W19 Disease Prevention- Intervention Flashcards
What is Disease prevention?
Involves actions to reduce or eliminate exposure to risks that might increase the chances that an individual or group will incur disease, disability, or premature death
Some risk factors for disease and disability are amenable to change (such as personal habits), while others (such as genetic endowment and family history) are not
What is Health promotion? (definition)
Health promotion involves the development of behaviours that improve bodily functioning and enhance an individual’s ability to adapt to a changing environment
Why is disease prevention important?
- According to the WHO, 80% of chronic diseases are preventable.
- Lifestyle choices have more impact on health and longevity than anything else.
- The major contributors to chronic disease are an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and tobacco use.
- Making healthier choices reduces the risk of early ill health and diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, respiratory disease and mental ill-health.
What are some healthy living habits (rec by pharmacists)?
Eat a healthy diet
Maintain a healthy weight
Be active on most days
Don’t smoke or use tobacco
Limit alcohol
What are some key pharmacist roles in disease prevention?
- Public awareness campaigns
-Provision of leaflets / resources
*Opportunistic counselling / advice with signposting
-Make every contact count (MECC)
*Delivering advanced services e.g. stopsmoking
Obesity facts (for info)
*Global obesity rates have tripled since 1975, and the UK ranks among the
worst in Europe
*A third of children leaving primary school are overweight or obese and, on
average, consume up to 500 extra calories per day.
*Obesity and poor diet are linked with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure,
high cholesterol and increased risk of respiratory, musculoskeletal and liver
diseases.
* Obese people are also at increased risk of certain cancers, including being
three times more likely to develop colon cancer.
Alcohol facts (for info)
*Alcohol is the cause of around 1500 deaths a year in Wales
*Alcohol related deaths are higher in the most deprived areas of Wales
*Estimated cost of £1 billion of harm to society
*Alcohol increases the risk of conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer and liver disease. It can also cause emotional and relationship
problems
*The immediate risks of heavy drinking include alcohol poisoning and harm from accidents, violence and self-harm.
*All put substantial pressure on the NHS
Alcohol in Wales
The Welsh Health Survey in 2015 found that:
40 per cent of adults reported drinking above the previous recommended daily
guidelines
* Including around a quarter (24 per cent) who reported binge drinking.
* People, however, do not necessarily drink at these levels regularly.
* Around 15% of adults reported that they were non drinkers.
Risks of Alcohol:
*Alcohol increases the risk of conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer and liver disease. It can also cause emotional and relationship problems
*The immediate risks of heavy drinking include alcohol poisoning and harm from accidents, violence and self-harm.
*All put substantial pressure on the NHS
What is the recommended amount of alcohol that a person should drink in a week?
Spread over how many days?
- No more than 14 units of alcohol, spread over 3 days or more in the week
- If people want to cut down, they should try having several drink-free days each week
Women who are pregnant shouldn’t drink
How smoking can harm the body:
Heart- Doubles the risk of having a heart attack
Lungs- Causes lung cancer and COPD
Circulation- Increases blood pressure and heart rate
Bones- Can cause bones to become weak and brittle
Brain- Increases risk of stroke by at least 50%
Fertility- Can make it harder to conceive
What is Making Every Contact Count-MECC?
MECC is simply a chat about health.
A quick conversation can start a patient on the right path to making healthier choices
-With a focus on what a person thinks they may be able to do to make a positive change to their lifestyle.
What is the simple 3 As approach that can be used undertaking a brief health chat?
*ASK individuals about their lifestyle and changes they may wish to make, when there is an appropriate opportunity to do so
*ADVISE appropriately on the lifestyle issue/s once raised
*ACT by offering information, signposting or referring individuals to the support
they need.
What was the Antimicrobial Stewardship Campaign 2021?
Aims to support community pharmacists and patients in joining the fight against antibiotic resistance
*CPs ideally placed to advise patients on the importance of only taking antibiotics when their prescriber advises and that antibiotics don’t work for colds and other viral infections
*An antibiotic checklist can be used to ensure the antibiotic is appropriate and prescribed safely and to ensure that patients are aware of key messages around antibiotics
Benefits of quitting smoking:
*Stopping smoking saves money. Stopping smoking 20 cigarettes a day will save you over £2,000 a year.
*Within 3 days your taste and smell will start to improve, breathing will become easier and energy levels increase. After 1 year the risk of you having a heart attack will fall to half that of a smoker.
