Introduction
Nutrition and healthcare practices play a major role in decreasing both the mortality and morbidity rate. A healthy lifestyle among children can be achieved through a regular practice of health care rules. Since many developed and developing countries try to consider different programs that were purely based on childcare and education awareness among children and their parents concerning the practices of healthcare. Private organisation as well the governing authorities both joined hands to implement childcare practices among the people.
This report draws the attention on the health care practices among the children, their parents and on the health care experts in the hospital, private centers and in private organizations of the United Kingdom. This report concludes different questions and justification regarding the decline in healthcare practice among children. Detailed research has been conducted for exploring the role of health care practitioners in improving the quality of care services for children. Findings of this research can be incorporated in organizations like Nuffield Trust for enhancing health care practices.
Research Question and Justification
The research concluded many questions concerning the role of healthcare practitioner on improving childcare practices. The questions which were highlighted through the concerned topic includes
● What is the current scenario of children health care practices in the United Kingdom?
● What are the responsibilities of health care practitioners in promoting innovation and improvement in care practices for children?
● What are the impacts of health care practitioners’ attitudes and perspective on quality of care services?
● What is the role of government and other organisation for implanting quality services for the well being of children?
● What are the possible ways for improving the quality of care services for children across the United Kingdom?
All these above questions are easily answerable through the projected research program. Regarding the safety of children’s health care, it is necessary for engaging all the different sectors together that were closely related to the children. School, playground and even in their home necessary guidelines should be provided from their respective guiders. Parents, teachers, and private tutor must influence the child in adapting the healthcare practice. Under health organisation, it is the responsibility of the healthcare practitioners to build a care-oriented zone. Necessary guidelines and proper training should be given to the health expert before dealing with children. The government should organize relevant awareness programs in view to educate the public about health care practices. Children and their parents should attend the awareness program for attaining the general guidelines about health care practice. Each government and the private sector should adopt certain rules and regulations concerning strict policies, violation of which should be often able. Apart from that, the organisation should provide all the necessary equipment that is required for a basic treatment.
Discussion on Literature
According to several research and article, it was made clear that healthcare plays a major role in the respective field. Earlier research claimed that every year about 12 % of children suffer from acute chronic disease (Health.org.uk, 2019). About 5% generally suffer from mental and physical deformities due to loss of healthcare practices. Many research articles suggested that about 40% of children are suffering through obesity from smaller age only. However, this wrong practice of healthcare ultimately results in major problems including diabetes and different liver problems. Even in a developed country, each year about 12% of cases are registered for the early rise of diabetes, asthma and obesity (Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2019).
About 20% of children suffer from various deficiencies, which generally include vitamins, minerals, and hemoglobin. This deficiency arises in children that belong to lower status and economic weak zone. However, in developed countries like the United Kingdom, this ratio is declined up to a great level. Only 2% of children suffer through deficiency in nutrition. Many researched article narrates that children of lower age group from 8-12 were at a high risk regarding obesity, diabetes, asthma, and other disabilities (Nuffieldtrust.org.uk, 2019). In the case of children with a healthy routine has a lower record of health issues. Researched data from different public hospitals and private organisation revealed that about 10% of children and their parents suffer because of the poor services and lack of healthcare expert in the concerned area of the treatment (Childtrends.org, 2019).
Children under the age of 5-12 have a drastic rise in health-related problem, which is mainly caused because of lack of guidance from their parents or guider (Vickers et al. 2017). Proper guidance and extra care reflects that about 10% of children who adopt a healthy life, guided rules for physically, and mentally fit. Sometimes, parents and guiders show extra love and affection which result in decreasing their health practices and their health. Strickland et al. (2015) have narrated that about 8% of children under 8-12 were under the high risk of diabetes and obesity. Even children under the age bar of 12 years have a high risk of liver problems, which includes liver enlargement and liver cirrhosis (Ghate, 2016).
Technology and their application have increased the chance of severe disabilities in children. A research paper claimed that about 14% of children suffered from various impairments due to extra use of technological substances. Blacket al. (2017) have mentioned that reports from national survey revealed that children often suffer from loss of vision, loss of hearing capacity and lack of mental stability. Social media affects a child’s mental health. Arbogast et al. (2017) have narrated that recent publication claimed that children from 9-14 years age spent a lot of time on social media. Girls under the age bar of 12-15 years resembled with dysmorphic disorder body, while males under 11-15 showed extra higher self-esteemed body (Wang et al. 2018). According to a digital survey of NHS, confirmed that girls are more affected than boys through social media are. Pinto and Bloch (2017) have opined that a published report narrated that about 18% of children that were addicted to social media suffers from various emotional disorders like depression, mania, bipolar affected problem, anxiety. This ratio is gradually increasing rapidly.
The wrong practice of technology and application of social media affect children’s health rapidly.
However, the acquired research suggested about all the ongoing remedies about the malpractice of healthcare. Moss et al. (2016) have suggested that several research articles claimed that children who adopt healthcare practices everywhere both in school and their home has fewer health issues and health problems. Research report of different private healthcare organisation states describes that about 50% of sufficiency is attained by these organisation concerning the
healthcare practices (McLeod et al. 2017). 65% of treatment was processed in the private organisation because of good infrastructure and moral support to the parents and suffering children. Frow et al. (2016) have narrated that different funding and services were arranged by the government to public hospitals. Public hospitals must have basic facilities regarding the equipment and the health care expert.
Other research article concluded that about 46% of the student suffers from different mental disabilities of which 19% could get proper treatment (Eva et al. 2016). While the rest of the percentage, could not process the treatment, due to lack of health care expert and proper facilities. Childcare dealing is a major responsibility that should be monitored with special attention because this guided children from wrong practice and with several disabilities and deformities. A research analyzed that every year about 6% of children died because of non-curable disease (dosSantos and Bodstein, 2016). However, the probability of this ratio can be lowered due to proper guidance from teachers, parents, and relatives of the children. Dietz et al. (2015) have commented that there is also a sharp rise in the mortality rate, in children due to malnutrition in developing countries. However, the rate gradually declined in the case of developed countries.
Evaluation of Skills
Research is a complex set of activities, which requires skills like, communication, critical thinking, creativity, logical thinking, and time management. De et al. ( 2019) have commented that a balanced combination of all these skills lead to the delivery of desired research outcomes. While conducting this research, I have noticed that my communication skills have been a positive point. Due to this, I have been able to be mixed up with different families easily. On the other hand, my capabilities of critical thinking and logical thinking have helped me in the data analysis section. Having experiences of working in Nuffield Trust has guided me to reach a practical and logical conclusion. However, I feel that my time management skills and creativity need to be boosted for conducting more effective research activities in future.
Methodological Framework
• Procedure
The research was done concerning the improving health factor among the children for sustaining healthy life. Generally, here two methods have been used for conducting the research program on healthcare. Di et al. (2016) have opined that the primary mode of data collection was through different survey plans, which were mainly conducted by involving 50 families of the United Kingdom. The survey generally involves the questionnaires that were entirely related to different practices of health care [Refer to Appendix 1]. Frost (2019) has narrated that the survey includes questions about both the physical and mental status of the children. On the contrary, the other side deals with the literature review regarding the concerned area. Both the survey and literature review implies an understanding and clear data concerning the health factors and the improvement of the techniques required in improving health factor among children of the United Kingdom. Literature review narrates the global information however; from survey localized analysis is done (Mahmood, 2016). For conducting a clear practice and research on the concerned area both, the localized and globalised information is required.
• Data Analysis
Secondary Qualitative Data Analysis (Thematic Analysis)
Children require specialized care services for wellbeing of both mental and physical health
Analysis of data from the conducted research draws a needful analysis concerning special services that must be required for children. It has been found that children get habituated to unhealthy routine only in case of lack of guidance or special attention. Dietz et al. (2015) have opined that a generalized practice must be used in case of both physically and mentally retarded children. The parents, guider, and healthcare experts should use different skills for monitoring the patients. The organisation should adopt basic equipment and infrastructure facilities for treating impairments among the children (dosSantos et al.2016).Sustainable equipment must be ensured only by the healthcare expert.
In the case of physical factors, teachers, guides, and parents took initiative so that children could easily deal with healthcare practices (Eva et al. 2016). Proper training should be provided to practitioners of child’s care sector for making them able to deal with special children. Teachers
and respective guides must inspire children to maintain a healthy routine. Frow et al. (2016) have narrated that special training sessions and workshop should be arranged concerning the view of eradicating the unhealthy practices. In the case of physical disabilities, skilled training session should be provided. However, in case of mental disability proper medication is to be done under a healthcare expert.
The Government of a country has the responsibility of providing care services for unprivileged children
Government and respective organisation should implement necessary guidelines for helping the underprivileged children. McLeod et al. (2017) have mentioned that the government should implement necessary policies so that each child could get a sufficient amount of nutritious food to eat. Malnutrition occurs in many sectors of lower status or middle-class children. Government and local authority should jointly help the unprivileged children for eradicating protein deficiency among children. Moss et al. (2016) have suggested that each sector of economic week children should be provided with protein food. They must be educated about the concerned problem of adapting unhealthy practice. Special awareness campaign programs should be done and free health checkup centre must be allocated.
Health checkup centers should have the necessary equipment and relevant healthcare expert must be present in each centre (Pinto and Bloch, 2017). This practitioner should implement and obey all the rules that came under human welfare scheme. The governing bodies and the local bodies for educating the underprivileged child their parents about the relevant healthcare practices must arrange special awareness program. Government should provide these children with a good source of food free of cost. They should regularly visit the free checkup centers for attaining proper medication and guidelines. Wang et al. (2018) have commented that the government should closely monitor the health centers regularly to avoid any misconduct.
Health care practitioners can promote innovation and improvement in care services for children
Healthcare centers and the healthcare expert should attain different initiatives for providing the needful for deserving children. The healthcare centers and the healthcare expert should follow generalized guidelines that were simply implied by the government. Arbogast et al. (2017) have opined that special care; innovation and improvement plans must be monitored carefully in view to attain sustainable growth in healthcare practices. Healthcare centers must be equipped with all the basic facilities and equipment that could easily help the children in adapting the healthcare practices (Black et al. 2017). Healthcare practice should apply generalized easy guidelines that could be easily monitored by the children. Healthcare Centers should arrange necessary relevant awareness programs in schools and localized area so that each child and their parents could analyze the importance of healthy practice. The health expert should monitor the whole program under government guidelines. Ghate (2016) has suggested that the healthcare centre should change its infrastructure to make easy availability in the ongoing treatment. This could help the disabled children in attaining support from healthcare, which help them in acquiring their belief. While the guidelines of the healthcare expert, could help the children in sustaining a healthy life (Strickland et al. 2015). The governing authorities relaxing further problems must initially verify the improvement plan. Both the underprivileged and general children should monitor the guided rules and regulations for improving their health practices (Childtrends.org, 2019).
Primary Quantitative Data Analysis
1. Adequate Health Care Facilities
It has been found that 40% of the families of the United Kingdom think that their children do not get adequate services. Hence, it can be assumed that health care services for children are not efficient for serving children across the country.
2. Economic Status is Essential
From the above data, it can be analyzed that among 50 families 45 families of the United Kingdom responded that a good economic status is required for a better treatment. However, 5 families strongly believe that economic status has no propaganda with the treatment facilities. A noble profession of medicine is also bounded by the economic status of the bearer. Hence, it is assumed that economic rich people get better treatment in comparison to the economic poor.
3. Government Initiatives
It has been analyzed that about 30% of family from the United Kingdom strongly believe that government took necessary initiative concerning the child health problem. Among the population, 16% and 4% of the population disagree and strongly disagree concerning the required area.
- Role in Improving Care Services
60% of the population of the United Kingdom strongly believes that healthcare practices have a significant application in case of healthcare services provided to respective children. However, 20% shows neutral response while 10%, 6%, and 4% of the population were agreed, disagree, and strongly disagree.
5.Proper Care of Physical and Mental Wellbeing
60% of the population strongly believes that healthcare experts take proper care and initiatives in their treatment while 40% strongly oppose the fact. Therefore, it is clear that in the United Kingdom healthcare practitioner did not monitor the physical and mental disable child with proper care.
6. Mental Wellbeing
80% of the families think that the mental wellbeing of children is the responsibility of health care practitioners. It is positive that they are considering mental health as an important factor. However, educational institutes, teachers, and parents have equal contribution towards mental wellbeing.
Conclusion
• SMART Target
It needs to be mentioned here that this research has changed my view on the role of health care practitioners in contributing to the improvement of public health. The following targets need to be achieved to ensure personal development while working in Nuffield Trust.
| Targets | Specific | Measurable | Attainable | Realistic | Time-bound |
| To improve communication skills |
Active interaction with children is essential for determining effective care services |
It can be measured by the success rate of me in delivering proper care |
It is attainable,as expert care providers have this skill |
It is realistic,as proper care cannot be given without effective communication |
It can be achieved within 6 months |
| To improve my time management skills |
Time management is essential for both care services and research activities |
It can be measured by the duration of my tasks |
It is attainable, as time management is a common skill and I have noticed at my seniors do it very well |
It is realistic,as no work cannot be done properly without managing time |
It can be achieved within 8 months |
| To enhance my team working capability | Health care service is a field of teamwork, as doctors,nurses,pharmacists,attendants have to perform as a team to deliver the best quality services. |
It can be measured by collecting feedback from my teammates and service users |
It is attainable, as it is the sole responsibility of health care practitioners |
It is realistic,as care service cannot be completed with working as a team | It can be achieved within 5 months |
• Conclusion
Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that local and global support is essential for the improvement of public health. This research has focused on the role of health care service providers on the wellbeing of children of the United Kingdom. Both primary and secondary research has been conducted for maintaining relevance and accuracy of data. It can be recommended that health care service providers and the government of the United Kingdom need to be more cautious regarding quality of care service for children.
References
Books
De Costa, P.I., Crowther, D. and Maloney, J. eds., 2019. Investigating World Englishes:
Research Methodology and Practical Applications. Abingdon: Routledge.
Di Battista, T., Moreno, E. and Racugno, W. eds., 2016. Topics on Methodological and Applied Statistical Inference. New York City: Springer International Publishing.Mahmood, Z. ed., 2016. Data science and big data computing: frameworks
Journals
Dietz, W.H., Baur, L.A., Hall, K., Puhl, R.M., Taveras, E.M., Uauy, R. and Kopelman, P., 2015. Management of obesity: improvement of health-care training and systems for prevention and care. The Lancet, 385(9986), pp.2521-2533.
dosSantos Silva, C. and Bodstein, R.C.D., 2016. A theoretical framework on intersectoral practice in School Health Promotion. Ciencia & saude coletiva, 21(6).
Eva, K.W., Bordage, G., Campbell, C., Galbraith, R., Ginsburg, S., Holmboe, E. and Regehr, G., 2016. Towards a program of assessment for health professionals: from training into practice. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 21(4), pp.897-913.
Online Articles
Arbogast, K.B., Curry, A.E., Metzger, K.B., Kessler, R.S., Bell, J.M., Haarbauer-Krupa, J., Zonfrillo, M.R., Breiding, M.J. and Master, C.L., 2017. Improving primary care provider practices in youth concussion management. Clinical pediatrics, 56(9), pp.854-865. [Online]
Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6082149/ [Accessed on 25/10/2019]
Black, R.E., Taylor, C.E., Arole, S., Bang, A., Bhutta, Z.A., Chowdhury, A.M.R., Kirkwood, B.R., Kureshy, N., Lanata, C.F., Phillips, J.F. and Taylor, M., 2017. Comprehensive review of the evidence regarding the effectiveness of community–based primary health care in improving
maternal, neonatal and child health: 8. summary and recommendations of the Expert Panel. Journal of global health, 7(1). [Online] Available at
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5475312/ [Accessed on 25/10/2019]
Strickland, B.B., Jones, J.R., Newacheck, P.W., Bethell, C.D., Blumberg, S.J. and Kogan, M.D., 2015. Assessing systems quality in a changing health care environment: The 2009–10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. Maternal and child health journal, 19(2), pp.353-361. [Online] Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4936897/ [Accessed on 25/10/2019]
Websites
Childtrends.org, 2019. 5 Ways to Improve the Quality of Early Care and Education. Available at https://www.childtrends.org/child-trends-5/5-ways-to-improve-the-quality-of-early-care-and-education [Accessed on 25/10/2019]
Health.org.uk, 2019. Twenty-one innovative projects are selected to improve the quality of health care. Available at https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/news/twenty-one-innovative-projects-are-selected-to-improve-the-quality-of-health-care [Accessed on 25/10/2019] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2019. Promoting healthcare innovation on the demand side. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5570700/ [Accessed on 25/10/2019]
Appendices
Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaires
1. Do you think that your children get adequate health care facilities?
| YES | NO |
| 30 | 20 |
2. Do you think that economic status is essential for affording quality services?
| YES | NO |
| 45 | 5 |
3. The Government of the United Kingdom has taken enough initiatives for providing equal
health care services to all the children of community.
| STRONGLY AGREE | AGREE | NEUTRAL | DISAGREE | STRONGLY DISAGREE |
| 15 | 5 | 20 | 8 | 2 |
4. Health care practitioners can play major role in improving care services for children.
| STRONGLY AGREE | AGREE | NEUTRAL | DISAGREE | STRONGLY DISAGREE |
| 30 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
5.Do Health care practitioners take proper care of physical and mental well being of a child?
| YES | NO |
| 30 | 20 |
6.Do you think that mental wellbeing of children is a responsibility of Health care practitioners?
| YES | NO |
| 40 | 10 |