How A Policy By Arthritis Australia Can Promote Health Among The Chosen Population

Background

Explain how your policy can promote the health of the chosen population, using a public health or health promotion framework (e.g. Ottawa Charter).
 

1.1 Arthritis Australia

It is observed that one out of every five Australian nearly suffer from arthritis and it is 3.85 million people of the country. Arthritis Australia is not for profit organisation established in 1949 with the name of Australian Arthritis Rheumatism Foundation. Now it is considered as the peak body in Australia related with (Arthritis Arthritisaustralia, 2014). It functions as a charitable organisation and work for the welfare of people suffering from arthritis and musculoskeletal ailment and make thel lead a quality life.

Arthritis Australia is associated with partner offices in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia. Today Arthritis Australia State affiliates promote and educate health consumers and health workers, provide assistance to National arthritis help line creating awareness, take care of the distribution of booklets and information related with arthritis and conduct seminars in the local community (Arthritis Arthritisaustralia, 2014).

Vision of Arthritis Australia

It works to improve the quality of life and help people combat arthritis by eliminating the pain and suffering.

Mission of Arthritis Australia

• To offer support, education and dignity for people in Australia impacted by arthritis and their carers.
• To reduce the growth rate of arthritis drastically in Australia.
• To position itself as the leader in funding and advocating research of international standard.
• Aims to act as the independent body focussing on arthritis and patient cantered national body working for arthritis.

Objectives of Arthritis Australia

• It works with the objective of enabling support and information to arthritis patient and their family members and friends.
• It works to create awareness related with problems faced by the arthritis patient across the local community and to stakeholder like business leaders, industry expert and government.
• To provide required information to physiotherapists, community nurses and occupational therapists.

1.2 Health issue

Health issue: Arthritis related health ailment among 15 to 45 year olds in Australia.

As a result of the health issues this policy advocates community, business, government and industry to enhance health care, support, management and quality of life for patient impacted by arthritis (Wood, Fortune, and McKinstry, 2013). In addition to creating consumer oriented, proactive policy and advocacy programme, the Arthritis Australia participate in consultancy service to government and provide report to agencies of government related with multiple issues impacting people suffering from arthritis.

Arthritis as stated by Arthritis Australia is an umbrella term signifying 100 medical condition related with joint pains at the point of meeting of two or more bones impacting musculoskeletal system. In Australia more than 95% of the people suffer from the three most common form of arthritis namely osteoarthritis, gout and rheumatoid arthritis (Wood, Fortune, and McKinstry, 2013). The various health issues related with arthritis include

Osteoarthritis – It is a health issue where the joint like bone, ligament, cartilage and muscles of person is affected. It also results in inflammation, deterioration of ligaments, and damage of joint cartilage.

Gout – It is a health issue where small crystals formation happens around joints and it leads to pain, swelling and causing inflammation. The crystals are formed form the uric acid which is discharged as urine from the kidneys (Wood, Fortune, and McKinstry, 2013). In people with gout it does not happens leading to crystals.

Rheumatoid arthritis – It is a health condition where the person experience pain and swelling of joints resulting from autoimmune diseases. In the immune system in the person hampers the health tissues (Murphy,and Baines, 2015). In Rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system impacts the lining of joints leading to joint damage and causing inflammation.

Arthritis Australia

The major health issues related with arthritis is related with inflammation, pain, stiffness and damage to joint bones and cartilage. This leads to instability, weakness and deformities impacting the quality of life of a person.

1.3 Compelling evidence

There are a sufficient statistics available both in the statistical reports and the media with respect to health issues resulting from arthritis. Though major part of the statistics mentioned below related with 15 to 45 year olds, some signify the total population with respect to the overall cost implication on the state related with the issue (Arthritis Arthritisaustralia, 2014).

Arthritis facts and figures

• One in five people suffer from arthritis nearly in Australia.
• At present almost 3.85 million people are impacted by arthritis and it represent 18.5% of the total population of the country.
• It is predicted to impact 7 million in Australia by 2050.
• The cost implication on the economy of the country is $23.9 billion annually apart from the emotional and social cost that is hidden and immeasurable.
• The major cause of pain and disability in Australia is arthritis.
• The concept that arthritis is an inevitable part old age is wrong.
• It is found that 2.4 million working age people are diagnosed with arthritis mostly.
• 58% of the working people with arthritis are in the age group of 25 to 64 year olds.
• It is found in children as well as over 5000 children suffer from arthritis.
• In 2002 it was declared a national health priority.
• Arthritis Australia stated that there are more than 100 kinds of the condition.
• It is generally associated with body reaction against own joint tissues.
• Most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis, gout and rheumatoid arthritis.
• The person needs to move it or lose it or else it lead to pain and other serious symptoms.
• There is no cure medially though lot can be done

Media Quotes

Shalailah Medhora published a report saying people suffering from arthritis ‘to exceed than double by 2050’. (SBS News).

Brendan Trembath stated in their report that early treatment of arthritis lead to save a fortune (ABC local radio).

Senator Carol Brown made a parliament address related to Arthritis awareness week and the launch of time to move. (You tube).

Evidence suggests that arthritis is major concern and it is affecting people not only in the age group of 15 to 45 year olds but also children. The lack of physical activity and healthy food habit leads to reduction in amount of cartilage tissue normally causing arthritis (Arthritis Arthritisaustralia, 2014). The normal wear and tear is the reason behind Osteoarthritis. Others reason related with the condition include past injury faced by person, infection, smoking and physically demanding work. 

2.1 Goal & Objectives

Arthritis Australia feels that CPR (Clinical prediction rule) and precautionary method should be mandatory awareness campaign to be made part of Canberra Hospital, Garran, Canberra at ATC by December 2016 with the goal and objective of achieving a 20% reduction in working age group of 25 to 64 in Canberra of people suffering from arthritis (Murphy,and Baines, 2015). The policy targets this area based on the fact that the number of arthritis in the working age group is found in Canberra. Canberra Hospital, Garran, Canberra reflect an ideal sample population with the objective of implementing the policy across the rest of ATC.

2.2 Policy Goal

The goal of the policy is to make CPR and precautionary method as part of the mandatory awareness campaign to be made part of Canberra Hospital, Garran, Canberra at ATC by December 2016 with the goal and objective of achieving a 20% reduction in working age group of 25 to 64 in Canberra of people suffering from arthritis (Harjang,  2015).

Policy	Goal
Build healthy policy for the public	Advocate for Canberra Hospital, Garran, Canberra at ATC to promote CPR and precautionary method for working age 25 to 64 approaching the hospital.
Develop supportive atmosphere	Make health worker present to council the people.
Community action to be strengthened	Involve local clinics and health worker.
Personal skills development	Council people to take self precaution.
Reoriented service related with health	Local clinics and health worker can organise local awareness campaign.

2.3 SMART objectives of the policy

Equip 25% of the health worker to deliver person centred arthritis awareness program to working people approaching the hospital in Canberra Hospital, Garran, Canberra at ATC.

Policy	Goal
Build healthy policy for the public	Five health care worker in every department equipped with the counselling in every department in the hospital.
Develop supportive atmosphere	By up-skilling the knowledge of health workers about arthritis.
Community action to be strengthened	By having more people in the community with arthritis knowledge
Personal skills development	Council people to take self precaution.
Reoriented service related with health	Health professionals supervisor in the workplace to deliver program in the company.

Incorporate local campaign for working age group 25 to 64 who live in the locality of Garran as the sample population.

Policy	Goal
Build healthy policy for the public	Advocate for the policy to be tested in Canberra Hospital, Garran, Canberra at ATC to promote CPR and precautionary method for working age 25 to 64 approaching the hospital.
Develop supportive atmosphere	Make health worker present to council the people in more number in the hospital.
Community action to be strengthened	Involve local clinics and health worker in Canberra at ATC.
Personal skills development	Council people to take self precaution by imparting knowledge about arthritis.
Reoriented service related with health	Local clinics and health worker can organise local awareness campaign in association with party safe.

Disseminate the arthritis awareness program to 75% of the population in the locality of Canberra by 2018.

Policy	Goal
Build healthy policy for the public	The policy designed works with objective of imparting awareness to 75% of the population in the locality of Canberra by 2018.
Develop supportive atmosphere	With working people trained in CPR and precautionary method leads to sense of security and support others.
Community action to be strengthened	It leads to enhancing the awareness in the community.
Personal skills development	Makes them help themselves in the future.
Reoriented service related with health	It leads to empowering the working people prone to arthritis.

Inccorporate the CPR and precautionary method as part of the party safe program for children below 15 year olds.

Policy	Goal
Build healthy policy for the public	Advocate for the partysafe to design arthritis  program for children below 15 years
Develop supportive atmosphere	Make health worker present to council the people.
Community action to be strengthened	Involve local clinics and health worker.
Personal skills development	Teens will be learning about arthritis and help the community.
Reoriented service related with health	Local clinics and health worker can organise local awareness campaign.

3.1Promoting arthritis

The time to move is the promotional campaign undertaken by Arthritis Australia and it provides a road map for improving the health care service across Australia for people suffering from arthritis. It address wide spectrum from intervention of arthritis patient to prevention and advanced treatment (Stucki et al., 2007). It specifically talks of caring people suffering from osteoarthritis (OA), Gout and Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The time to move strategy works with the objective of providing patient with person centred care focussing on the experience of the patient. Its ultimate goal and objective is reducing the number of patient mainly working people in the age group of 25 to 64 developing arthritis. The second objective is early diagnosis and emphasis on evidence based care. The basic features of time to move promotion campaign include

• Raising awareness strategies and campaigns.
• Primary health prevention policy and health promotion strategies.
• Self management support and enhanced education for people suffering from arthritis.
• Community oriented arthritis clinics with multidisciplinary teams.
• Capacity building for Workforce with focus on enhancing support related with primary care facility with a view to promote effective management of people suffering from arthritis.

Health issue

3.2 Ottawa Charter

The health promotion framework guiding the above policy is called the Ottawa charter. This framework promote five key elements and they are build healthy policy for the public,  Develop supportive atmosphere, Community action to be strengthened, Personal skills development and Reoriented service related with health (World Health Organisation, 2015). Each of the objectives related with the policy goal has been developed based on the framework of the Ottawa charter and represent the key elements of each five elements. The policy works with the aims and objective of improving the health of arthritis patient in Canberra by emphasising on the significance of clinical prediction rule (CPR) and precautionary method By providing these counselling to the people suffering from arthritis it will develop the awareness of prevention skills and provide them the capability to control their health in a more effective manner apart from supporting others. Equipping the working people in the age group of 25 to 64 prone to arthritis and health workers with CPR and precautionary methods will help to reduce the development of arthritis in the working people (World Health Organisation, 2015). In addition it will help to spread the awareness in the locality and protecting the children who are getting impacted by the disease. It will also lead to the development of favourable atmosphere by associating with various sectors and establishing long term partnership. Finally by creating awareness with the working people about the CPR and precautionary method it equips them to take necessary action to prevent the disease.

3.3 Evaluation method

The evaluation will be conducted by conducting a survey method with working people in the age group of 25 to 64 in Canberra Hospital, Garran, Canberra at ATC on the five parameters set in the policy based on the Ottawa framework namely build healthy policy for the public, Develop supportive atmosphere, Community action to be strengthened, Personal skills development and Reoriented service related with health. It will be compared with pre study data collected to identify the success of the study (Baldwin, 2004). It will evaluate all the five elements with regard to the four objectives set namely Equip 25% of the health worker to deliver person centred arthritis awareness program to working people approaching the hospital in Canberra Hospital, Garran, Canberra at ATC. Incorporate local campaign for working age group 25 to 64 who live in the locality of Garran as the sample population. Disseminate the arthritis awareness program to 75% of the population in the locality of Canberra by 2018.Inccorporate the CPR and precautionary method as part of the party safe program for children below 15 year olds. It will help to understand if the policy goal undertaken for arthritis is achieved or not. 

Recommendation One

It is recommended to start with the trail area in Canberra at Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to identify the effectiveness of the program. If the program is deemed to be effective then the policy can be executed in other Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Success will be monitored using the Ottawa framework as done in the present case.

Recommendation Two

It is recommended to provide funding to associate with party safe to develop the policy for children that can be implemented in schools as more than 5000 children in Australia is suffering from arthritis (Baldwin, 2004). This will cater to children and develop a special program for the children. Party safe has the expertise to deal with students below 15 to reduce development of arthritis and empower the youth

Recommendation Three

It is recommended to provide funding for school program to impart awareness of arthritis in school in Canberra. It can use for training teachers. 

References

Arthritisaustralia.com.au. (2014). Home. 

Baldwin, M.L., 2004. Reducing the costs of work-related musculoskeletal disorders: targeting strategies to chronic disability cases. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 14(1), pp.33-41.

Harjang, B.C., 2015. Working out in the workplace and subjective well-being: a survey of employees in a Norwegian company.

Murphy, G. and Baines, J., 2015. Connecting the Dots: Facilitating a Positive University Educational Journey with an Organisational Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. JOURNAL OF ThE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND STUDENT SERVICES ASSOCIATION.

Stucki, G., Boonen, A., Tugwell, P., Cieza, A. and Boers, M., 2007. The World Health Organisation International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: a conceptual model and interface for the OMERACT process. The Journal of rheumatology, 34(3), pp.600-606.

Wood, R., Fortune, T. and McKinstry, C., 2013. Perspectives of occupational therapists working in primary health promotion. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 60(3), pp.161-170.