[SOLVED] Pharmacology and Diverse Populations

Pharmacology and Diverse Populations

Health Concerns and Issues in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most affected regions with poor access to health care services in the world. Various challenges and concerns affect these people with records showing that almost half of the children below five years die each year. Communicable diseases such as malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis are some of the diseases affecting huge populations in these regions (Novignon, 2015). Similarly, nutritional, maternal issues and respiratory infections have been a major concern for Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, poor governance and management have led to weak health leadership, little health legislation and scarcity of health workers (Novignon, 2015). Corruption has also led to high purchasing prices of drugs and a variation of safety and quality.  The region is also faced with a shortage …

Pharmacological Regimens Treatments

Communicable diseases and in particular HIV/AIDS continues to be one of the major health concerns for sub-Saharan Africa (Claborn et al., 2015). For the preparedness purposes, it is advisable that the new immigrants be given the regimens for the HIV used for the treatment of the infection. Individuals on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) will be required to take HIV medicine for HIV regimens daily.  The U.S health agency has a total of thirty HIV medicines that it recommends to be used. The guidelines recommended by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services include beginning the ART with a regimen containing three medicines from at least two diverse drug classes (Claborn et al., 2015).  The various drug classes are fusion inhibitors, protease inhibitors, post-attachment inhibitors, NNRTIs, NTTIs, CCR5 …

Traditional Beliefs and Practices Associated with HIV

Most of the African practices have a great impact on the transmission of HIV as one of the most health concerns. Female circumcision practice in Africa contributes to the spread due to the existence of lesion in the vagina. Promiscuity is very rampant in Africa posing dangers of the infection (Green, & Ruark, 2016). Traditional healers and midwives get exposed to blood that increase risks of contracting communicable diseases. Bloodletting for the purpose of treating wounds in most sub-Saharan Africa risks the spread of the infection. In addition, the use of same instruments during circumcision, tattooing, and scarification increase the incidence and prevalence of HIV in the region. Sub-Saharan African traditional and cultural beliefs concerning HIV promote stigmatization and discourage people to …

Effect of Cultural Practices On Acceptance of Pharmacological Treatments

Most cultural practices and beliefs look at HIV as a curse due to witchcraft thereby considering traditional healers instead of the prescribed ART. HIV causes a weakening of the immune system, a condition that leaves the patients exposed to the risks of developing other opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and toxoplasmosis (Claborn, et al., 2015). The belief that HIV is related to black magic renders the patients to seek other forms of treatment …

Evidence-Based Strategies for the Organization

The organization should come up with ways of ensuring that new immigrants have knowledge about the importance of pharmacological treatments. First, the leadership ought to devise plans to ensure universal access to ART treatment for the immigrants. HIV transmission should also be decriminalized, access to ART treatment for the refugees need to be supervised (Green & Ruark, 2016). The organization should also seek cultural mediators in the provision of the pharmacological interventions. Campaigns encouraging the testing of HIV and …

Evidence-Based Strategies for the Nursing Staff

Nursing staff on the other hand should be able to assess the new immigrants by explaining the importance of avoiding some cultural practices that most people come into contact with blood. Nurses also have a role of encouraging the immigrants on the significance of using protection during sexual intercourse as it minimizes chances of …

References

Claborn, K. R., Meier, E., Miller, M. B., &Leffingwell, T. R. (2015). A systematic review of treatment fatigue among HIV-infected patients prescribed antiretroviral therapy. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 20(3), 255-265. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2014.945601

Connor, J. J., Lund, S. M., Ciesinski, A., Finsaas, M., Bichanga, T., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2016). The East African HIV prevention model: Perspectives from HIV-positive male imnew immigrants living in the USA. Cogent Medicine, 3(1), 1175402. doi: 10.1080/2331205X.2016.1175402

Green, E. C., &Ruark, A. H. (2016). AIDS, behavior, and culture: Understanding evidence-based prevention. Routledge.

Novignon, J. (2015). On the efficiency of public health expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does corruption and quality of public institutions matter? Retrieved from https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/39195/2/MPRA_paper_39195.pdf