Identification
of a health topic:
Inactivity
Employee
health a matter of customer satisfaction
The center for disease control has done
research that 150 minutes of walking or moderate exercise can significantly
improve health, that is about 20 minutes of exercise daily (Pickette,2012). The
research concluded that the 20 minutes of daily exercise does not need to be
all at one time but, can be broken down into small increments throughout the
day and be just as effective ( Pickette,2012). According to the CDC only 48% of
Americans are reaching this goal (Pickette, 2012). The CDC research uncovered
that people living in the South of the United States walked the least
(Pickette, 2012). This study should be a wakeup call that this is a health
disparity that has to be improved by the healthcare community. The CDC research
has concluded that just 20 minutes of walking a day could add up to 20 years of
productive life on to the average American (Pickette, 2012).
1. Employers
that invest in their employees are investing in the future and save money.
Medical staff spends their life time caring for other, many times in
environments where they are exposed to chronic stress, disease, heavy lifting,
repetitive motion, and unhealthy hours (Trossman, 2012). Research has concluded
that health professional eat and sleep very differently than the rest of
America (Trossman, 2012). The irregular sleeping and eating patterns that have
profound effect health can almost be negated with regular exercise (Trossman,
2012). Studies have proven overall health is improved with increased physical
activity (Trossman, 2012). Employees who exercise as little as 20 minutes a day decrease, sick days, improve metal health,
decrease pain, decrease BMI, and decrease the incident of many chronic diseases
(Trossman,2012).
Walking is a fitness activity that almost
anyone can participate. When people walk they use the same muscles as when they
are performing activities to target these areas using expensive gym equipment
(“American friends”, 2013). One of the most complained about medical conditions
of health care workers is back pain. Research has demonstrated that active
people are less likely to experience aches and pains over a life time and
regular walking decreases back pain (“American friends”, 2013). A surprising
outcome from this research on back pain is individuals that improve just one
aspect of health are more likely to improve others (“American friends”, 2013).
Studies find that the simple act of
walking improves lives. Health care professional’s behavior is often emulated
by the people they serve (Prickett, 2013). Nurses have been at the front lines
of many health programs to improve the health of their communities (Prickette,
2013). Health care professionals can use the same health promotion models that
they use for their patients to improve their own health (Pender, Murdaugh,
& Parsons, 2011).
Growing research is indicating that long
standing beliefs that obesity is an individualized problem is false (Prickette,
2013). Studies indicate that many factors in a community contribute to the
overall obesity epidemic (Prickette, 2013). Health care teams have the
resources, knowledge, and influence to make their communities healthier. This
is a health disparity that must be addressed immediately. The center for disease control predicts that
weight will rise by 42% by 2030 and increasing the risk for stroke and heart
disease in astronomical proportions (Prickette, 2013).
Communities shape
individuals values and norms, nurses have the ability to empower people to
change unhealthy behavior through mentoring, community education and
participation (Pender, Murdaugh(Pashley,
2012), & Parsons, 2011).
A brief summary of the proposed project
1)
A
health promotion plan will be written using the social ecological model,
including the health planning process. The social ecological model was chosen
because of the emphasis the model places on social, physical and environmental
change (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2011). This model encourages high level
interaction between people and their environment (Pender, Murdaugh, &
Parsons, 2011). Health care workers have one of the highest rates of burn out
among professionals due to both the physical and mental tasks required
(Pasheley, 2012). Studies have shown that nurse have a 40% burnout rate
(Pasheley, 2012). Burnout is much greater than just stress. Burnout is a state
of apathy was the individual is disengaged from their environment without hope
that anything will change (Pasheley, 2012). This is not only detrimental to the
health care workers physical and mental health but, it is a grave concern for
the patients in the hospital (Pasheley, 2012). Registered nurse is the round
the clock surveillance that provide early life saving intervention to the sick,
without prompt intervention and detection more medical error and essential
events occur (Pasheley, 2012). To prevent burnout it is essential that health
care members take care of their own, physical, mental, spiritual and social
wellbeing (Pasheley, 2012).
The
role of health care leadership in the social ecological model
Change
the physical and social environment
When health care leaders create policy and
work environments, which allow health care professional, to meet social,
mental, spiritual and physical health they are creating health care
environments that are safe for those they serve (QSEN, 2014). One of the future
goals of health care is to provide care that is evidence based on science and
research (QSEN, 2014). Research has concluded that regular exercise, employee
engagement and social support improve mental health (Pickette, 2012). Healthy
employees influence patients and communities to engage in healthier lifestyles
(Pickette, 2012).
Brief
proposal of the project and time frame for implementation
The proposal is a program that engages
employee within South Florida Baptist hospital to increase their physical
activity. Leadership will provide pedometers with the Bay Care logo to all team
members, which participate in the activity program. It is estimate at this time
there are 412 employees at South Florida Baptist hospital (Baycare.org, 2014).
The leadership would send out e-mails August, 1, 2015 to all staff members
asking for team leaders to help prepare for the annual November heart walk. The
team leaders would be responsible for keeping track of the steps for their
department. Leadership would determine the number of steps it would require to
reach chosen areas in Florida. Three areas would be chosen with greater
difficulty each month. Leadership would request volunteers in each unit to
create banners mapping the way in miles to the destination for their unit.
Prizes will be given for the most creative banners, the unit that reaches the
destination first, the most improved team etc.
The banners will be
place on the wall in front of the cafeteria so that all staff member can see
the progress and it is visible for the community and visitors to see health
care professionals engage in healthy behaviors.
During the month of June, 2015 leadership will request staff to create
education on ways to promote physical activity and to present it at a skills
fair prior to beginning of the walking program in July of 2015. At this time
the walking initiative will be presented and volunteers will be collected to
make trophies for the winners of the contest. A date, a room and craft supplies
will be set aside for people who wish to help in making trophies and prizes.
The team captain that is a volunteer will keep track of the number of miles the
unit completed that month with the date it was completed. At the end of the three months prior to the
heart walk leadership will hand out the awards in the cafeteria during staff
lunch hour.
Incorporating
the social ecological model to influence the surrounding community
The social ecological
model takes in to consideration how communities influence behavior (Pender,
Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2011). The goal of this model is to create actions
that create healthier communities (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2011).
Research has proven modeling healthy behavior overflows into the community (Pender,
Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2011).
Proposal
to include surrounding community, by identifying health goals and related
behavior change options (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons,
2011).
1)
Leadership will have the free community
Plant city courier cover the event throughout the three month process.
2)
Every two week the hospital newsletter
will include ways to increase daily activity and ways team members are doing it
for the challenge. The social ecological
model attempt to remove barriers to change and believes that health
interventions should include the individual, community and society (Pender,
Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2011). One example of this is older or disabled team
members can include rocking chair time and chair marching. Team members would
also be encouraged to share ways to overcome barriers to inactivity.
3)
The goal posters will be placed in front
of the cafeteria so visitors and patients can view team members participating
in healthy behaviors.
Strengths
and weakness of identified audience.
Strengths
1) The
target audience would be the employees at South Florida Baptist hospital of
Plant City Florida. The reason for this audience selection is because South
Florida Baptist hospital is one of the smaller hospitals of Bay care making it
easier to evaluate if improved health outcomes occurred after the initiation of
the program.
2) The
company new letter, chat news would be effective in communicating ways for employees
to increase activity in their everyday lives and improve health.
3) South
Florida Baptist employees are already very involved in promoting heart health
in the month of November for our annual community heart walk.
4) The
program is easy to implement and the cost is minimal.
5) Everyone
can participate.
What
is the estimated Grant amount requested to implement this project?
The coverage from the
local newspaper and the company newspaper and e-mails cost free.
Supplies for the banner
and trophy material from recycled items from previous company parties cost
free.
Pedometers bought form
4 imprints on line 500 for $366.27 including shipping and handling.
Removal
of potential barriers of inactivity, which are created by the environment as
well as the individual and reinforcing the benefits of change using chat news:
Examples of barriers
that can be discussed in Chat news:
·
Lack of time- To be beneficial activity
can be broken up throughout the day it does not need to be done all at once.
·
The rate of death decreases by 10% for
every 2000 steps taken (Why adults can benefit from walking, 2013).
·
For every extra 500 steps a person takes
a day health improves (Why adults can benefit from walking, 2013).
·
Walking decreases the chance of many
illnesses to include heart disease, pain, immobility, stroke, diabetes, cancer
and obesity (Trossman, 2012).
·
Increasing steps can be done by anyone
example include: parking farther away, taking the staircase, marching in place
at your desk, walking while talking on the phone, taking the long way to the
cafeteria.
Build exercise into your daily
routine
Formalizing a commitment:
Each
team member that chooses to participate in the walking program will sign an
informal commitment sent out by e-mail that they will try to increase their daily
steps by 500 hundred a week. All team members will e-mail their steps to their
unit team captain no later than Sunday at 12:00 pm so the team captain can post
them on the incentive posters by Monday evening of the following week.
Leadership will provide 15 minutes of time for team captains to update their
unit banners on Monday. The last Friday of each month is when the trophies and
winners will be announced in the cafeteria by leadership during lunch.
Identify barriers and remove them
(include ideas in chat news every two weeks).
·
Wear comfortable shoes to work
·
Walk outside on your lunch break
·
Create a accountability partner and walk
on your lunch break
·
Use the hospital gym during lunch
·
Set realistic goals
·
Pack workout clothes to take to work the
night before
·
Due to injury engage in activity that is
possible such as walking in a pool
·
Identify safe areas for walking at night
such as the local lighted church track and Wal-Mart open 24hrs.
Reinforce
benefits of change
·
Reinforce in chat news and the community
newspaper that little changes in lifestyle can create big changes in health.
·
Identify incentives in chat news and the
community newspaper for increasing activity such as decreased pain, improved
diabetes control, increase mobility, and improved mental health.
Evaluation
that the program is a success:
The program will be deemed a success if
25% of the staff commit and complete the three months program. This will be
evaluated by leadership handing out trophies to different units each month for
meeting increased activity goals.
Individuals
responsible for project and their roles
Unit
team captains-
·
Responsible for collecting miles walked
for each member on their unit from e-mails sent on Sunday night and compiling
them to place on banner in front of cafeteria
·
Giving out pedometers, by September, 2015 to all
team members participating in the walk-a-thon.
Leadership-
·
Contacting local newspaper to cover
event. Handing out trophies at the last Friday of each month in the cafeteria
and providing time for team captains to update their unit banner
·
Directing chat news to collect
information from participates on how they are increasing their activity
·
Sending out e-mails to all team members
to introduce, motivate and update for the walking competition. Setting the goal
of the destination that needs to be reached
Participates-
·
Honesty in reporting actual miles
walked.
·
Assistance in creating banners and
trophies for the walk-thon
·
Talking with chat news as well as the
community newspaper about their activity improvement ideas
·
Helping to create trophies and banners
·
Participation in the skills fair
Please
see attachment for grant application
References
American friends of Telauivir University walking away
from back pain. (2013). Retrieved from
http://searchproquest.com/docview/1316798086
Pashley, H. S. (2012). Management connections preventing
health care provider burnout. Association
of operating room nurses, 95.
Pender, N. J., Murdaugh, C. L., & Parsons, M. A.
(2011). Health promotion in nursing
practice. (6Th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
Pickette, M. (2012). More American’s walking survey
finds. Belvoir medical group.
http://dx.doi.org/1370713494
Pickette, M. (2013). More walking protect heart for
pre-diabetics. Belvoir Media.
http://dx.doi.org/11513203251
Trossman, S. (2012). Walking the way to better health. American nurse, 44(1), 1-7.
Why many American’s can benefit from walking. (2013).
Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com
