The aim of this essay is to evaluate the implications of the recent government health initiative ‘Be Clear on Cancer’. Here, a brief history of why the initiative was introduced in relation to public health and the political agenda will be discussed. However, it is first essential to understand how the modern healthcare has been shaped by historic and recent developments. Furthermore, understanding the influence on healthcare practice of healthcare theories and various models will be investigated in this essay. Again, it is vital to critically relate the healthcare practice to the healthcare theories in accordance with the literature review. Cancer is the main cause of death in the world, estimating 8.2 million fatalities in 2012 alone according to the World Health Organisation (Fact Sheet 2014). Furthermore, the same source says that lung, liver, stomach, colorectal, breast, and oesophageal are the main types of cancer. In Great Britain , the Cancer Research UK (2010) survey reported that life threatening conditions such as Alzheimer’s or non-medical conditions like debt or the loss of jobs are not as feared as cancer in 1/5 of the population. Europe has the best outcomes compared to the UK despite the fact that mortality and survival rates have improved in the last few decades (DH 2011). WHO (2014) underlined the importance of early cancer detection which includes public awareness of early diagnosis and screening which can play a significant role in successful treatment. ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ was the healthcare initiative created by the Department of Health and M&C Saatchi in 2010 to promote awareness and early diagnosis of cancer and was launched in 2011. It was the government’s response to WHO’s 2008-2013 Action Plan, which... ... middle of paper ... ...earch & Policy Vol 17 No 2, 2012: 110–118 Walter, F. M., Webster, A., Scott, S. E., &Emery, J. (2011), The Andersen model of total patient delay: A systematic review of its application in cancer diagnosis. Journal of Health Services Research& Policy. E-pub ahead of print; doi:10.1258/jhsrp.2011.010113 Wallston, K. A., Stein, M. J., & Smith, C. A. (1994). Form C of the MHLC Scales: A condition-specific measure of locus of control. Journal of Personality Assessment, 63(3), 534–553. WHO, 2008-2013 Action Plan, Available at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241597418_eng.pdf?ua=1 assessed online on 27/03/2014 WHO, Cancer> Early detection of cancer, Available at http://www.who.int/cancer/detection/en/ assessed online on 25/03/2014 WHO, Fact sheet, February 2014, Available at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/ assessed on 25/03/2014
Cancer is one of the 9 National Health Priority Areas (NHPA), areas which account for a significant portion of the burden of disease, but have sizeable potential for improvement. In Australia, CRC is the second most common cancer, after prostate (in men) and breast cancer (in women) (AIHW, Cancer incidence projections). The incidence has gradually increased (by 13% in males from 1982-2007) (AIHW, Cancer in Australia an overview). This is compounded by the ageing population and population growth, with 14,860 new cases in 2010 (http://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/types-of-cancer/bowel-cancer). This graph demonstrates this upward trend ((AIHW, Cancer incidence projections):
As the author highlighted in this book, the quickest way to be diagnosed for prostate cancer is to be screened for it; the same notion applies for many other diseases and illness. With the advent of the technological age, doctors are now able to see more than they did before, and therefore, are more quick to diagnose illnesses and cancers early. As Welch explains, the problem with that is that not all illness or cancers will kill you; some cancers will stick around, but never cause any harm. So, this leads to screening for cancers that were never going to kill a patient, that end up being detected early on and dealt with, thus giving credit to early screening as a success story. As Welch explains, most illnesses and injuries that undertake a natural course of events, without medical intervention, usually heal on their own. This is problematic because it creates this idea that medical intervention is helpful and necessary, when that is not always the case. In general, as a society, the benefits of medical care have been over-exaggerated, while the harms of medical care have been largely ignored. If Welchs’ instructions were followed, a closer examination of the effect of screenings and tests would be the new medical
The American Cancer Society’s main concern is assisting people, making profits come second. The American Cancer Society helps patient’s life by finding cures. “For over 100 years, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has worked relentlessly to save lives and create a world with less cancer. Together with millions of our supporters worldwide, we help people stay well and get well, find cures, and fight back against cancer” (American Cancer Society, 2015a). Many people in this world see the importance of the organization and find the interest in donating money or providing anything to help the cause.
According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer health disparities are defined as the adverse differences between specific populations and the achievement of an optimal state of health. These population groups are categorized by geographic location, income, disability, age, education, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or race. These factors correlate with cancer mortality rates that impact specific population groups in the United States, cancer prevalence is the number of people diagnosed or living with cancer, and cancer incidence which is the number of new cancer cases in a population. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2013, there were an estimated 1,660,290 new cases of cancer and 580,350 of the new cases resulted in mortality. Individuals who have limited access to healthcare, health illiterate, and poverty stricken are more likely to develop cancer. This means a person’s socioeconomic status can determine the likelihood of their probability of developing cancer
Every year too many lives are affected or taken by cancer. To be exact every year in the U.S. there are about 15,780 kids between the ages of birth and nineteen years
Cancer. The word by itself can conjure images of severely ill and frail people attached to IV medications and chemotherapy drugs as they cling to life in a hospital bed. Other illustrations and pictures depict unrecognizable, misshaped organs affected by abnormal cells that grow out of control, spread, and invade other parts of the body. Cancer studies show that close to one-half of all men and one-third of all women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer during their lives. Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. As patients are newly diagnosed with their specific type of cancer, whether it be breast, lung, prostate, skin, or blood cancer, etc., each patient has to consider what will happen with their future health care plan and who will be involved in their long journey from treatment to recovery. Once diagnosed, cancer patients become the focal point and the center of all activity in terms of care but cancer not only physically invades the patient’s body and well-being, it goes beyond the patient and significantly affects the emotional stability and support from from their loved ones and caregivers. Based on the insidious nature of cancer and typically late detection of malignant diseases, family members (either spouses, children, parents, other relatives, and friends) often become the patient's main caregiver. These caregivers, also known as informal caregivers, provide the cancer patient with the majority of the support outside of the medical facility or hospital environment and become the primary person to provide various types of assistance. They provide the physical support with bathing and assisting in activities of daily living, they become emotional ...
In 2016, an estimated 1,685,210 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States and of those 1,685,210 cases cancer brutally killed 595,690 of the people. Cancer has a major impact on society in the United States and across the world. Cancer leaves families torn, broken-hearted, and forever scared. Cancer is the worst disease known to man, and the worst part is, there is no known cure. With the discovery of a cure for cancer hundreds of thousands of people would get to live their life instead of losing the battle to cancer. I have had many personal experiences with cancer in my family, I recently lost my granny and great-granny to cancer. In addition, it not only hurts the person diagnosed but it hurts everyone who knows the person being diagnosed. With a cure for cancer my neighborhood of the future would be almost perfect. Cancer ruins many lives as it has mine, there is no way to change my life now, but we can help save others lives and futures by finding a cure for cancer in the near
For years people have tried to figure out one big question. What is the real cause of cancer? After much research, the statistics say that cancer is a disease of the modern world (Stevenson 1). A few main factors that cause cancer are the use of tobacco, industrial agents, and a person’s weight and diet. (Landau 2-4). The modern environment and everyday lifestyle of people contain factors that cause cancer.
No one, no matter how weak or strong, rich or poor, tall or small, is safe from the reach of cancer. Cancer is a dangerous disease killing millions every year without any for sure or easy way to treat it. For years people have tried to raise awareness towards cancer but now that it threatens the lives of so many do people listen and try to help. However even with the help of dozens of different groups and agencies cancer rates continue to grow at an alarming rate. Although we have found ways to treat it we only have theories on how to prevent and stop it. What make cancer so deadly are its Symptoms, commonness, dangerous treatments, the many different areas it can affect, and the cost encored.
“Since 1990, over 6 million Americans have died of cancer, more than the combined casualties from the Civil war, WWII, and the Vietnam and Korean conflicts combined” (Faguet, p. 5). According to American Cancer Society projections, there were 1,529,560 new cases of cancer in 2010. Cancer is becoming more and more common around the world. New cancers are constantly being discovered. Researchers are finding new ways to detect cancer and treat it so that the fatality rate does not rise. However, there are some cancers that researchers have not yet discovered a cure for. It is very important for Cancer Research to continue so that one day these cancers will no longer be a treat.
The distribution of health is determined by a wide variety of individual, community, and national factors. There is a growing body of evidence documenting inequalities in both the distribution of health and access to health care in the United Kingdom. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer for both men and women in England (Office for National Statistics, 2013). The majority of lung cancer cases in the United Kingdom occur as a result of tobacco smoking, 80-90% of lung cancer cases can be attributed to this with only 10-20% of cases being attributed to diet and occupational exposures to carcinogens, such as radiation (Parkin, Boyd and Walker, 2011). Research also suggests that socio-economic deprivation is associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer.
“Cancer affects all of us, whether you’re a daughter, mother, sister, friend, coworker, doctor, or patient” (Aniston). Cancer treatment is a very sore subject, but many people are diagnosed with this disease. However, doctors have ways of finding cancer and treating it. Cancer is a very serious issue that needs to be dealt with in each person who is diagnosed with it. To understand the solution, one has to know the causes, effects, and problems of cancer.
Today healthcare environment is characterized by higher patient acuity, more complex treatment for cancer and a shift from the delivery of cancer care and treatment in specialized inpatient to ambulatory outpatient treatment facilities. The challenges of rapidly ageing population and escalating rates of chronic diseases lead to an expansion and demand for cancer services (Mitchell, 2012).
With an inaccurate diagnosis, comes the emotional and physical toll of treatments, as well as the cost. When diagnosed with cancer or even awaiting the results of a cancer test, one can develop anxiety (Brawley). Doctor Welch, a professor at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, teaches his students how “screening leads to a lot of anxiety.” Along with the emotional toll that follows the diagnosis of cancer comes the physical aspect. Treating tumors that would have not become life-threatening has some pretty big risks: pain, infections, anesthesia reactions, or complications (McCullough). Along with those risks, one may lose a part of their body or a function. Because of all the treatments on nonfatal cancers, women may lose a breast while men can lose their sexual function (Aschwanden). But above all that, treatments and “diagnostic interventions can even cause an early death” (Brawley). One of the biggest worries people have when diagnosed with cancer, is how will the treatments be paid for. With the cost of cancer treatment in the United States set to grow thirty-nine percent from 2010-2020, billions of dollars could be spent on something that might not have even required treatment (Aschwanden). For any family or individual person, paying for cancer treatment can cause a financial fallout. The “treatment of an overdiagnosed tumor cannot provide benefit, but it can lead to harm” (McCullough).
Since 1979 the diagnoses of cancer have gone up nearly 20% in a generation as there is more people smoking, drinking, obesity and unfitness (theguardian website, 2011, para. 1). There has been in increase of women with the diagnosis, the diagnoses have risen up by 50% (459 per 100,00), men have risen from 20,000 to 24,000 (the guardian website, 2011, para. 2). Socioeconomic class does have an effect in some cases as cervical and lung cancers are more common in poor people while rates of breast cancer and melanoma are higher in the wealthy (ScienceDaily website, 2008, para. 1). Demographics could also have some effect as those of the wealthier group have more exposure to UV by traveling abroad for the holidays (ScienceDaily website, 2008, para. 5). In regards to smoking, deprived groups continue to smoke while the wealthier groups have quit smoking (ScienceDaily website, 2008, para. 7). Researchers have linked cancer to not only demographics, socioeconomic class but also race and