BLOGS | Wong

Blog #1: My Professional Identity

Professionalism is at the heart of long-term success and is at the core of my identity as a nurse.

As a nurse, providing quality services to all clients while maintaining my professional standards is engraved in my everyday practice. My goal is to always ensure that I am demonstrating characteristics of professionalism that encompass my overall conduct, appears and expression of values.

Another key consideration is the evolution of social media platforms and asserting my social media presence in a professional manner. I mainly use my social media outlets for connecting with friends and family. My posting are a reflection of that, it mainly consist of family photos, hobbies and such. However, I am very considerate of my professional standards and recommendations made by the College of Nurses of Ontario in regards to social media conduct. In doing so, I ensure that all interactions are respectful, boundaries and privacy is maintained at all time while using social media outlets. After completing a social media audit, I felt confident that my social media presence was a reflection of professionalism.

My professional value is ensuring that all mental health clients are receiving the highest standards of recovery care. This principle has a cascading effect due to its comprehensive nature as it aims towards ensuring all health services provided encompasses the fundamentals of professionalism.

As a nurse in the health system, I would like to continue advocating and promoting health equality, policy and legislation on a larger scale for Ontarians. Nurses are the most dominating front-line workers in healthcare; they are the backbone of an effective health system and play a critical role in optimizing the health of our families and communities across the country. I think it is paramount to align the values of nursing with essence of the Canadian Health system to ensure that we have proactive approach to health.

Blog #2: Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health continue to have a significant influence on the health of Canadians. Income status, education, social support networks, employment and working conditions, early childhood development, physical environment, personal health practices and coping skills, biological and genetic factors and access to health care are referred to as the social determinants of health (Rainer & Silas, 2012). Increasingly, more awareness is drawn to the factors affecting the quality of life of Canadians accessing our health system. These socio-economic factors are shaping the health of Canadians as guiding force in determining the conditions and circumstances individuals are born, grown, work and live in. Yet, the Canadian health system continues to emphasize the importance of disease prevention and management to the same extent, struggles to advance pathways to reduce the health inequalities among those who may be exposed to higher levels of adverse health effects due to social.

Physicians and other allied health care workers at the front-line of clinical care gained tremendous insight on the impact of social factors that predispose individuals to illness and are important players and potential catalysts of change. With advancement, physicians are employing a growing numbers of clinical decision aids, practice guidelines and other tools to address the social determinants in their day-to-day practice (Andermann & Dphil, 2016).This approach can be widely employed throughout the health filed in providing sensitive care to those experiencing inequalities while promoting and fostering policy and legislation changes and publicly funded health care services to improve the health of all Canadians.

Reference:

Andermann & Dphil. (2016).Taking action on the social determinants of health in clinical practice: a framework for health professionals. Canadian Medical Association Journal. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5135524/

Rainer, R., & Silas, L. (2012). Rich-poor gap is making Canadians sick. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/opinion/public_editor/2012/07/15/richpoor_gap_is_making_canadians_sick.html

Blog #3: Conceptual Framework of Multilevel Influences on Depression

As a mental health professional, I have seen the advancement of Mental Health being pushed to the forefront on the global agenda. Depression has been associated with economic deprivation and often seen as the consequence of poor health. If this relationship were causal and unidirectional, then interventions would be expected to reduce the burden of disease from mental disorders. However, these relationships are bidirectional which suggests that increasing interventions on global level to improve mental health can support efforts to reduce the burden of disease from mental disorders (Tsai & Tomlinson, 2012).

In my practice, this is important as it overflows on other health outcomes as depressive disorders and depressed mood are associated with significant psychosocial disability resulting in reduced economic productivity. On a provincial level, this would take a comprehensive approach to the prevention and treatment of mental disorders meaning, interventions aimed at the multilevel influences on mental health collaborative approach both in mental health and public health professional. In my professional role, this concept can be strategically applied on organizational level by embedding a collaborative interdisciplinary approach to aim interventions at factors influencing depression/mental health disorders using (Tsai & Tomlinson, 2012).

Reference:

Tsai & Tomlinson. (2012). Mental health spillovers and the Millennium Development Goals: The case of perinatal depression in Khayelitsha, South Africa. Journal of global health, 2(1), 010302. doi:10.7189/jogh.02.010302

Blog #4: Chronic Diseases in Mental Health

Three of the most common chronic diseases relevant to my practice as a Professional Practice, Team Lead at a tertiary mental health hospital are: schizophrenia, depression and dementia. These three chronic diseases are relevant to my practice as the percentage of patients presenting to hospital with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia, depression and dementia is substantially high. Additionally, population awareness is meaningful when catering to any specialty population. These chronic disorders rank in the top ten conditions that have the highest impact on the life and health of people in Ontario. Furthermore, there are significant gaps in the quality of care clients with these disorders receive in Ontario. This is also relevant to my practice in terms of tailoring care to support and meet needs of these specific populations while utilizing best practice approaches. My role involves supporting the development, implementation and evaluation of educational programs to assist staff to acquire and maintain the knowledge, skill and clinical judgment to deliver quality, client-centered and evidence-informed care(Health Quality Ontario, 2016).

In Canada, about 1% of the population has schizophrenia and it is more common in men and in certain ethnic subgroups. People with schizophrenia live about 15 to 20 years less than the general population, with the majority of deaths resulting from cardiovascular or chronic respiratory diseases (Health Quality Ontario, 2016). While each year, about 7% of people meet the diagnostic criteria for major depression, and about 13% to 15% of these people will experience major depression for the rest of their lives (Health Quality Ontario, 2016). Respectfully, Dementia affects about 15% of Canadians aged 65 and older. In 2011, about 750,000 Canadians were living with dementia; an expected 1.4 million Canadians will be living with dementia by 2031 lives (Health Quality Ontario, 2016).

Mental health and many common mental disorders are shaped to a great extent by the social, economic, and physical environments in which people live. The primary determinants are as followed:

Schizophrenia: trauma, homelessness, and unemployment (Health Quality Ontario, 2016).
Depression: gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, housing, age, background (including self-identified cultural, ethnic, or religious background), or disability (Health Quality Ontario, 2016).
Dementia: gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, housing, age, background (including self-identified cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds), and disability (Health Quality Ontario, 2016).

In my areas of work, we utilize the Health Quality Ontario Quality Standards on Schizophrenia, Behavioural Symptoms of Major Depression and Dementia to guide clinical practices and policy development. My organization is very familiar with the utilized the Health Quality Ontario Quality Standards as they collaborated with Health Quality Ontario in the development of the quality standards for Ontario.

Reference:

Health Quality Ontario. (2016). Major Depression Care for Adults and Adolescents. Retrieved from https://www.hqontario.ca/portals/0/documents/evidence/quality-standards/qs-depression-clinical-guide-1609-en.pdf

Health Quality Ontario. (2016). Behavioural Symptoms of Dementia. Retrieved from http://www.hqontario.ca/portals/0/documents/evidence/quality-standards/qs-dementia-clinical-guide-1609-en.pdf

Health Quality Ontario. (2018). Schizophrenia Care in the Community for Adults. Retrieved from https://www.hqontario.ca/Portals/0/documents/evidence/quality-standards/qs-schizophrenia-community-clinician-guide-en.pdf

Blog #5: Technology in advancing patient care

An emerging trend in health care is the use of technology in advancing patient care.

“The paper system has stymied the ability of care givers to access the information vital to the delivery of care. Patient information is routinely held in static paper storage systems and managed with a silo mentality”( Einspruch & Omachonu, 2010). Digitalization of health records across healthcare pose significant improvement in the connectivity and engagement among health system and patients. Information technology has the potential to improve quality of care, safety and possibly reduce health care cost. Of course, there is huge impact that must be considered such as, adoption, security and data management in regards to patient’s electronic health information. However, I believe the utilization of technology will notably advance the quality in care and aid proactive approaches to long standing health issues meaning, having readily available data to identify trends and mitigate risk.

In addition, there are tons of meaningful benefits of having an electronic health record such as;

Comprehensive and accurate patient information which aid better coordinate care. “An electronic Clinician Health Record solution (eCHR) to enable physicians and other healthcare providers to securely access healthcare information collated from any number of trusted sources relating to an individual patient in a structured and easily accessible way” ( Einspruch & Omachonu, 2010). Information available to better diagnose sooner which helps reduces medical errors and cost.

Patients and family are more engage in care and the decision making process by having access to their information at their convenience. “An electronic Personal Health Record solution (ePHR) to enable consumers to record and selectively share healthcare information about themselves and their loved ones in a secure manner" ( Einspruch & Omachonu, 2010).

While the adoption of technology into the healthcare will come with a fair share of challenges, the value is clear. Technology is vigorously well underway of transforming our healthcare system.

Reference:

Einspruch & Omachonu. (2010). Innovation in Healthcare Delivery Systems: A Conceptual Framework. Retrieved from The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, Volume 15(1), 2010, Article 2.

Blog #6: Synopsis of Learning for Foundations of Health Systems in Canada

Abstract

This paper is a synopsis of my learnings from the Foundations of Health Systems in Canada course through Athabasca University. This course has broadened my understanding of the Canadian health system and the current health issues impacting Canadians.

In my current role as Clinical Educator (nursing background), I work collaboratively with stakeholders at all levels of the organization to support corporate initiatives and to address program-specific needs or issues related to clinical practice. This course led me to a total paradigm shift in how I think about future corporate initiatives in regards to current healthcare trends and to how to effectively support the organization in strengthened the delivery of care in this context. Through this course, there is more awareness on what is driving the future health-system and how governments manage current health challenges. Additionally, it provided innovative learning opportunities on how the health systems work at local, provincial, national and international levels and how to be better prepare for challenges in difference health systems.

This is my first experience taking a Master’s course in the Master of Health Science Program and it presented many learning opportunities both professionally and personally.

The Foundations of Health Systems in Canada (MHST 601) course material brought awareness of the many health issues affecting Canadians in addition; it increased my knowledge about my professional conduct when utilizing my social media platforms. The various learning activities in the coursework also enhanced my learning and answered questions in my nursing practice.

One of the most insightful activities was creating a social media plan and understanding the importance of my digital footprint as I prepare to help shape the future of the health-system within my role. I realized that it important for me to consider my professional standards and how I present information online as leader. It is vital to use the same level of professionalism in my online interactions as I do face-to-face and to keep my personal and professional lives separate (CNO, 2019). This was a great preparation for creating my professional portfolio.

The opportunity to create an ePortfolio and launching my own professional identity was a tremendous step for me while I visualize myself as an integral employee of my organization with unique expertise. Also, I realized that I had creative skills that were not developed and the ePortfolio assignment made me draw on my creativity. The portfolio forum also strengthened areas of weakness with curation as some of my classmates critiqued the work I presented. This feedback was essential in realizing that I needed to trailer my professional content to focus on my target audience.All the feedback helps.

More so, MHST 601 broadened my understanding through awareness of the linkage between the disadvantages of health disparities and its correlation with the social determinants of health without medicalizing the preventative factors. As a Clinical Educator in Nursing, I have gained tremendous insight on the impact of social factors that may predispose individuals to illness. It provided awareness of the how the social determinants of health affects factors related to health, influences behaviors as well as, the systematic disparities in health between social groups. In nursing, it is essential to understand the effects of these factors on the population we care for and how they influence our client’s experiences and impact their health. With this understanding, I am now able to recognize the significance of the social determinants of health and effectively incorporate them this knowledge into role as clinical educator (Canadian Nurses Association, 2013). My practice now includes a wide array of knowledge to evaluate specific clients who are more susceptible to illness as well as the barriers hindering the recovery process due to their living conditions rather than prioritizing accessing healthcare services. This knowledge can be widely employed throughout the medical and nursing filed in providing sensitive care to those experiencing inequalities (Canadian Nurses Association, 2013). Personally, I will continue to advocate to promote health equality, policy and legislation changes and publicly funded health care services as my standard of practice aims to improve the health of all Canadians.

Despite being an active member of the interdisciplinary healthcare system, I found it very surprising as to how preoccupied our health system is about being sick rather than focusing on the structural or social issues impacting our country’s health. Health is mostly medicalized in my opinion, we place an enormous amount of emphasis on health teaching our clients to seek medical attention, disease monitoring, screening, medication compliance and lifestyle changes excluding, addressing the social determinants of health (Ling Yu & Raphael, 2004). I enjoyed reading several articles and the open discussions about vulnerable groups across Canada that are disadvantaged, and actions taken to close the gaps and reduce health gradients by addressing the root causes of illness. This course facilitated an open dialogue and instills an empathetic and fact-based understanding of the limitations that vulnerable groups experience in healthcare. These open dialogue provided insight and perspective on specific challenges some of our indigenous groups are still facing and initiatives that striving to shape the systems positively. The health of Aboriginal peoples in Canada is inextricably tied up with their history of colonization. This has taken the form of legislation such as the Indian Act of 1876, disregard for land claims of Metis peoples, relocation of Inuit communities, and the establishment of residential schools. The result has been adverse social determinants of health and adverse health outcomes (Mikkonen & Raphael, 2010).

The unit 7 coursework on emerging trends in healthcare was thought provoking as an educator and leader in healthcare. After conducting my own researching, I was excited to discover an emerging trend in health care is the use of technology (in all aspects) to advance patient care. The digitization of clients’ health records across healthcare offers significant enhancement in the connectivity and engagement among health system and clients (Einspruch & Omachonu, 2010). Working in the mental health filed, this is notably advancement as our frontline clinicians are continuously seeking to engage our clients in meaningful ways. Information technology has so much potential to improve quality of care, safety and possibly reduce health care cost clients. Of course, there is huge impact that must be considered such as, adoption, security and data management in regards to patient’s electronic health information (Einspruch & Omachonu, 2010). Nonetheless, it was exciting to read how vigorously technology is about transform our healthcare system.

Overall, MHST 601 offered many learning opportunities to expand my understanding of the Canadian health system. This forum provided fundamental foundational learning for developing a comprehensive understanding of the health system. In addition, I am able to incorporate these leanings into my own practice when developing and reviewing policies and procedures, clinical guidelines and standards related to clinical care. As well as, provide a strong voice and make recommendations that will strengthen care delivery. Furthermore, the learning activities stimulated in-depth discussion and research to gain better insight around professionalism and digital footprints, social determinant of health, vulnerable populations and emerging trends in healthcare.

Reference

College of Nurses of Ontario. (2019). Social Media Use: Common Expectations for Nurses. Retrieved from http://www.cno.org/globalassets/docs/prac/incr-social-media-use-common-expectations-for-nurses.pdf

Canadian Nurses Association. (2013). Social Determinants of Health. Canadian Nurses Association. (November, 2013)

Ling Yu & Raphael. (2004). Identifying and Addressing the Social Determinants of the

Incidence and Successful Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Canada. Canadian Public Health Association. Vol. 95, No. 5

Mihychuk, M. (2018). THE CHALLENGES OF DELIVERING CONTINUING CARE IN FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITIES. Retrieved from https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/INAN/Reports/RP10260656/inanrp17/inanrp17-e.pdf