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Screening
There are several criteria that can go into a decision to initiate screening for a disease. The disease that I have chosen as an example is colorectal cancer. The prevalence of the disease is one factor. Diseases with a relatively high prevalence are more likely to require screening, as mass screening for rare diseases is not necessarily a good use of funds.. Other consideration is the availability of reliable tests. In the case of colorectal cancer, this is a disease with relatively high prevalence, but also a number of reliable tests ranging from barium tests to colonoscopy.
The value of early detection is also an important variable. For something like ALS, the prognosis will not change with early detection, but with colorectal cancer the prognosis changes a lot if you find polyps, or even Stage 1 tumors. So setting up a screening program is important for diseases where there is high prevalence, where early detection matters, and where there are tests that can allow for early detection. In the case of colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, there are constraints with respect to the number of practitioners who are able to perform these tests, so the capacity constraints of testing will also play...
The population should be those who are at most risk of the disease, however, there are other considerations at work, such as the consequences of not being screened. It is usually recommended, for example, that screening for colorectal cancer should be something everybody does after the age of 50, but is sometimes recommended for people with a family history of the disease. For people in these groups, screening programs are typically available. However, there is an ethical consideration here, because somebody who is not in one of those groups can still get colorectal cancer. Younger people who contract this disease will often die, because they will be asymptomatic until Stage 3, at which point their odds of survival are severely diminished. The screening is something that healthy people can easily deal with physically. While fewer detections will be made, the outcomes for those who do have the disease will improve substantially if they are brought into the screening program. The cost of screening such a large number…
References
Burt, R., Barthel, J., Dunn, K.., David, D., Drelichman, E., Ford, J., Giardello, F., Gruber, S., Halverson, A., Hamilton, S., Ismail, M., Jasperson, K., Lazenby, A., Lynch, P., Martin, E., Mayer, R., Ness, R., Provenzale, D., Rao, M., Shike, M., Steinbach, G., Terdimann, J. & Weinberg, D. (2010). Colorectal cancer screening: Clinical practice guidelines in oncology. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Vol. 8 (1) 8-60.
Bretthauer, M. (2011). Colorectal cancer screening. Journal of Internal Medicine. Vol. 270 (2) 87-98.
Pelvic inflammatory disease, a critical problem Occurence or recurrence of pelvic inflammatory disease or PID has been linked to STIs such as C. trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Patient education and simplified guidelines are needed to develop accurate diagnosis. In order for changes to take place, more research must be done to understand the complex nature of the disease and the most effective and cost effective method of treatment. This paper delves
Using condoms is also an excellent prevention activity that can also be used (Primary and Secondary HIV Prevention, 2008). Potential obstacles to HIV prevention activities taking place in clinical settings often include: narrow formations of medical care and the role of physicians or health care providers in HIV prevention, a provider's discomfort with discussing human sexuality and illicit drug use and their attitudes towards persons with HIV or AIDS along with
Human Health and Disease How could the information learned about a disease's epidemiology be used to protect public health? What kind of epidemiological information would a public health official want to know about this disease? What actions might they take based on this information? The epidemiology will look at factors such as demographics, causes, patterns and the impact the disease is having. This is used to determine the symptoms, educate the general
Looking more generally at how the spread of resistant bacteria has advanced over the last few years one study traces the historical precedence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. This work offers a plethora of good information about the seriousness of the problem with MRSA as well as other less common but equally serious bacterial strains and how antibiotic over-utilization and patient non-compliance has added tot the problem. In Hughes,
Adolescent Substance Use Screening Instruments: 10-Year Critical Review of the Research Literature Over ten million teenagers in the United States admit in a national survey that they drink alcohol, although it is illegal under the age of 21 in all states. In some studies, nearly one-quarter of school-age children both smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol. Over four thousand adolescents every day try marijuana for the first time. The dangers of use,
Ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm, through the National Guideline Clearinghouse at http://www.guideline.gov. Evidence-based findings concerning chlamydia screening and treatment of PID contained in the peer-reviewed and scholarly literature. The additional resources cited at Appendix a will also be consulted. 3. Identify a specific group of people that are being affected by the disease/condition. The screening guidelines published by the USPSTF recommend that the following specific groups of women should be routinely screened, whether or not they are