Please reply to Cynthia Wolfe– Please note minimum of 200 words. No sources citation needed.
Health literacy can be defined as the “personal characteristics and social resources needed for individuals and communities to access, understand, appraise, and use information and services to make decisions about health” (Dobson et al., 2015). How do two people turn a conversation into an idea to educate the public while promoting the business of one? The most successful partnerships begin with an idea and the willingness of all involved to reach a shared goal. The ability to understand what each person brings to the table for the public educational presentation is vital in developing a successful partnership. I chose Breezy Nail Designs customers as my audience for this presentation. My coworker who has been an emergency room nurse for many years as well produces and distributes press on nails that are not only fashionable but safe. While discussing another patient who faced a surgical amputation due to poor nail care and health issues, I thought a presentation regarding the importance of proper nail care and using a nail salon that is proven to provide safe and hygienic nail care would benefit several people in my partner’s community. I too had a pedicure that resulted in an infection that required several rounds of antibiotics and finally a complete nail removal by a podiatrist. I never had problems from receiving a pedicure from nail salons until I decided to have a pedicure in Mexico while on vacation. This was a long and tedious infection that caused a lot of pain and I do not have underlying health problems that could have made this situation much worse. Breezy Nail Designs offer beautiful nails that do not require altering of the wearer’s nails to apply. As many of us know, when receiving manicures or pedicures, the manicurist uses metal tools to remove skin around the nails to allow a better fit. The tools are not allows cleaned between uses as well as the other equipment in the salons. People pay for the price of beauty, sometimes with their livelihood or their lives. So, by educating on the importance of good nail care, we are hoping to promote my partner’s idea of safe nail application that are used for fingernails or toenails. When each of us spoke about our reasons for wanting to do this presentation, it all centered around the health of the community. If my presentation could change one person’s perception of safe nail care, then we have succeeded. By understanding each other’s ideas and having mutual respect for each other, this presentation will surely be a success. “The concept of collaboration is commonly defined through five underlying concepts: sharing, partnership, power, interdependency and process” (D’Amour et al., 2005). It is important to recognize that working in partnership with multiple agencies is crucial to the successful implementation and maintenance of community-based work (Riggs et al., 2014).
Reference
D’Amour, D., Ferrada-Videla, M., Rodriguez, L., & Beaulieu, M. (2005). The
conceptual basis for interprofessional collaboration: core concepts and
theoretical frameworks. Journal Of Interprofessional Care, 19116-131.
Dodson S., Good S., Osborne R.H. Health Literacy Toolkit for Low and
Middle-Income Countries: A Series of Information Sheets to Empower
Communities and Strengthen Health Systems. World Health Organization,
Regional Office for South-East Asia; New Delhi, India: 2015.
Riggs E., Block K., Warr D., Gibbs L. Working better together: New
approaches for understanding the value and challenges of organizational
partnerships. Health Promot. Int. 2014;29:780–793. doi:
10.1093/heapro/dat022
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Please reply to Jennifer Acheampong – Please note minimum of 200 words. No sources citation
I have selected a wellness center to partner with to educate the community on the importance of healthcare for low-income adults. Although the Affordable Care Act has been enacted, uninsured adults still go without needed medical care. Education is key and uninsured people in the community are more likely to visit the emergency room for non-emergent visits
that can be provided in the outpatient setting. Partnering with the wellness center within my community is important to my advocacy efforts because it provides a stronger voice and fosters collaboration and credibility. I have used my previous community health assessment to identify a specific location based on the community’s needs. The healthcare professionals also share my vision and goals, which will help me to meet my objectives and strengthen my advocacy initiatives. We are hoping to influence change whether the audience is large or small. Collaborating with other healthcare professionals not only improves the patient’s health status but can also solve many organizational problems. Such as pay-for-performance reforms
that aim to improve the quality of care. However, health care professionals must be willing
to work together, have supportive attitudes, and have a supportive organization. “All too often, healthcare professionals are educated and trained in unprofessional settings, independent of
interdisciplinary collaboration” (VanderWielen et al., 2014). In this instance, when licensed
providers are expected to collaborate competently alongside a multidisciplinary team, problems arise as these healthcare professionals are not working as a team but merely working side-by- side. (VanderWielen et al., 2014). Effective communication and teamwork are imperative to gain commitment for mobilizing health initiatives; otherwise, patients suffer through miscommunication, redundant procedures, and a lack of coordinated care (VanderWielen et al., 2014). When healthcare professionals do not collaborate; patients complain that they have to repeat information to different members of the same healthcare team. Research shows that multidisciplinary collaboration yields positive outcomes in the acute and primary care settings (VanderWielen et al., 2014)
Reference
VanderWielen, L., Do, E., Diallo, H., LaCoe, K., Nguyen, N., Parikh, S., . . . Dow, A. (2014).
Interprofessional collaboration led by health professional students: A case study of the
inter health professional alliance at Virginia commonwealth university.
Journal of Research in Interprofessional Practice and Education, 3(3)
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.22230/jripe.2014v3n3a132