Review Questions

Review Questions

1. What are five events in the history of health care that improved the delivery of care for patients?

There are many correct answers to this question. Good answers include events that contributed to changes that improved health care, such as discoveries about the causes of diseases, effective treatments and cures, and principles that improved the practice of medicine.

2. What are the major forces shaping the health care industry today?

The following forces are shaping the health care industry.

* Medical technology and diagnostic and treatment methods have advanced more in the last 20 years than they did in the previous 100 years. This rapid pace of change is accelerating.
* Patient treatment specialization is increasing.
* Our aging population is growing and demanding better, broader health care services.
* Costs for providing, and consequently receiving, health care are increasing.
* Traditional provider-patient relations are evolving as patient needs change and provider duties become more fragmented.
* Complementary therapies are increasingly used.
* There is an ever greater emphasis on illness/injury prevention.

3. What are the levels of care typically provided in a modern general hospital?

The trend is for hospitals to be high-tech facilities that specialize in serving patients who need sophisticated treatment and 24-hour nursing care. The various levels of care typically provided by hospitals include the following:

* Emergency room (ER) treats very sudden conditions requiring immediate attention.

* Intensive care units (ICU) provide special equipment, continuous care, and constant monitoring of seriously ill/injured patients.

* Cardiac care units (CCU) provide special equipment/care for patients who have serious heart conditions.

* General units are for seriously ill patients not needing specialized or constant care.

* Transitional care units (TCU) provide lower-level care as patient needs are assessed and release arrangements are made.

4. What are 10 common ambulatory health care facilities? What type of services does each one offer?

The following are common ambulatory health care facilities:

* Adult day care: activities, meals, supervision as needed for the elderly
* Diagnostic centers: determine the cause and nature of diseases/injuries
* Dental offices: for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of tooth and gum problems
* Emergency/urgent care: care of conditions needing immediate attention
* On-site services: basic/preventive care for employees, students, and prisoners
* Laboratories: draw, collect, and test blood, urine, etc. to diagnose/treat patients
* Rehabilitation centers: therapies to help regain physical/mental function
* Specialty clinics: specific condition treatment, for example, cancer, venereal disease
* Surgical centers: outpatient (non-hospitalization) surgery
* Wellness centers: routine physicals, nutrition information, and preventive care

5. What are the major categories of long-term care facilities? What type of care is offered by each?

Long-term care facilities include the following:

* Nursing homes: either a skilled nursing home (SNF) offering nursing and illness or injury rehabilitation on a 24-hour basis, or an intermediate care facility (ICF) offering personal care, social services, and nursing (but not 24-hour care)

* Assisted-living residences: housing, meals, and personal care for individuals needing daily life help but not 24-hour nursing

6. What are five typical services offered by federal health agencies? State agencies? Local agencies?

Federal health agencies:

* Research diseases
* Control the spread of contagious disease
* Ensure food safety
* Ensure drug safety and effectiveness
* Develop/enforce minimum safety standards for workers

State health agencies:

* License health care personnel/facilities
* Monitor chronic/communicable diseases
* Conduct public health planning
* Provide emergency medical services
* Establish health data systems

Local health agencies:

* Collect vital statistics
* Conduct sanitation inspections
* Carry out insect control measures
* Provide immunizations
* Operate venereal disease clinics

7. What are the services provided by hospice workers?

Hospice workers provide palliative care, care that relieves but does not cure. Such care and support are provided for dying patients and their families. Hospice involves a team of professionals and volunteers who provide medical, emotional, and spiritual assistance.

8. What is meant by the term “wellness”?

Wellness is the promotion of health through preventive measures and the practice of good health habits. Part of the concept of wellness is the emphasis on the need for patients to take responsibility for their own health.

9. Describe five types of complementary therapies being practiced in the United States today.

The following complementary therapies are currently practiced in the United States:

* Osteopathy: general belief that the body can protect itself against disease if the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine, is in good order

* Chiropractic: belief that pressure on the nerves leaving the spinal column cause pain and/or dysfunction of the body parts served by those nerves

* Homeopathy (“like cures like”): disorders are treated with very small amounts of the natural substance that causes the symptoms of the disorder in a healthy person

* Massage therapy: applying pressure to and rubbing the body relaxes muscles and promotes blood circulation, faster healing of injuries, and pain relief

* Holistic medicine: based on the belief that the traditional view of medicine must expand to include all aspects of the individual, including the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects

* Acupuncture: insertion of small needles to release nerve or muscle blockages causing pain or dysfunction

* Reflexology: pressure points on the feet are manipulated to relieve body pain or dysfunction

10. What are the major challenges facing health care today? How can the health care worker contribute to their resolution?

Having accessible, affordable health care is the major challenge facing health care today. The tremendous advances made in recent years will only accelerate. The basic challenge ahead is making available and effectively delivering these advances. Other challenges include solving social problems that contribute to poor health, maintaining high-quality health care, safeguarding public health, and encouraging individuals to accept responsibility for their health.

Workers should stay informed about major issues by reading general and issue-specific public news, attending workshops, and participating in their professional organizations; delivering excellent quality care and service; modeling good health habits; and learning to provide effective patient education.