Summary
The article written by Myron Tong et al. (2011) is aimed at discussing the management of chronic hepatitis B in Asian Americans. The authors note that this group of people has the highest prevalence of this disease in the country (Tong et al., 2011, p. 3144). Researchers point out that in many cases, these tendencies can be explained by the fact that in many parts of Asia, hepatitis B vaccination programs have not been properly implemented (Tong et al., 2011, p. 3144). Additionally, the scholars pay attention to the routes of transmission. As far as Asian people are concerned, one should speak primarily about perinatal transmission. Furthermore, hepatitis B is associated with such complications as cirrhosis as well as liver cancer.
Researchers provide recommendations for treatment and screening. For instance, they believe that medical workers should focus on the treatment of this infectious disease during pregnancy (Tong et al., 2011, p. 3156). Apart from that, the authors examine the peculiarities of drugs that can be used to treat hepatitis B. For example, one can mention telbivudine, entecavir, or lamivudine. Additionally, the authors discuss the peculiarities of antiviral treatment.
For instance, it is not suitable for people who are at the immune-tolerant stage of the infection (Tong et al., 2011, p. 3149). Additionally, the authors note about some of the risks that medical workers should be aware of. In particular, they need to keep in mind that hepatitis B can be reactivated during the chemotherapy (Tong et al., 2011, p. 3157). Moreover, these researchers emphasize the need for regular surveillance of patients who have this infectious disease (Tong et al., 2011, p. 3158). These are some of the details that can be singled out.
Significance to the course content
Overall, this article can be relevant to nurses who need to identify the risks to which a certain group of people can be exposed. They should pay close attention to various infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, and hepatitis (Kelly, 2011, p. 709). This article is relevant to the course content. In particular, one of the objectives is to identify the factors which can impact the healthcare within the global community (Miami Dade College, 2014). The discussion provided by the authors indicates that availability of vaccination programs is one of the forces that affect the health of people on a global scale. Provided that they are absent, the efforts of healthcare workers may not be effective. This is one of the aspects that should be taken into consideration. Additionally, according to the course syllabus, nurses must be able to identify the strategies that can positively impact global healthcare (Miami Dade College, 2014).
In their turn, the authors of this article lay stress on the regular screening and surveillance as a way of minimizing the impact of hepatitis B (Tong et al., 2011, p. 3158). In this way, medical workers can mitigate the impact of many health problems. Overall, this article helped me examine my role in eliminating the barriers that adversely influence healthcare. To a great extent, this article suggests that lack of people’s awareness about infectious diseases such as hepatitis B is one of the problems since in many cases, the treatment may not be effective since it can be too late. Overall, this article can throw light on many questions that are of great interest to medical workers. This is why it should not be overlooked.
Reference List
Kelly, P. (2011). Nursing Leadership & Management. New York: Cengage Learning. Web.
Miami Dade College. 2014. NUR4667: Globalization of Nursing Practice. Miami, FL: Miami Dade College. Web.
Tong, M. J., Pan, C. Q., Hann, H., Kowdley, K. V., Han, S. B., Min, A. D., & Leduc, T. (2011). The management of chronic hepatitis B in Asian Americans. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 56(11), 3143-3162.