HEALTH DELIVERY 1
HEALTH DELIVERY 5
Health Delivery and Cross-Cultural Health Perspectives
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Module 3 Case: BHS499 Senior Capstone Project
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Introduction
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global threat with a third of the world population either infected or exposed to the disease. TB is an infectious and contagious disease that is caused by a bacterium referred to as Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (CDC, n.d.). The bacterium is known to attack the lungs and will at times attack other parts of the body like the liver, kidney, spine, and brain. It is highly infectious as it is transmitted from airborne particles called droplet nuclei. When a healthy person breathes these droplets they become infected. The prevention of TB is through masks and vaccines whereby people with active TB are identified and cured. Curing is through antibiotics provided which will make them less infectious to others. The use of masks is part of infection control where they are used to limit transmission of TB. The current scenario will provide preventive measures for TB.
TB is a highly infectious disease with the CDC (n.d.) stating that the disease is carried through airborne particles called droplet nuclei. The droplets are usually generated when an infected person will cough, sneeze or shout and the infected droplets may stay in the air for several hours. The information from the CDC shows that the disease is airborne and in the workplace environment various precautionary measures can be taken to limit the spread. In the case of Sara and her co-worker, the organization could have taken various measures to limit the spread. These measures include ensuring the offices are well ventilated because adequate ventilation will lead to the removal of infectious droplet nuclei. The air circulation also plays an important role in the removal of the infectious droplet nuclei. The World Health Organization (2008) provided various measures that will help in the prevention of TB like detection of sources, contact tracing, infection control, and BCG vaccination. Among the measures provided by the WHO, infection control, detection of sources, and contact tracing would have prevented the likelihood of Sara and co-workers contracting the disease.
The organization’s management, operations, and staff all play an important role in ensuring a safe work environment. This shows that everyone in the organization has a role to play when it comes to health and safety at the workplace. Ndjoulou et al., (2015) looked at occupational safety and health in the prevention of injuries and illness at the workplace. Occupational health and safety-related to the health and safety issues in the workplace. It is a field of public health and provides the various responsibilities of everyone in the organization in ensuring the health and safety of the workers. The management is tasked with ensuring the organization complies with the rules of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The management is also tasked with establishing policies on health and safety, the establishment of a Joint Health and Safety Committee, and ensuring the workers comply with the policies on health and safety. The supervisors should be able to warn and advise the workers on any potential danger at the workplace. The dangers include infectious and contagious diseases like TB and COVID-19.
The workers also play an important role in ensuring their own safety at the workplace. The Occupational Health and Safety Act provides for various roles and responsibilities of the workers when it comes to their safety at the workplace. The workers should ensure they adhere to the policies on health and safety, report any known work hazards and violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and knowing their rights when it comes to their health and safety. When the workers know their rights under the Occupational Health and Safety Act they will be able to adhere to their roles in the organization while ensuring the organization complies with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Noor (2019) suggested that participative leadership, contingency leadership, and transformational leadership are effective in case of a disease outbreak. These leadership theories will be also effective in preventing workers from being exposed to communicable diseases. The leadership theories show that leaders have similar characteristics when it comes to the management of communicable diseases like being able to make difficult decisions. There are tough decisions when dealing with diseases which may include the closure of the organization to protect the workers. These leaders have the ability to take the right risks which are usually calculated. They can understand the feelings of the team members which makes them protective of the team members.
Conclusion
TB is an infectious and contagious disease that is spread through the air. This makes the disease very contagious and deadly in an organizational setting. The scenario provided shows that the organization should have implemented preventive measures like infection control, detection of sources, and contact tracing (WHO, 2008).
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Tuberculosis. Basic TB Facts. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm
Ndjoulou, Fidèle & Desmarais, Lise & Pérusse, Michel. (2015). Employer Responsibility for Occupational Health and Safety: Challenges, Issues, and Approaches. Journal of Management Policies and Practices. 3. 1-8. 10.15640/jmpp.v3n1a1.
Noor, Mohd Tariq. (2019). LEADERSHIP THEORIES IN DISEASE OUTBREAK MANAGEMENT. International Journal of Public Health and Clinical Sciences. 5. 2289-7577.
Who. (2008). Implementing the WHO Stop TB Strategy: A Handbook for National Tuberculosis Control Programs. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008. Part I, Tuberculosis care and prevention. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310767/
Also read: The Role of Tobacco Cessation and Prevention to Combat COVID 19