The Benefits of Telehealth in Rural Populations Essay -- Healthcare

Benefits of Telehealth in Rural Populations Kansas is considered a rural state in the United States. Merriam-Webster (2012) defines rural theoretically as â€Å"open land† or â€Å"relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture†. The U.S. Census Bureau considers rural to be â€Å"open country and settlements with fewer than 2,500 residents† (Cromartie, 2007). Nearly 17% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, which is about 80% of all U.S. territory (Cromartie, 2009). What this means that there is more land mass compared to the people inhabiting the land; rural communities have fewer people living in larger, more remote areas. Individuals living in rural communities have different cultures and experiences than those living in urban communities, which can become problematic in regards to healthcare. Many factors such as sociocultural, financial and structural issues create barriers to healthcare access for individuals living in rural America. Sociocultural factors include self-reliance, education, language and beliefs; financial factors include inadequate health insurance, income and resources; structural issues include the physical distance to travel, ability to travel and time to travel to healthcare facilities or healthcare professionals (Graves, 2008). For decades, individuals living in rural areas have been considered medically underserved. Access to healthcare is a problem that has been increasing for individuals in rural America due to aging populations, declining economies, rural hospital closures, rising healthcare costs, healthcare provider shortages and difficulties attracting and retaining healthcare personnel and physicians (Bauer, 2002). This population experience more health disparities than t... ...nities: toward eliminating rural health disparities. Online Journal Of Rural Nursing & Health Care, 10(1), 4-6. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2004). Retrieved June 16, 2004 from http://m-w.com/dictionary/rural Moffatt, J. and Eley, D. (2010). The reported benefits of telehealth for rural Australians. Australian Health Review. 34. 276-281. Saqui, O., Chang, A., McGonigle, S., Purdy, B., Fairholm, L., Baun, M., Yeung, M., Rossos, P., Allard, J., (2007). Telehealth videoconferencing: Improving home parenteral nutrition patient care to rural areas of ontario, canada. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 31(3). 234-239. Sevean, P., Dampier, S., Spadoni, M., Strickland, S., Pilatzke, S., (2008). Patients and families experiences with video telehelath in rural/remote communities in northern canada. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18. 2573-2579.

Zinc Deficiencies

Zinc deficiency is the inadequate amount of zinc in the body to meet its demands. Zinc is vital to the body functions such as, a healthy immune system and wrongdiagnosis. com states is best known for minimizing the effects of the common cold or upper respiratory infections. It can enhance the functions of the liver, muscles and bones. Other functions of zinc in the body are to wound heals; aid enzyme activity; DNA production and cell division. When there is an insufficient amount of zinc available for metabolic needs the condition is called hypozincemia. Inadequate quantities of zinc in the daily diet are the main reason why zinc deficiencies occur. Zinc deficiency is uncommon in areas where the diet is high in meat but Solomons, N. W. (2001) concludes that people who diets consist primarily plant based food sources that are low in bioavailable zinc often have zinc deficiencies. People who are vegetarians, elderly and those whom are malnourished can be at risk of the deficiency. Pregnant women or those that are breastfeeding are at risk from zinc deficiency due to the high demands for zinc from a developing infant. Chronic diseases such as alcoholism, diabetes and cancer are at risk of developing zinc deficiency. Excessive loss of zinc can occur if you have liver disease or after a trauma, burns and protein losing conditions such as enteropathy. In children zinc deficiency can develop as impaired growth and taste as well as a delayed sexual maturation. The symptoms include impaired immunity, night blindness, anemia, lethargy, and impaired wound healing. A deficiency in zinc can cause malfunctions of these organs and functions. Zinc does not get stored in the body; therefore for treatment it is important to eat food high in zinc every day. Red meat, shellfish, nuts and beans are examples of suitable food sources for the mineral zinc. Dietary supplements also contain zinc therefore vegetarians whose diet does not include adequate sources of zinc, supplementation may be necessary. Pregnant or breastfeeding woman may also need zinc supplementation due to their required high demand and is a positive effect on growth in premature infants. Nutritional-supplements-health-guide. com states there are two ways of achieving supplements and those are zinc sulfate and zinc gluconate. According to pediatriconcall. om a dose of 35-40mg daily can be used for treatment of zinc deficiency. In patients with diarrhea, a uniform dose of 20 mg of elemental zinc should be given during the period of diarrhea and for 7 days after cessation of diarrhea in children older than 3 months. To meet the need for absorbed zinc in the human body through our dietary intake, it requires an increase in zinc content or a decrease in the phytate content. Phytate is a phosphate storage compound that chelates zinc and theses two substances affects the bioavailability of zinc. If diagnosed and treated promptly, zinc deficiency has a good prognosis of a full recovery but because there is no definitive test for zinc deficiency, a delayed or missed diagnosis of the condition is possible. There are multiple diagnostic tests available for zinc deficiency such as zinc taste test. As taste and smell is dependent on there being enough zinc in the body , a simple 10 second test can be done where 1- 2 teaspoons of the solution is sipped and held in the mouth for exactly ten seconds after which is spitting out. If there is no specific taste sensation it indicates a major deficiency of zinc, a metallic taste similar to baking soda indicates a moderate deficiency exist. Left untreated, a zinc deficiency may lead to complications of an enlargement of the liver and spleen, severe malnutrition, recurrent infections and eventually death. pr-usa. net claims ‘deficiency is a significant public health issue, causing 800,000 deaths overall and putting at risk more than two billion people due to ailments such as diarrhea and pneumonia’ and maternal zinc deficiency may cause fetal malformations and low birth weight. References http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/zinc-deficiency-symptoms.html http://www.ehow.com/how_4514397_identify-zinc-deficiency.html#ixzz1CqQF0cNK http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/sec01/ch005/ch005j.html http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Zinc-Deficiency.htm

World War II Allied Leaders at the Tehran Conference

The Tehran Conference was the first of two meetings of the Big Three Allied leaders—Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, and Great Britains Prime Minister Winston Churchill—held at the request of the U.S. President at the height of World War II. Planning As World War II raged around the globe, Roosevelt  began calling for a meeting of the leaders from the key Allied powers. While  Churchill  was willing to meet, Stalin  played coy. Desperate to make a conference happen, Roosevelt conceded several points to Stalin, including choosing a location that was convenient to the Soviet leader. Agreeing to meet in Tehran, Iran on Nov. 28, 1943, the three leaders planned to discuss D-Day, the war strategy, and how best to defeat Japan. Preliminaries Wishing to present a unified front, Churchill first met Roosevelt in Cairo, Egypt, on Nov. 22. While there, the two leaders discussed war plans for the Far East  with Chiang Kai-shek, at the time the Chinese director of the State Council, the equivalent to President of his country. While in Cairo, Churchill found he was unable to engage Roosevelt regarding the upcoming meeting in Tehran, and the American president remained withdrawn and distant. Arriving in Tehran on Nov. 28, Roosevelt intended to deal with Stalin personally, though his declining health prevented him from operating from a position of strength. The Big Three Meet The first of only two wartime meetings between the three leaders, the Tehran Conference opened with Stalin brimming with confidence after several major victories on the Eastern Front. Opening the meeting, Roosevelt and Churchill sought to ensure Soviet cooperation in achieving the Allies war policies. Stalin was willing to comply: However, in exchange, he demanded Allied support for his government and the partisans in Yugoslavia, as well as border adjustments in Poland. Agreeing to Stalins demands, the meeting moved on to the planning of Operation Overlord (D-Day) and the opening of the second front in Western Europe. Though Churchill advocated for an expanded Allied push through the Mediterranean, Roosevelt, who was not interested in protecting British imperial interests, insisted that the invasion take place in France. With the location settled, it was decided that the attack would come in May 1944. As Stalin had been advocating for a second front since 1941, he was very pleased and felt that he had accomplished his principal goal for the meeting. Moving on, Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan once Germany was defeated. As the conference began to wind down, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin discussed the end of the war and reaffirmed their demand that only unconditional surrender would be accepted from the Axis Powers and that the defeated nations would be divided into occupation zones under U.S., British, and Soviet control. Other minor issues were dealt with before the conferences conclusion on Dec.  1,  1943, including the three agreeing to respect the government of Iran and to support Turkey if it was attacked by Axis troops. Aftermath Departing Tehran, the three leaders returned to their countries to enact the newly decided war policies. As would happen at Yalta in 1945, Stalin was able to use Roosevelts weak health and Britains declining power to dominate the conference and achieve all of his goals. Among the concessions he gained from Roosevelt and Churchill was a shifting of the Polish border to the Oder and Neisse Rivers and the Curzon line. He also gained de facto permission to oversee the establishment of new governments as countries in Eastern Europe were liberated. Many of the concessions made to Stalin at Tehran helped set the stage for the Cold War once World War II ended. Selected Sources The Tehran Conference, November 28-December 1, 1943. The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Development. Lillian Goldman Law Library 2008. Web. May 30, 2018.​1943: Allies United after Tehran Conference. BBC: On This Day. BBC 2008. Web. May 30, 2018.The Tehran Conference, 1943. Milestones: 1937-1945. Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Web. May 30, 2018.