Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is:

1. Integrate knowledge and skills learned throughout NR503 course
2. Direct application of course objectives utilizing epidemiological analysis of a chronic health problem, along with state and national level data.

Activity Learning Outcomes

Through this assignment, the student will demonstrate the ability to:

See weekly outcomes from Weeks 1-6. 

Due Date: Sunday, 11:59 p.m. MT at the end of Week 6.

Total Points Possible: 200

Requirements:

This paper should clearly and comprehensively identify the chronic health disease chosen. Select a topic from the following list (topics rotate):

• Polycythemia Vera
• Alcohol Addiction
• Prostate or Breast Cancer
• Epilepsy/Seizure Disorders
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (Select childhood or adulthood for the OCD topic)

The paper should be organized into the following sections:

1. Introduction (Identification of the problem) with a clear presentation of the problem as well as the significance and a scholarly overview of the paper’s content. No heading is used for the Introduction per APA current edition.
2. Background and Significance of the disease, to include: Definition, description, signs and symptoms, and current incidence and/or prevalence statistics by state with a comparison to national statistics pertaining to the disease.  Create a table of incidence or prevalence rates by your geographic county/city or state with a comparison to national statistics. Use the APA text for formatting guidelines (tables).  This is a table that you create using relevant data, it should not be a table from another source using copy/paste.
3. Surveillance and Reporting: Current surveillance methods and mandated reporting processes as related to the chronic health condition chosen should be specific.
4. Epidemiological Analysis:  Conduct a descriptive epidemiology analysis of the health condition. Be sure to include all of the 5 W’s:  What, Who, Where, When, Why.  Use details associated with all of the W’s, such as the “Who” which should include an analysis of the determinants of health.  Include costs (both financial and social) associated with the disease or problem.
5. Screening and Guidelines:  Review how the disease is diagnosed and current national standards (guidelines).  Pick one screening test (review Week 2 Discussion Board) and review its sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and cost.
6. Plan:  Integrating evidence, provide a plan of how a nurse practitioner will address this chronic health condition after graduation.  Provide three specific interventions that are based on the evidence and include how you will measure outcomes (how will you know that the interventions have utility, are useful?)  Note:  Consider primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions as well as the integration of health policy advocacy efforts.  All interventions should be based on evidence – connected to a resource such as a scholarly piece of research.
7. Summary/Conclusion: Conclude in a clear manner with a brief overview of the keys points from each section of the paper utilizing integration of resources.
8. The paper should be formatted and organized into the following sections which focus on the chosen chronic health condition.
9. Adhere to all paper preparation guidelines (see below).

Preparing the Paper:

1. Page length: 7-10 pages, excluding title page and references.
2. APA format current edition
3. Include scholarly in-text references throughout and a reference list.
4. Include at least one table that the student creates to present information. Please refer to the “Requirements” or rubric for further details.  APA formatting required.
5. Length: Papers not adhering to the page length may be subject to either (but not both) of the following at the discretion of the course faculty: 1.  Your paper may be returned to you for editing to meet the length guidelines, or, 2. Your faculty may deduct up to five (5) points from the final grade.

SOLUTION

Epidemiological Analysis: Alcohol Addiction

For the past couple of decades, alcohol addiction has been one of the largest public health crises in the US. It affects people from all walks of life irrespective of their socioeconomic status, gender, or age. The impacts of alcoholism are far-reaching. Precisely, alcoholism is the third leading cause of preventable deaths among  other health consequences such as cancer and cirrhosis (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2020). One of the key health problems affecting Massachusetts is alcohol addiction among underage and adults. It is ranked 8th highest with a rate of 21.2% in comparison to the national rate of 16.2%. Taking this into consideration, this paper seeks to provide the background of alcohol addiction, current surveillance methods, epidemiological analysis, screening, and diagnosis as well as the role of nurse practitioners.

Background and Significance

Definition, Risk, and Causes

Alcohol addiction also known as alcoholism  is a pattern of alcohol use in which an individual experiences problem in controlling the drinking. Similarly, alcohol addiction is a disease that changes the way brain functions and causes negative emotions, impulsive behavior craving as well as withdrawal symptoms (Leggio & Lee, 2017). Alcohol addiction can also be defined as the inability to stop the use of alcohol despite the negative consequences of consumption.

The causes of alcoholism are still not known. Nonetheless, there has been a consensus among the researchers that alcoholism occurs  due to excessive drinking, which alters the chemical changes in the brain. These changes heighten the pleasurable feeling when one consumes alcohol thereby risking the dependence. Research has shown a close link between…