Methodologies for Introducing a Healthy Lifestyles Program at a Local Hospital
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Please be sure to read the comments in the comment boxes on this paper as well as comments in track changes in the body of the paper. Also be sure to look at the bottom of the rubric sheet which is attached. I put the comments in purple, so you might be able to see them more quickly. Of course, let me know if you have questions. Prof Ellen
METHODOLOGIES FOR INTRODUCING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLES PROGRAM AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL
ABSTRACT
Many individuals struggle with one or more poor health habits. Most people erroneously assume that changing their bad habits will require a great deal of hard work (Waldroop, 2000). However, the truth is that even small adjustments may reap large benefits for the patient who makes the effort. Now that our organization has made the decision to institute a healthy lifestyles program at our hospital, we now need to introduce the detailed ways to make this happen. To make our program more attractive, and to encourage patients to maintain their progress, we plan to offer various incentives (Conway, 2009). At the conclusion of the program, we hope that many of our patients will report a great improvement in their overall health.
METHODOLOGIES FOR INTRODUCING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLES PROGRAM AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL[EW1]
As healthcare providers, we should be thoroughly dedicated to the health and wellness of our patients[EW2]. Furthermore, many hospitals and medical clinics are in a unique position to offer programs to encourage healthy lifestyles among their patients. We have previously introduced our draft proposal for the initiative we describe, but in this essay, we will outline the actual steps necessary to bringing this plan to fruition.
Most detrimental health patterns are difficult to break, especially if the individual has had many years of the same behavior to remedy or reverse (Waldroop, 2000). Nevertheless, a quality program to encourage positive but small changes can reap huge dividends in the long term, such as managing to quit the use of tobacco products. For this reason, our institution is implementing a healthy lifestyles program to persuade our less healthy constituents to adopt new and hopefully healthier habits. For example, even a simple and slow paced walk may be a great way to get confirmed couch potatoes up and off their chair, and out in the fresh air getting some form of low-impact exercise (McAndrew, 2012).
Many health authorities have averred that even a small improvement in overall activity may greatly help a person's sense of wellbeing (Carpenter, 2012). If we begin with a simple program to help people move in to a more active lifestyle, we may see significant improvements in chronic diseases such as diabetes and even obesity. The mot important part to our successful initiative is to start slowly and offer some enticement for the participants (Conway, 2009). These rewards may include a discount on gym memberships from the local area, coupons for athletic gear, or even cash back if the members track their progress for a valid period of time.
Next, we want to introduce a balanced nutrition program to complement our exercise system outlined above. This will incorporate a registered dietary assistant who will meet with our clients for a free one-time consultation to help them all get started. Again, the most important factor is to start slowly. We can offer discounts for continued meetings with our nutrition counselor, coupons for the grocery store, or even discounts for restaurants that offer low calorie options.
Even though the plans outlined above are useful, they won't gain momentum without a meaningful advertising campaign. We can create flyers and mail them to all our patients to alert them to this new program as well as its benefits. In addition, we may consider some radio or television spots to help advertise our new program. It may also be helpful to organize special days within our facility for new patients to take a close look at what we have to offer as well as what benefits they may expect if they stick with the program. An example of our intended flyer is attached below.
As described previously, this is a program that will require a great deal of funding to make it successful. We should look in to government aid or grants to help fund this program. There are also a number of community groups that provide funds for programs such as highlighted in this essay (County Heath Rankings, 2012). Furthermore, there are so many negatives that may be avoided if we were to initiate this type of plan as soon as possible (Mannion, 2012). These consequences may include higher morbidity for our patient population and even an increase in mortality for our patients as well. We predict that the small changes we have described here will significantly affect the outcome of serious medical threats in our community such as obesity and diabetes.
HEALTHY LIFESTYLES PROGRAM STARTING AT COMMUNITY HOSPITAL THIS SUMMER!
Have you been hoping to get in shape for the coming season of warm weather ahead?
Have you been feeling tired or run down?
Do you feel frustrated not knowing how to get started?
WE HAVE THE ANSWER!
Join us for an informational session that describes our new program:
HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
at Community Hospital at 7pm in the Lobby
Light refreshments will be served
Learn about our benefits
Improved health
Smaller waistline
Better mood
And more!
This session is free to all participants! We hope to see you there!
References
Carpenter, R. (2012) Small Improvements That Will Make You Healthier. Last accessed May 21, 2012.
Conway, P. (2009) Value-driven health care: implications for hospitals and hospitalists. J Hosp Med. 2009 Oct;4(8):507-11.
County Health Rankings (2012) Guide to Funding Your Community Health Initiative. Last accessed June 4, 2012.
Mannion, R. (2012) Unintended consequences of performance measurement in healthcare: 20 salutary lessons from the English National Health Service. Intern Med J. 2012 May;42(5):569-74. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2012.02766.
McAndrew, S. (2012) Medical student-developed obesity education program uses modified team-based learning to motivate adolescents. Med Teach. 2012;34(5):414-6. Epub 2012 Mar 27.
Ogden, C. (2012) Prevalence of obesity in the United States, 2009-2010. NCHS Data Brief. 2012 Jan;(82):1-8.
Waldroop, J. (2000) Managing away bad habits. Harv Bus Rev. 2000 Sep-Oct;78(5):89-98, 199.
[EW1]You have a great strategy to implment your program. Sadly you have failed to address most of the elements of the paper. The intent was to be a plan to assess if you implementation strategy worked and the program met the aims. Please see the attached rubric for specific feedback on the expected elements. I've given you has many points as I can.
[EW2][This is conversational. Remember that professional, formal style papers such as this should avoid a conversational tone. Avoiding pronouns, such as "you" and "your" and "we" and using a third person is a good way to avoid a conversational tone]