Family Centered Health Policy Analysis

Problem identification (1 paragraph) – 30 points

Divorce is one of the major issues facing our society today. In the event of a divorce, divorcees tend to suffer poor health. Furthermore, it is usually difficult to separate health problems from family problems.

Background (1-2 paragraphs) – 30 points

Family-centered care also referred to, as family-centered service is an issue that has been discussed and promoted extensively, especially in relation to child health. Taking this approach offers medical professionals with a wider outlook on how to work with families more effectively (Gance‐Cleveland, 2006). Family-centered service is founded on a set of principles, mindsets, and approaches to providing healthcare services to children who have special needs as well as their families. Family-centered service appreciates that different families have different needs and that family members are constantly in the child’s life and thus they usually understand the child’s needs and abilities more that medical professionals. In line with this, it aims at encouraging the family to work closely with service providers in order to articulate effective ways of supporting both the child as well as the family members (Gance‐Cleveland, 2006).

The family is considered to be an individual’s first line of defense against the challenges associated with poor health. This analysis is based on the assumption that a child’s health affects. The impact of such challenges is directly proportional to the family’s ability to cope. When the family is unable to cope with the burden of poor health, it becomes a serious health concern. For instance, when more than one family member suffers from poor health or is physically or mentally challenged, the burden on the family can be severe, making it even harder for the family to cope. In addition, the family also plays an important role in ensuring that public programs are effective. Foe example, providing important healthcare to families can help improve the overall quality of healthcare offered to patients. Government intervention to address the role-played by family in healthcare pose a risk that family ties may be weakened. On the other hand, government intervention might provide insight that will help families cope better with health related burdens. While some people believe that government intervention has had a positive impact on the quality of care given to children, critical believe that it has had negative impact on family setup, such as increased the number of absentee fathers (BiblarzRaftery, &Bucur 1997). The impact of this policy on healthcare is yet to be established.

Stakeholders (1 paragraph) – 30 points 

The Family-centered health policy affects a number of people in the modern society. Among the main stakeholders include patients, their families, clinicians, health care providers, family centered care organizations, and the government (Gance‐Cleveland, 2006).

Issue statement (1 sentence or question) – 30 points

What should a family centered health policy encompass?

Policy objectives (1 introductory sentence and 1 objective) – 40 points

Identify how family can be incorporated into family-centered health policy to improve the quality of health care provided.

Policy alternatives (1 paragraph) – 30 points

Families are currently an integral part of health problems and thus should be made an integral part of the solutions. Integrating families with healthcare can help yield better results. For instance, conducting family therapies instead of individual therapies has been shown to not only improve the effectiveness of the therapy but also improve the physical health of all family members (Crane, 2007). Furthermore, health care providers should employ strategies that will encourage family involvement and strengthen family ties.

Evaluation criteria (1 introductory sentence and 1 criterion for evaluation) – 40 points 

This part of the analysis will focus on normative criteria as a form of evaluating the policy. Normative criteria refer to the conflict of ideologies in relation to normative claims. The libertarian school of thought advocates for minimal government intrusion in individual’s economic and personal lives. However, libertarians pay very little or no attention to the institutions that produce the individuals they claim should have freedom to their actions. Although this point of view claims that the government should not interfere with family maters, it does not offer means through which the government should protect children.

In some instances, children require the support of elders, such as their parents, however, in other cases, they require protection from those adults. Children have a right to be protected just as parents have the right to bring up their children without government interference and it is impossible to determine which right should override the other. Consequently, children healthcare promotion should be an area that libertarians should expect government involvement.

Marriages also pose a challenge on the ideologies of human rights. While libertarians would advocate for individual’s right to form any type of intimate relationship they wish, including same sex relationships, the law does not fully accommodate all relationships. Some relationships may not be legally recognized hence those in such relationships cannot be legally married. Married couples have some privileges that are not available to unmarried couples, such as the right to be a person’s next of kin. The next of kin plays an important role in making crucial healthcare decisions. Additionally, non-married couples cannot legally claim custody of children after a partner’s demise. All these factors can have serious impact on family member’s health, especially children.

Summary and recommended policy (1 paragraph) – 20 points

Incorporating family into healthcare is a compelling ideology. Important health affecting decisions such as diet and exercise patterns are usually made on the family level. The family and the society also influence the effectiveness of healthcare projects. Therefore, family should be made a big part of healthcare decision-making process in future. Future policies should incorporate family values and work towards encouraging families to be more actively involved in healthcare.

The family’s potential to improve the quality of healthcare provided is immeasurable. However, there is also reasonable potential that the family could also cause tremendous. Stakeholders should work towards understanding these two forces and use them to promote overall public health.

 

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