Essay Sample on Current Events in Protective Healthcare

Introduction

The science of public health enhances improvement and protection in family health and the community at large. Protective healthcare is achieved through promotion of healthy lifestyles, injury prevention, disease research, as well as early detection and control of infectious diseases. It is the duty of the public health practitioners to help reduce and prevent the occurrence and recurrence of public health-threatening concerns through research-based evidence, implementation of programs recommendations, policy implementation, and administration of service/care provision (Pandit & Pandit, 2009). This paper will discuss three current events of public protective health concerns that have in recent age warranted intervention to slow down the escalating figures of various concerns. The events will include the prescription of opioids, medical practitioners' negligence, and bodily bone fractures from Road Transport Accidents (RTA).

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Prescription of Opioids is the recommendation of practitioners to patients to prescribe for narcotic drugs with the strong prescription of pain relievers and other illegal drugs and substances like heroin. Medics can prescribe opioids to reduce chronic pain after patients have suffered major injury or surgery as well as when a patient has some very painful health condition. However, excessive dependence on opioids have in the recent age turned into a global concern because of the side effects which include mental fogginess, drowsiness, constipation, and nausea contributing addiction and overdependence (Bryden & Storey, 2011).

Consequently, medical negligence breached the patience shoulders on the medics to entrust them in making the most appropriate decisions in safeguarding their life against healthcare issues. However, patients may face disappointment and mishandling owing to carelessness and irresponsibility of the different practitioners acting in different levels in health facilities. Different forms of medical negligence include misdiagnoses, administration of wrong or inappropriate medication as well as other violation of medical codes of conduct (Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST), 2010).

Finally, in the recent past, the number of highway mortalities and fracturing has risen to alarming digits. very many people are losing their lives or body parts owing to the escalating number of RTA threatening the safety of the general public on how safe are our roads. Many patients are agonizing with fractures on the hospital beds or at home with permanent scars attributed by careless road use.

Conclusion

In conclusion, public preventive health care programs cover different forms of life-threatening situations causing major concern to address different types of events contributing to a poor community and individual health.

A patient approaching a doctor expects medical treatment with all the knowledge and skill that the doctor possesses to bring relief to his medical problem. The relationship takes the shape of a contract retaining the essential elements of tort. A doctor owes certain duties to his patient and a breach of any of these duties gives a cause of action for negligence against the doctor. The doctor has a duty to obtain prior informed consent from the patient before carrying out diagnostic tests and therapeutic management. The services of the doctors are covered under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and a patient can seek redressal of grievances from the Consumer Courts. Case laws are an important source of law in adjudicating various issues of negligence arising out of medical treatment.

Keywords: Error of judgment, medical negligence, prior informed consent

References

Bryden, Daniele & Storey, Ian (August 2011). The duty of care and medical negligence, Continuing Education in Anesthesia Critical Care & Pain, Volume 11, Issue 4, 1, Pages 124-127. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1093/bjaceaccp/mkr016.

Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) (June 7, 2010) Available from http://www.nhsla.com/Claims/Schemes/CNST/

Pandit, M. S., & Pandit, S. (2009). Medical negligence: Coverage of the profession, duties, ethics, case law, and enlightened defense - A legal perspective. Indian Journal of Urology : IJU : Journal of the Urological Society of India, 25(3), 372-378. http://doi.org/10.4103/0970-1591.56206