Systems Thinking Approach to Management of Diabetes within Low Social-economical Household at Lake Troubled Shallows Health Center
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Systems Thinking Approach to Management of Diabetes within Low Social-economical Household at Lake Troubled Shallows Health Center
Diabetes and the Healthy People 2020 Priority Areas
The health People problem of 2020 that relates to the topic is access to high quality services geared towards longer lives of the US people, particularly against preventable diseases. Since about 10% of the adult population in Minnesota lives with diabetes, the Plan shall focus on the national guidelines on management of the ailment. In detail, the law provides that diabetes screening should be available to adults from 35 to 70 years of age. The target population of the study shall be the low socio-economical neighborhoods. The dependent variables shall relate to the diet and physical exercise, whereas the independent variable should be the quality of health services with relation to diabetes screening and management (ODPHP, 2022). Leadership powered by systems thinking has a role to monitor accessibility of services, the awareness levels in the community, and the economical capacity of patients with regard to diabetes. Thus, diabetes management in Minnesota shall coincide with the healthy people goal of 2020 of improved health quality, accessibility, and longer life span for citizens.
Importance of systems thinking to public health problems
Systems thinking imply that the health managers can understand the origin of the problem, the context, and the external variables that may influence the model under study as it relates to diabetes. Leaders should create solutions that are not only useful to the persons affected by the function, but also balance on the external aspects of the setting to enhance mutual benefit. System thinking means that health solutions acknowledge the possibility of negative social outcomes, which reduces resistance to change. Thus, the approach ensures that the solutions in one context do not lead to collapse of another in a different placement (Peters, 2014). Furthermore, systems thinking help in optimization of solutions through consistent reviews. Therefore, health managers have a chance to review solutions to diabetes within the low social class and ensure that other persons are well-off.
Alternative systems thinking tool
The Stock-Flow map is a tool in systems thinking other than causal loop diagrams. The former entails the detection of the accumulation of results following change in the health approach to management of diabetes within the majority of the population (Baugh et al, 2021). Consequently, the scholar can fathom the instances that should be reinforced and the ones that should exit the original plan as he tracks the impact of change within systems.
Service delivery
Cost of drugs
Fragmentation of services
Access to clinics for screening
Monitoring/optimization
Workforce motivation
Instrumentation
Stakeholder participation
Diabetes medication
Physical exercise
Weight
Management
Service delivery
Cost of drugs
Fragmentation of services
Access to clinics for screening
Monitoring/optimization
Workforce motivation
Instrumentation
Stakeholder participation
Diabetes medication
Physical exercise
Weight
Management Causal loop for Diabetes Screening
R2
B2
B1 R1
The causal loop shows that the balance areas include B1 and B2, whereas the reinforcement zones are R1 and R2. B1 shows the effectiveness of the workforce on the issue of diabetes, especially towards solutions to physical exercise and nutrition. Similarly, it shows the participation of stakeholders and the availability of instruments to monitor the BMI with regard to diabetes. Likewise, the B2 region entails maintenance of the service delivery through technology and human-related provisions. Furthermore, the availability of diverse departments based on diabetes helps improve on the holistic approach to the problem. On the other hand, R1 demonstrates the need for Minnesota diabetic patients to improve in nutrition, physical exercise, and medication. The case may require awareness and education through quality human services and technology. R2 shows the need for Lake Troubled Shallows Health Center to increase its access to diabetes services and quality in monitoring as well as optimization management of the ailment (Thomas, 2004). The research shall justify the need for improved nutrition and exercise as means to improve management of diabetes in the low social-economic zones in Minnesota.
In conclusion, the systems thinking approach is critical as a means to balance the effect of outcomes in different contexts. While the paper prioritizes the causal loop format, it appreciates the stock accumulation diagram as an equivalent outlook in the systems thought. The causal loop focuses on the management of diabetes based on areas that need balancing or reinforcement. In detail, R1 entails reinforcements on the availability of a physical services and nutrition as complement solutions to medication with relation to management of diabetes. The R2 places responsibility on leaders to fragmentation of services towards screening, monitoring, and optimization of diabetes problems within the low social-economical class. The balance areas include the available human skills and technology as well as the affordable drugs.
References
Baugh Littlejohns, L., Hill, C., & Neudorf, C. (2021). Diverse Approaches to Creating and Using Causal Loop Diagrams in Public Health Research: Recommendations from a Scoping Review. Public Health Reviews, 42(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2021.1604352
ODPHP. (2022). Healthy People 2020 | health.gov. Health.gov. Retrieved 16 June 2022, from https://health.gov/our-work/national-health-initiatives/healthy-people/healthy-people-2020#:~:text=HealthyPeople2020setoverarching,promotegoodhealthforall.
Peters, D. (2014). The application of systems thinking in health: why use systems thinking? Health Research Policy and Systems, 12(51), 1-15. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4505-12-51
Thomas, J. (2004). Skills for the Ethical Practice of Public Health (3rd ed., pp. 2-14). University of North Carolina. https://nnphi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/ph-code-of-ethics-skills-and-competencies-booklet.original.pdf