clinical care and environment, also ability of the NHS to be maintained over time.
Why is a sustainable health service necessary?
Low carbon clinical care would be: better at preventing conditions eg contraceptives, sanitation, hygiene. give greater responsibility to patients in managing their care eg looking at medicines. leaner in service design and delivery eg combine clinics, no poorly targeted investigations. use lowest carbon technologies eg best environmental profiles, reduce transport via video calls etc
Reduces costs and better for environment
What are some of the differences in national policies aiming to achieve a sustainable health service?
England - gradual privatisation, which Scotland is against
New GP contract in Scotland to promote sustainability
How might sustainability relate to a career in medicine?
In order to maintain a career in such a highly demanding job such as medicine, it requires that the job role leads itself to being sustainable, as well as the work lead for the practitioner being sustainable too. This allows the practitioner to stay in the job role, meaning less stress on the NHS and for patients
What is personal resilience, how can it be affected positively and negatively affected and how does this impact career sustainability?
Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness, or the ability to spring back into shape; elasticity
A persons ability to resist adversity without resulting in physical or psychological disability
+ve = adaptation, self efficacy, self control, self regulation, planning, perseverance, support networks, reflection, assertiveness, time management, work life balance
- ve = stress, high expectations, pressure, time demands, perfectionism, procrastination
Without resilience, one may find a career in medicine unsustainable leading to burnout
How is occupational health relevant to primary care?
May get a lot of patients who do not wish to be at work for whatever reason and have to be comfortable when to refer and when to handle in primary care
Using shortened occupational history: can prescribe symptomatic relief, write fit notes or refer to occupational health
What is the nature of an occupational health history?
Chronological list of all the patient’s employment with the intention of determining whether work has caused ill health, exacerbated an existing health problem or has ill health had an impact on the patient’s capacity to work
What are Fit Notes?
Purpose is to facilitate earlier discussion about returning to work and about rehabilitation. Now includes items of consideration for employers when signing a patient’s return to work. Only completed by a doctor. Advice only, not binding and does not affect statutory sick pay. Required if patient off more than 7 consecutive days.
Options: Phased return to work Altered hours Amended duties Workplace adaptation
What can the effects of unemployment be on health?
Higher mortality
Poorer general health, long standing illness, limiting long standing illness
Poorer mental health, psychological distress, minor psychological/psychiatric morbidity
Higher medical consultation, medication consumption and hospital admission rates
