by Herman Bailey | Jul 24, 2023 | Essays |
Is this woman a fall risk, and if so why do you think so?
Yes, I believe that woman is a fall risk. According to the information given, an analysis of the standard Morse Fall Scale there are vivid factors that have significantly contributed to her facing the fall risk. Despite not having the patient’s medical history we can deduct from the information provided that she presents an immediate risk of falling. Moreover, the patient is bed-bound. However, her mental status onset affects the patient and thus makes her attempt to leave her bed. The major contributors to her falling risk, such as the long-term CVA which is associated with paralysis on her right side, difficulty in hearing with no administered hearing aids to assist, as well as the fact that the patient is left unattended for an entire day. Furthermore, the patient was experiencing onset confusion which is closely associated with changes in her overall mental status.
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What clues were there to her UTI diagnosis that might have prevented her hospitalization if identified early enough?
Issues such as dehydration, pneumonia as well as the changes in her mental status were the clues that were concerning her diagnosis of UTI and may as well have caused challenge towards early hospitalization.
What indicators of Frailty does this patient have?
As per the information provided on the patient the indicators of frailty include; weakness, weight loss, as well as the fact that the patient was bedbound and had quit eating quite recently.
What Geriatric Syndromes does she exhibit?
The patient exhibits the following geriatric syndromes aging; considering she was eighty-two years old and the onset confusion, as well as changes in her mental status, indicate dementia. Moreover, the negligence by her caretaker by leaving her unattended the entire day is a factorabout geriatric syndromes. Nevertheless, the fact that the patient is a significant falling risk is a geriatric syndrome. The last of the indicators of the geriatric syndrome is her contractures of both her hips and hands.
What do you think are contributing factors to her pressure ulcers and what might be done to prevent them in the future?
The primary contributors to her pressure ulcers include her lack of freedom to move around because she is bedbound. Amongst other ulcer contributing factors are her poor nutrition status, weight loss as well as dehydration; incontinence of her bowel and bladder, the hip and hand contractures, and the paralysis of her right side. Moreover, she might be experiencing pain.
Prevention of pressure ulcers in the future may involve an effective implementation of the following interventions; repositioning of the patient every couple of hours in her bed as well as wheelchair, encouraging a healthier diet, the significant increase in the intake of fluids as well as calories, vast motioning exercises and initiating a supplements diet. Moreover, better management of her urinating schedule, as well as utilization of creams for protecting skin barriers as well as keeping her skin clean and dry, could help significantly.
What do you think nursing should do to prevent the patient from entering the downward spiral of the geriatric cascade after she is admitted to the hospital?
Geriatric cascade is more often than not defined as the dependence increase progression. Moreover, it results from extending bed rest time while in the hospital. Therefore, efficiently implementing interventions focused on enabling the patient to be engaged as well as mobile is the most recommended way of preventing the patient from entering a downward spiral.
When she is ready for discharge from acute care, what issues should be addressed in discharge planning?
When the patient is ready to be discharged from acute care, the critical issue that should be included in her discharge plan is the patient’s education on her medications, scheduling of her prescriptions as well as stressing caution on reiteration when standing after having sat down.
What services might she require upon discharge?
Upon discharge, the patient requires at least once a week home health nursing services for checking in as well as to ensure adequate monitoring of her medication compliance. The patient also needs consideration for a social worker referral, particularly because the patient is elderly, and at the age of eighty-two abides alone as thus could significantly benefit from assistance.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Jul 24, 2023 | Essays |
Abstract
This paper gives deep insight on caregivers’ burden with the bias on the clinical aspects of it. the paper has looked into various literature and the most outstanding point about caregivers’ burden is that it can be reduced when they receive support both from the healthcare professionals as well as their families. The majority of the burden that caregivers face is often psychological as it is cumbersome for them to strike a balance between their roles as caregivers and also their position in the family and at the workplace.
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Introduction
The majority of the patients have family members that are offering some degree of care as well as support when it comes to individuals of different ages suffering from chronic illness or some sort of disabilities. This care which can be seen as informal to some extent can be considered in scope, duration as well as intensity. According to Abdollahpour et al (2014), caregiving in the family raises safety concerns in two ways that are supposed to be a concern for the nurses no matter the setting. To begin with, caregivers are now and then referred to as ‘secondary patients’, who deserve as well as need guidance and protection. The study that supports caregivers-as-client view protecting put more weight on protecting family caregivers’ health as well as safety because there demands caregiving put them at a higher risk for injuries together with unfavorable events. Secondly, the family caregivers are usually voluntary providers who usually need more support to enable them to become more proficient, a safe volunteer worker with the focus on protecting their family from harm in a better way.
Description of the clinical analysis of caregiver burden
As a community nurse, I came across a caregiver who was taking care of patients with a series of conditions. The caregiver herself opened up to me on the series of responsibilities that she has, first was to maintain the residence. Surviving on a limited financial budget as well as managing a series of health conditions her own. Falling short of physical presence required for a support system, she had to bear the entire burden of her husband’s short but extreme outpatient care which entailed: driving, preparation of meals, cleaning, organizing the medicine and oxygen as well as other related activities by herself lacking. With all this, she is still hoping the transplant turns out to be successful while being faced with multiple uncertainties the major one being the one on her husband’s survival. While asked she slightly complained but her face showed severe emotional distress, considerable fatigue, sleep deficiency as well as challenges in maintaining her focus and energy in the entire process of transplant.
I noticed the caregiver had failed to follow the dosage of drugs as prescribed citing the pressure that the task entails. This hurt the health of patients as though there was an improvement but it was noted to be extremely gradual. Psychologically the caregiver was vulnerable with a high likelihood of causing harm to the patient. Her level of aggressiveness was a concern together with the way she was easily irritable.
Step 3 – Relevance of Topic/ Situation to You Personally and Professionally
This topic highlights the plight that the caregivers go through, to the caregivers the common assumptions are that though it’s a hard task one gets used to it. But this topic has highlighted and given insights on how entailing the role of caregiver is and it also highlights the challenges they are likely to face or the ones that they should anticipate in the future.
The paper also provides the better side of the healthcare workers as they tend to offer support to the caregivers and reduce the level of stress that they might be going through. Most of the issues that caregivers face are psychological, therefore the topic tries to link the psychological issues as part of the burden that caregivers take as the topic goes hand in hand.
Identification, Discussion, and Analysis of 3 Issues of the Concept Within the Clinical Situation
The threat of elder abuse
The existence of cognitive-behavioral problems and dementia puts the recipient of care in danger for abusive behaviors towards the caregiver. Abandonment may also take place, including urinary incontinence, nutritional neglect together with access to food, falls, and unmanaged pain. Neglect of the caregiver may also occur because the dementia patient is not able to converse and the caregiver is also not capable of comprehending or know how to handle nutritional intake as well as pain management (Reinhard, n.d). Chappell, Dujela, and Smith (2015) discovered that counseling, as well as support for caregivers that face disrupting behavior from their family members due to illness, will decrease the degree of stress over their multiyear caregiving responsibility.
Caregiver spends considerable time engaging with the recipient of care, and at the same time offering care in a vast range of activities. The interaction of the healthcare professional with the patient is usually limited while caregiving can last from the shortest period of time, mostly after the hospitalization of the patient to more than forty years of constant care to a patient with a chronic illness. The devotion needed to deal with a recipient who has a chronic illness can be daunting to the mind. This has got serious psychological effects on both the caregiver and the recipient of care which might end up damaging both of them psychologically.
Medication errors
Regarding the skills together with the familiarity of the caregiver, an essential case in point of the probable to hurt patient is the administration of medications by the caregivers. A considerable number of community-based elders rarely recollect receiving any directives on how they are supposed to use their medications. They usually depend on the members of their families for help in taking the drugs (Reinhard, n.d).
According to the study conducted by Travis and colleagues, it was discovered that caregivers only manage one to 14 medication daily have the complexity of keeping track of many prescriptions, and due to the nature of their tight schedule, they are prone to miss doses (Chappell, Dujela, & Smith, 2015). Their roles of monitoring for the toxic or severe effects within the members of the families who are incapable of reporting like diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and any situations they see an emergency. Caregivers need to have significant knowledge to be able to identify both atypical and classical severe effects of the drugs they may see as the condition of their family members’ changes and also help in creating critical thinking abilities that would enhance them to administer possible problems (Reinhard, n.d).
Having the required skills to manage the condition of the patient will also minimize the emergencies as the skilled caregiver will be able to identify when the condition gets worse and when to give the emergency drugs to the patient when need be. The problem comes when the illness is prolonged as fatigue and normalization of condition may make the caregiver miss essential aspects or assume some of the required symptoms for proper diagnosis. Proper training about the condition and also being able to keenly follow up on the patient’s progress would tackle this concern as the caregiver would easily identify an emergency and offer the patient the drugs as advised.
The perspective of harm
The family members of the caregivers can be exposed to two categories of risk; situational and preventable risks, to begin with, even though they usually have good intentions in addition to hard work, if caregivers lack essential skills as well as knowledge to execute their work, they may end up harming their loved ones unintentionally. Such injuries are normally related directly to shortage or deficiency of skills as well as competence which can be enhanced by providing the caregiver with necessary education together with support. For instance, according to a recent study which established that patients had numerous unfavorable outcomes when they are managed by untrained caregivers whom they depend on in terms of enteral nutrition or tube feeding the challenges that they experience include the displacement of tube, the clogging of the tube, dehydration as well as an infection. This leads to a strainful caregiving situation as well as a readmission in the hospital.
The second fear is that the fact that the work of a caregiver is extremely demanding, this can put them at risk of engaging in behaviors that may be harmful towards the receiver of the care, especially among the individuals with cognitive impairment. Caregivers who are depressed have a higher probability of harming their spouses, caregivers who are more likely to be depressed in the course of caring for their spouses with physical impairment or considerable cognitive are more probable to engage in abusive or neglect behaviors like yelling and screaming, use of physical force or threatening to abandon, withholding meals, or even handling the patient roughly.
In an overview, family members may be defied to find the ability or capacity to provide care, nonetheless, Fulmer discovered those caregivers with poor health or whose incomes are a loan or the ones with the dysfunctional situation are the ones more likely to have limited ability to offer the needed care. They might also not be able to understand the standard for quality and might not offer the level of care that is required
Review the literature
According to Allred (2013), healthcare professional lack of unambiguous concentration to caregivers is a huge gap in healthcare and it’s even more embarrassing considering it’s been more than two decades with documented potential risks of family caregiving. As it currently stands caregivers happen o be secreted patient themselves, due to the adverse mental and physical health consequences from the nature of their work is both emotionally and physically demanding as most of them tend to pay little attention to their own health and healthcare at large (Hsiao & Tsai, 2015).
Declines in both physical health as well as premature death amongst the caregivers in totality have been reported. Reinhard (n.d) discovered that family caregivers face a considerable negative physical cost as the illness of the patient progresses, the caregiver who was elderly particularly the elderly spouses with the experience of caregiving which is stressful have a higher mortality rate at 63% in comparison to the non-caregiver who are at the same age group. The most current, study indicated that elderly husbands, as well as wives who take care of their spouses, have ended up being hospitalized for severe illness and they end up having increased chances of them dying ahead of time.
The deterioration in caregivers’ health can be specifically linked with caregivers who see themselves as laden. Caregiver burden, as well as caregiver strain, can be easily connected to caregiver’s individual poor health status, amplified health-risk behaviors (for instance smoking), and an elevated abuse of drugs which have been prescribed to them (Reinhard (n.d), Many scholars have highlighted the fact that caregivers are often at risk of fatigue as well as sleep interruptions, reduced immune functioning, increased in the level of insulin and pressure, modified influenza shots, altered lipid profile, wound taking time to heal as well as a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
Burton and colleagues investigated the relationship between the provision of care by members of the family and their health maintenance and behavior. These scholars discovered the fact that, with an increased height of caregiving activities, and the likelihood of caregiver neither having rest, nor have enough time for exercise, and in fact not recovering from illness were also so high (Reinhard, n.d),. Furthermore, caregivers had a higher probability of forgetting their prescriptions for their individual chronic conditions. Offering care creates a danger to the general health of the caregivers, which can interfere with their capability to maintain to be caregivers. If it’s inevitable for caregivers to continue providing care, a reprieve from the distress as well as the burden of maintaining the necessary care ought to be measured.
Both exceedingly negative and positive outcomes of offering care may be present concurrently. It is reasonable that the positive consequences, like rewards together with approval, may caution the pessimistic effects of caregiving. The positive facets of caregiving are vital some scholars are now using a caregiver rewards scale to better have a comprehensive insight into the experiences of caregivers. On the other hand, other scholars are surveying the positive aspects of care as the affinity between the patient and caregiver grows. Whitmore, Crooks, & Snyder (2017), established that preparedness and mutuality did not minimize some of the tension on the caregiver. Picot and colleagues worked basically with the caregivers who were of African American descent and discovered that rewards seen professed by caregivers were more vital than coping.
A caregiver who tries to strike a balance between caregiving and other activities, for instance, family, work, and relaxation may find it cumbersome to keep the attention on the positive portion of caregiving and usually experience more negative responses, like an amplified sense of burden (Roper et al, 2014). Despite the amount of care offered, caregivers may happen to be progressively more distressed if they are not able to contribute to more valued interests as well as activities. More than half of adult children that offer parent care are underemployment. Hence caregiving functions can hurt work functions as caregivers acclimatize the obligation of employment to manage as well as meet the demands of care. Employed caregivers record missed days, as well as interruptions at work, which has an overall negative effect on their productivity at work. They have a problem when it comes to maintaining work functions and at the same time providing support to family members (Ruiz & Ortega, 2019).
According to Reinhard (n.d), Low household and personal incomes, as well as restricted financial resources, can have an increased chance of a caregiver risk for negative results, specifically if there are considerable out-of-pocket costs for care recipient desires. The unemployed caregivers or the ones with low income may face more distress because they have limited resources to meet the demands for care. According to Allred (2013), generally, financial concerns predominantly distress for caregivers during the treatment periods which appear to belong and the limited resources become washed-out as those with restricted resources.
The caregiver burden, as well as symptoms depressive, is the major common negative result of offering care for the elderly as well as chronically ill. Caregiver burden can be described as a negative response to the impact of offering care on the caregiver’s occupational, social as well as personal roles and attempt to be a predecessor to depressive symptoms (Reinhard, n.d). Whether a negative outcome is developed by the caregiver appears to be directly linked to the care recipient’s incapacity to execute ADLs, either because of the physical limitation or cognitive status. If the recipient of the care wanders (linked with Alzheimer’s disease) or portrays the behavior which is considered to be unsafe, the caregiver has to be at attention and on-call for supervision 24 hours every day. The regular concern for managing disruptive behaviors (including walking in the street, abusing pills by taking it in excess, cursing and yelling, and many more) also negatively influences the caregivers (Juntunen et al, 2018).
Care recipient’s cognitive, functional, and emotional status envisages caregiver burden as well as depression. This may be apparent in feelings of isolation as well as loneliness, fearfulness as well as being simply worried, as the demands of caregiving restrict their individual time. Care recipient behavior like yelling, screaming and swearing are connected with augmented caregiver clinical depression. The depression of the caregiver may also have a somatic module, like fatigue, insomnia, anorexia, and exhaustion (Thompson, 2015).
According to Thompson (2015), Caregivers could suffer serious vacillation in sleep patterns over time, which may impact depression and aggravate symptoms of chronic illness. Management of pain is an obstinate problem for caregivers that result in considerable caregiver distress, as caregivers help with both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic pain management policies.
Caregivers are approximated to be around 15 million people and they offer around $202 billion of free care to the older adults who suffer from cognitive impairment because of neurodegenerative diseases, progressive chronic conditions that can lead to disturbance in behavior, memory, and orientation. Approximately 80 percent of the caretakers are family members (Allred, 2013). These caregivers are usually overwhelmed caring for older people who are suffering from several chronic conditions that happen to be complicated by cognitive impairment. Older adults with cognitive impairment that originated from dementia have higher occasions of hospitalization as compared to older adults without a dementia diagnosis.
The efficiency of managing the symptoms linked to cognitive impairment has been linked to the lower caregiver burden. According to Abdollahpour et al, (2014), the healthcare professionals have been on hand in getting involved to ensure a smooth transition of the patient to the subsequent setting of care and could use self-efficacy evaluation tool together with other clinical assessment to further focus on offering post-hospitalization transformation or transition plan to the patient needs as well as the caregivers.
Caregivers are also linked to the existence of delirium amongst patients with cognitive impairment during the hospitalization period after alteration for multiple other vital clinical factors. Nevertheless, the use of pharmacological as well as non-pharmacological interventions in the course of hospitalization has been discovered to reduce delirium, particularly amongst high-risk patients like the ones with cognitive impairment.
Discussion/ Analysis of How Your Future Practice Maybe influenced
Considering the majority of the study on caregiving remains to be expressive, there still exist numerous gaps that are evidence-based research to endorse patient quality care and safety as secondary as well as caregivers as providers to susceptible policies for future study
By caregiving being a day out a function that varies as the needs of the care receiver change, it is not well comprehended through cross-sectional research designs. It is important to note that longitudinal and descriptive designs are employed to follow the necessary care requirements over the line of illness course. The longitudinal study currently has matched intervals between observations like 3, 6, 9, or 12 months, devoid of concerns for the protocol of treatment or phase of disease or the demands of care. Future research should take notice of the time points that may be better portray the trajectory of the disease like a time of original diagnosis, protocols alterations, as well as points of disease exacerbation or in other words, decline. An extraordinary focus on safety, the risk for negative results as well as severe effects for both the care recipient and caregiver should be acknowledged.
The key variable that needs to be included in the future includes the type and the phase of the disease as well as the treatments because they will relate to the kinds of continuing therapy. This range of therapies will be linked to the requirements of the patients as well as the assistance with self-care in addition to the ability of the patient to execute other usual daily activities. Are the demands bestowed upon the caregiver too much in a way that it could put at risk his or her health?
A study that uses cautiously selected beginning associates is required so that disparity in care demands can be well comprehended. It will put as in a far better position to depict how the course of the disease and linked treatment as well as happenings through care that is palliative in nature. Undesirable patient care, as well as caregiver situations like medication errors, subsequent hospitalization, and falls, can be noticed over a given time
Conclusion or Summary
Caregivers in the family are signs with significant partners in the plan of care for patients mostly the ones suffering from chronic illness. Healthcare personnel should b worried about various issues that affect patients’ quality of care as well as safety as a family has over-relied on caregivers. progress can be attained through communication as well as caregiver support to fortify the competence of the caregiver in addition to teaching them new skills that will improve the safety of the patient. Preceding interventions and research have indicated the fact that the outcome of the caregiver is more improved when the healthcare practitioners are involved though more research is needed to be conducted on the area. Nurses play a core role in helping family caregivers to be more confident as well as competent as they enter the route of the healthcare process.
References
Abdollahpour, I., Nedjat, S., Noroozian, M., Salimi, Y., & Majdzadeh, R. (2014). Caregiver Burden. (Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology.)
Allred, D. (2013). Caregiver burden and sibling relationships in families raising children with disabilities.
Bevans, M., & Sternberg, E. M. (2012, January 25). Caregiving burden, stress, and health effects among family caregivers of adult cancer patients. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3304539/
Chappell, N. L., Dujela, C., & Smith, A. (January 01, 2015). Caregiver Well-Being: Intersections of Relationship and Gender. Research on Aging, 37, 6, 623-45.
Hsiao, C.-Y., & Tsai, Y.-F. (June 01, 2015). Factors of caregiver burden and family functioning among Taiwanese family caregivers living with schizophrenia. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 24, 1546-1556.
Juntunen, K., Salminen, A.-L., Törmäkangas, T., Tillman, P., Leinonen, K., & Nikander, R. (October 01, 2018). Perceived burden among spouse, adult child, and parent caregivers. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 74, 10, 2340-2350.
Reinhard, S. C. (n.d.). Supporting Family Caregivers in Providing Care. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2665/
Roper, S. O., Allred, D. W., Mandleco, B., Freeborn, D., & Dyches, T. (January 01, 2014). Caregiver burden and sibling relationships in families raising children with disabilities and typically developing children. Families, Systems and Health, 32, 2, 241-246.
Ruiz, F. M. D., & Ortega, G. A. M. (January 01, 2019). Evaluation of the perceived health of caregivers of patients in mild-to-moderate stage Alzheimer’s disease. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 55, 1, 87-94
Thompson, K. (2015). Paid formal caregivers and caregiver burden: A quantitative study.
Whitmore, R., Crooks, V. A., & Snyder, J. (January 01, 2017). A qualitative exploration of how Canadian informal caregivers in medical tourism use experiential resources to cope with providing transnational care. Health & Social Care in the Community, 25, 1, 266-274.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Jul 24, 2023 | Essays |
Introduction
From case study C, Harold is a widowed farmer, he 75 years old, and has been diagnosed with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with metastasis of the spinal bone (stage IV). He lives with his son on a farm in the countryside. Harold initially had an x-ray on his chest followed by an ultrasound-guided bronchoscopy before being diagnosed. A scan of the bone also reveals multiple metastasis sites. He also has tested negative for the EGFR mutation. Moreover, he also has other comorbidities, of congestive cardiac failure and chronic obstructive airways disease. His performance score was 2 in The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). He was to start a treatment regimen of gemcitabine days 1, 8, and 15 repeated every 4 weeks and vinorelbine days 1 and 8 repeated every 3 weeks for his treatment.
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The goals and rationale of the choice of treatment prescribed for Harold.
Lung cancer according to Lung Cancer (2018) is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in both or one of the lungs. As they grow, they can form tumors in the lungs and interfere with the lung’s function in the provision of oxygen into the body. Lung cancer is the leading cause of Cancer-related adult mortality in many countries particularly smokers (Stinchcombe & Socinski, 2009; Younes, Schutz, & Gross, 2010).In western countries, the second most common malignancy in Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and this signifies about 85% of all lung cancer cases among the elderly (Owonikoko et al., 2007). The majority of the NSCLC occurs in individuals aged 65 years and above (Noone & Garshell, 2010), and there’s an increasing incidence rate among the elderly because of the rise in life expectancy. Cancer diagnosis and treatment have implications on the physical, psychological, and social functioning of a patient during the treatment phase and in the longer term. Cancer as well as its treatment can result in a wide range of psychological and physical problems that do not disappear with time. Some of these problems come up after or during cancer treatment and continue to manifest in a long-term, chronic manner. Regardless of what is presented late effects and long-term effects of cancer can have negative effects on the quality of life of the survivors of cancer. Some of the long-term effects include numbness, fatigue, pain, no parties with related weakness, sexual or cognitive difficulties cover, and elevated depression or anxiety (Stein, Syrjala & Andrykowski, 2008).
Even though it is acknowledged that the patients that are older when placed under cytotoxic chemotherapy, may experience more toxicity compared to the younger patients (Azzoli, Baker & Temin, 2009), research should address pediatric infections and resistant organisms in Aseptic Technique for peripheral IV insertion. There are much evidence suggests that chemotherapy is superior even to this particular setting of the patients (Meoni, Cecere, Lucherini, 2013). A growing number of published trials over the past few years which assessed the effectiveness of gemcitabine and platinum-based doublet in elderly patients with NSCLC (Comella et al., 2004; Lim, Lee, & Song, 2013; Pereira et al, 2013) and the findings from recent meta-analysis indicates that doublets are more tolerable and effective compared to single-agent chemotherapy for treating of the elderly patients with NSCLC with a good status of performance (Xu, Chang, Wang, & Qi, 2013). In patients with metastatic/ advanced disease or elderly patients with advanced NSCLC, improving their life quality is important. therefore, the main treatment goal in the case study is to improve the quality of life and also to extend life expectancy for Harold.
The therapy options, that is; targeted therapy, irradiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, are normally applied by the molecular signature and TMN staging (Adjei, 2008). A combination of first-line chemotherapy is usually applied to get maximum effectiveness. For the first-line therapy, chemotherapy based on cisplatinum combined with radiotherapy is superior to chemotherapy or radiotherapy alone (Gewanter et al., 2010; Mantovani et al., 2006). Several agents have been used besides cisplatinum, for instance, gemcitabine, vinorelbine, docetaxel, paclitaxel, and irinotecan. According to (Gewanter et al., 2010; Mantovani et al., 2006)), in squamous cell carcinomas gemcitabine is usually considered as the first choice and that may explain the rationale behind the prescription of gemcitabine for patient Harold. The distinct mechanism of action and the generous single-agent activity could be one of the bases underlying the rationale for adding vinorelbine to gemcitabine when providing treatment to patients with relapsed NSCLC. In their study, which compared single-agent Vinorelbine therapy with vinorelbine plus gemcitabine, Frasci et al (2000) Observed vinorelbine plus gemcitabine therapy demonstrated improvements in both median lengths of survival and quality of life.
Metastatic bone tumors particularly occur at higher rates in cancers of the lung, prostate, breast, and kidney and this accounts for about 75% of all cancer patients (Tofe, Francis, & Harvey, 1975). Many lung cancer patients are usually in their advanced stages of the cancer disease during the diagnosis time. Even though it is stated that metastasis of the bone from lung cancer takes place in between 14% to 40% of the patients, its clinical characteristics have not been described clearly (Johnston, 1970). When offering treatment to the skeletal metastasis condition, it is imperative to understand the prognostic factors and prognosis after the skeletal metastasis to determine the treatment plan. Six factors were proposed by Ferrell, Jennifer, Temin (2017) that predicted the survival of spinal metastatic tumors. They include the quantity of bone metastasis of the extra spinal, general condition, quantity of vertebral body metastases, cancer primary site, major internal organs metastasis, and the spinal cord palsy severity. The malignancy grade of the primary tumors, number of bone metastases, and the vital organs visceral metastases are also reported to be important prognostic factors ( Ripamonti, Bandieri & Roila, 2011; Tomita et al., 2001). Sugiura, Yamada, Sugiura, Hida, & Mitsudomi (2008) conducted a study to test various chemotherapy regimens for 267 patients. Among them, the researchers administered vinorelbine ditartrate and gemcitabine hydrochloride to 11 patients. They then studied the survival rate cumulatively after prognostic factors and bone metastases for patients with bone metastases as a result of lung cancer. The survival rate was calculated overall embarrassed on the presence or absence of an EGFR inhibitor. The arrangement combination showed positive results and that might explain their rationale for its dosage in the case study of Harold who also had a bone tumor.
(Part 2 of the question) – In planning the management for your chosen case study, identify one important nursing consideration throughout or after the active treatment phase. Justify the selection of this nursing case study. Explore the available research supporting nursing practice for this consideration.
Nursing Considerations during the active treatment phase by using available research to support nursing practice for this consideration.
In planning the management of cancer, EdCan (2018) outlines factors and variables that should be taken into account in determining the treatment plan. The aim of cancer treatment may be for curing, controlling, palliation of symptoms, or prolongation of life. The factors include tumor, treatment, and individual factors. Other variables include the assessment tools, performance scales, and the psycho-oncology outcomes database.
During the active treatment phase, one important nursing consideration that the paper has identified is an assessment of comorbid and geriatric conditions of the patient in guiding the treatment (Chernecky & Murphy-Ende, 2009). The paper has settled on this important nursing consideration because continuing treatment of comorbid conditions such as heart disease, pulmonary disease, and diabetes may lead to drug interaction when chemotherapy is introduced, for the elderly like Harold. Chronic diseases such as liver or renal diseases may change the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of chemotherapeutic agents. These changes in addition to modifications in drug metabolism, absorption, distribution, and excretion lead to more toxicities among the elderly cancer patients (Chernecky & Murphy-Ende, 2009; Itano et al, 2016).
As a consequence, older adults have a lesser likelihood of receiving optimal chemotherapy dosages compared to the younger patients due to complications and toxicities (EdCan, 2018). Careful evaluation of the common conditions as well as compromised functions of the organs and how these factors may consequently lead to subsequent sub-optimal doses of treatment among the elderly patients need to be studied further. In some scenarios where there are altered organ functions, it is significant to consider supportive care and palliation as the best source of management for the elderly patients instead of sub-optimal curative treatment levels.
The geriatric oncologist has proposed a comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) Tool to determine which elderly cancer patients can accrue some benefits from treatment and which patients may get more benefits when placed under palliative care (Itano et al, 2016). This multidimensional tool includes an assessment of instrumental activities of daily living, physical functioning including daily living activities, cognitive performance, common conditions, nutritional status, psychological status, current medications review, social support, and the existence of geriatric syndromes (Itano et al, 2016).
Another nursing consideration is the functional status of the patient. As the age of the patient advances, it results in loss of physical function and this can result in disability. According to Extermann (2017), for those aged, between 65 to 74 years over 60% of that population have some disability, and often report some conditions that are disabling. Because of that, patients with few or no ADL limitations may be able to tolerate full treatment doses but should be having frequent monitoring identifying potential adverse events. However, Maione et al (2005) reported that global performance status, quality of life, and in prognosticators for the elderly patient survival. Among the elderly cancer patients, disability and losses in physical functions are associated with functional reserve losses, which, in the presence of chemotherapy, raises the likelihood of this elderly patient’s toxic side effects (Chernecky & Murphy-Ende, 2009).
The practice of oncology nurses in different settings include acute care hospitals, private oncologist offices, ambulatory care clinics, home healthcare agencies, radiation therapy facilities, and community agencies. They practice with other oncologic disciplines such as radiation oncology, surgical oncology, pediatric oncology, gynecologic oncology, and medical oncology. The roles of the oncology nurses vary from the focus of the intensive in the transplantation of the bone marrow to the focus of the community of cancer screening, prevention, and detection,n. Some of the roles include the following as discussed by (Chernecky & Murphy-Ende, 2009):
- Patient assessment
The nurses are expected to be experts in conducting assessments on the patient’s emotional and physical status, health practices, past health history, and both the patient and its families’ knowledge of the disease and consequent treatment. The oncology nurses review the plan of treatment with the oncologist. moreover, they are aware of the outcomes that are expected and possible complications and assess the patient’s general emotional and physical status independently. An oncology nurse is also expected to be aware of the general complications and results of all relevant pathology, laboratory, and imaging studies. conducting an assessment on the patient’s understanding of the cancer disease and the treatment that is proposed is fundamental in formulating a plan of care and allaying any anxiety. the preparation of the patient improves compliance with the programs of treatment and may also impact the outcomes of the treatment as well (Itano et al, 2016)
- Patient education
The nurses are better placed in developing the report required for effective educational efforts with the passions families as well as the patient. Family and patient education begins before therapy and progresses during and after therapy. Such educations include unstructured and structured educational experiences for helping the patients in coping with the diagnosis, symptoms, and long-term adjustments (Chernecky & Murphy-Ende, 2009; Itano et al, 2016).
- Coordination of care
The oncology nurses also play a critical role in coordinating complex and multiple technologies currently employed in cancer diagnosis and treatment. This coordination entails direct care of the patient, medical record documentation, symptom management, participation in therapy, referrals organization to other health care providers, education of both the patient and the family, cancelling throughout the diagnosis and fill,ow-up therapy (Itano et al, 2016)
- Direct patient care
The majority of the oncology nurse says provide direct care to the patient which involves chemotherapy. the nation Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Cancer Australia, and Cancer Council Australia have developed guidelines to bring together evidence that is best available for underpinning scientifically valid recommendations for the diagnosis and prevention of cancer as well as treatment care for the patients (Australia, 2018). They provide written policies for certification for chemotherapy, antineoplastic drug administration in all routes, safe drug disposal and handling, management of reactions such as allergic reactions, and documentation methods. One of the important responsibility of the nurses that are involved in the chemotherapy delivery is to ensure that the correct health to ensure the safety of prescribed drugs. This paper discuss the recall of tetrazepam drug and dose are administered to the right patient by the correct route. The provided guidelines on how to ensure safer healthcare and to prevent medical errors (Chernecky & Murphy-Ende, 2009). Additionally, EdCan (2018) developed a module in collaboration with Cancer Australia with an object to develop nurse skills and knowledge to support care assessment, screening, and referral.
- Symptom management
Daily, the oncology nurses are challenged to handle numerous symptoms from the patient suffering from cancer as well as their families as a result of the treatment. The nurses help in the symptoms evaluation as well as the initiation of interventions (Chernecky & Murphy-Ende, 2009). Antineoplastic agents are chemotherapy agents and are used in the treatment of metastatic cancers. EdCan (2018) indicated that the antineoplastic agents are classified according to their cycle activity or structure. Traditionally they are divided by their mechanism action or origin. The main groups include antimetabolites, alkylating and alkylating like agents, plant alkaloids, antitumor antibiotics, hormonal agents, and miscellaneous agents.
Conclusion
In summary, the paper explored the rationale and the goal of the treatment choice that was prescribed for patient Harold who is 75 years and was diagnosed with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with metastasis of the spinal bone (stage IV). The arguments for the goals and rationale was on the prescribed treatment regimen of gemcitabine days 1, 8, and 15 repeated every 4 weeks and vinorelbine day 1 and 8 repeated every 3 weeks. The paper found out the treatment was based on the goal of the treatment, tumor, patient patient-related as well as treatment treatment-related The paper was identified one important nursing consideration throughout the active treatment phase and justified its selection. These included the assessment of the comorbid and geriatric conditions in guiding the treatment as well as the functional status of the patient. Some of the roles of the patient during active treatment the patient in include; Patient assessment, Patient education, coordination of care, directing the patient care, and management of symptoms.
References
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Azzoli, C. G., Baker, S., & Temin, S. (December 20, 2009). American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update on Chemotherapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 27, 36, 6251-6266.
Cancer Australia. (2018). Affected by cancer | Cancer Australia. Canceraustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 18 April 2018, from https://canceraustralia.gov.au/affected-cancer
Chernecky, C. C., & Murphy-Ende, K. (2009). Acute care oncology nursing.
Comella, P., Frasci, G., Carnicelli, P., Massidda, B., Buzzi, F., Filippelli, G., … Cioffi, R. (2004). Gemcitabine with either paclitaxel or vinorelbine vs paclitaxel or gemcitabine alone for elderly or unfit advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients. British Journal of Cancer, 91(3), 489–497.
EdCan. (2018). Cancer supportive care principles | can. Edcan.org.au. Retrieved 21 April 2018, from http://edcan.org.au/edcan-learning-resources/supporting-resources/supportive-care
EdCan. (2018). Classification of antineoplastic agents | EdCaN. Edcan.org.au. Retrieved 21 April 2018, from http://edcan.org.au/edcan-learning-resources/supporting-resources/antineoplastic-agents/classification
EdCan. (2018). Principles of treatment strategy to business models and onto tactics. Long range planning | EdCaN. Edcan.org.au. Retrieved 21 April 2018, from http://edcan.org.au/edcan-learning-resources/supporting-resources/cancer-treatment-planning/principles
Extermann, M. (August 30, 2017). Studies of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Patients with Cancer. Cancer Control, 10, 6, 463-468.
Ferrell, B. R. . T., Jennifer S.; Temin, S. S., & J., T. (2017). Integration of Palliative Care into Standard Oncology Care: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update. Journal of Oncology Practice, 13(2), 119–121. Retrieved from http://ascopubs.org/doi/pdf/10.1200/JOP.2016.017897.
Frasci, G., Lorusso, V., Panza, N., Comella, P., Nicolella, G., Bianco, A., … De Lena, M. (2000). Gemcitabine plus vinorelbine versus vinorelbine alone in elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology: Official Journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 18(13), 2529–2536.
Gewanter, R. M., Rosenzweig, K. E., Chang, J. Y., Decker, R., Dubey, S., Kong, F.-M., … Movsas, B. (2010). ACR Appropriateness Criteria: nonsurgical treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer: good performance status/definitive intent. Current Problems in Cancer, 34(3), 228–249.
Itano, J., Brant, J. M., Conde, F. A., & Saria, M. G. (2016). The core currThe corneum for oncology nursg.
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Lim, K.-H., Lee, H.-Y., & Song, S.-Y. (2013). Efficacy and feasibility of gemcitabine and carboplatin as first-line chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced non-small-small-cellcer. Chinese Medical Journal, 126(24), 4644–4648.
Lung Cancer. (2018). Lung Cancer 101 | Lungcancer.org. Lungcancer.org. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from https://www.lungcancer.org/fd_formation/publications/163-lung_cancer_101/265-what_is_lung_cancer
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Mantovani, C., Novello, S., Ragona, R., Beltramo, G., Giglioli, F. R., & Ricardi, U. (2006). Chemo-radiotherapy in lung cancer: state of the art with focus on the elderly population. Annals of Oncology: Official Journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology / ESMO, 17 Suppl 2, ii61–ii63.
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Pereira, J. R., Cheng, R., Orlando, M., Kim, J.-H., & Barraclough, H. (December 01, 2013). Elderly Subset Analysis of Randomized Phase III Study Comparing Pemetrexed Plus Carboplatin with Docetaxel Plus Carboplatin as First-Line Treatment for Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. income taxes and personal revenues. However, as much as the healthcare system in Canada is social and universal, the plan does not cater for Drugs in R&d, 13, 4, 289-296.
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Xu, C.-A., Chang, Z.-Y., Wang, X.-J., & Qi, H.-Y. (2013). Doublets versus single-agent therapy as first-line therapy for elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 67(11), 1118–1127.
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With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Jul 24, 2023 | Essays |
Write the best suited topic of less than 60 characters for this essay, Then write H1 tag (different from the topic) and 5 most relevant keywords deliminated to be targeted for SEO. Then write a meta description of 160 characters for the article:
Spending the early years with my family in Nigeria, an African country rich in natural resources game me an opportunity of understanding how my country is rich. From my little village where I came from, the environment is green with tall trees, most of the locals practiced agriculture, there is wildlife, and plenty of water. However, this is no more as water resources are being deforested, rivers are running dry and the population of Nigeria is increasing rapidly.
I have an excellent academic track so far and I am expecting to improve on it given that I have identified my niche in “Sustainable Resource Management.” I am applying for a second Master’s degree because I would like to continue till my PhD in the field giving the evident need of Climate Conservation and I would like to take up a position in my country in address that need. However, my MBA is a 90 unit-credit which is not enough for applying for a Doctorate.
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Natural Resource Management according to Erickson, Messner & Ring (2007) is the management process of the natural resources such as animals, plants, soil, water and land with emphasis on the management affects the life quality of both future and present generations. Water as an essential natural resource shapes regional landscapes and is critical to the functioning of the ecosystem and wellbeing of human. According to n.a (2003), water is a natural resource that is under considerable pressure in Africa. Hydrologic regime altercations due to global climatic, economic and demographic changes have serious consequences to the African people and the environment. Overuse of water resources by humans majorly for agriculture in Africa and contamination of the fresh water from agriculture and urban regions are stressing the water resource in African terrestrial water cycles. Consequently, the ecological functions of ground water, soils and water bodies in the water cycle are hampered.
Figure 1: Program Structure for Sustainable Water Resource Management
The figure above illustrate how the program for Sustainable Water Resource Management scientifically contribute to the goal by combining analyses of systems in the natural sciences (Themes A-C) with the development of socio-economic, eco-technological, and technical measures (Themes A-C jointly with D), and socio-economic and technical conditions investigations under which the developed approaches can be applied in solving specific problems (Themes D)
Within the natural sciences, the system analysis builds on modelling, measuring and predicting the water cycle of a region, in this scenario in Africa (Theme A). This is complimented by matter fluxes analysis focused on the reactive zones impact (Theme B). The water effects (Theme A) and the matter fluxes (Theme B) on the receptor systems sate are treated in Theme C (n.a, 2003).
The major obstacles to hydrologic research advances have been the limited and the spatially distributed data and a vast disconnects between the generated scales of data (n.a, 2003). According to n.a (2003), projected and recent advancement in technology in remote collection of data, combine with experiments, can abundantly supply information at increasingly finer temporal and spatial scales when connected to the regional integrated models and human consumptive data on use of water, data on contaminant emissions, and data on patterns of land use, this new information will offer the foundation for an understanding greatly improved and prediction of the hydrologic processes, nutrients and biomass, in-stream and subsurface energy transformation, critical zones retention processes, and biotic and abiotic controlling factors of the ecological communities (n.a, 2003). The environmental processes relevant are investigated mainly at reference sites where observatories specifically equipped are being installed, and that are jointly used among the themes of research.
References
Erickson, J. D., Messner, F., & Ring, I. (2007). Ecological economics of sustainable watershed management. Amsterdam: Elsevier JAI.
Forschen für die Umwelt. (2003.). Retrieved January 29, 2015, from http://www.ufz.de/index.php?de=17863
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Jul 24, 2023 | Essays |
Introduction
Endangered species are defined as species that are facing the risk of going extinct. This is as a result of an abrupt reduction in its population or the loss of its habitat. Almost 99% of species that are threatened are so as a result of various human activities like deforestation of agricultural land. As early as the 21st century, it was noted that the biggest threat to biodiversity is human beings (Early et al., 2016). Recently, there has been a great reduction in the population of amphibians all over the world. They have been known for their global indication of environmental health. However, they have experienced the highest decline in population as compared to the rest of the population. Amphibians include frogs, newts, tadpoles, salamanders, and many more. The research that was done by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List process shows that these animals are really affected and they do not survive tough environmental conditions. Amphibians are very sensitive when it comes to environmental changes and are majorly at risk when it comes to the destruction of habitats, climate change, and pollution.
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Many disappearances of amphibians all over the world are a result of habitat degradation or destruction. In the new world’s tropics, as plenty as more than 200 species of amphibians have disappeared abruptly or refused higher elevation precipitations more so those that are living in places that have a lot of human impacts and those in streams (Collins, Crump & Lovejoy, 2009). Amphibians are not good survivors when it comes to adverse environmental effects like global warming and that has majorly led to their extinction. It has been demonstrated recently that high-temperature degrees at tropical latitudes led to the scattering of frogs across South America. It was then concluded that these extinctions occur mostly after unusually warm years which offered very favorable conditions for pathogens that attacked the amphibians. These among others are just but examples of how global warming is proving to be a very harmful course. If people took care of the environment as much as they take care of themselves, then we would still enjoy the beautiful nature that was once there. The various and different species diversity like the dinosaurs would still be available and if we are not careful, in the next 100 years, many more would be extinct. As much as these animals might die from diseases caused by pathogens, climate change has taken the lead in clearing them.
The breeding timing of amphibians is mostly driven by environmental factors like moisture and temperature. Putting this into consideration as a major factor, global warming has a direct impact on amphibian’s breeding phenology. Amphibians that live in temperate regions are more susceptible to temperature increases. Majority of species that are temperate life their lives inactive for years either escaping the cold winter seasons or the hot summer seasons. When there is a sudden increase in temperature, these amphibians are forced to come out from their hiding places whereby after they emerge; they are made to migrate to streams or ponds for them to breed. Global warming forces amphibians to have early breeding when the average temperature goes higher. In cases where they breed earlier in the season, they and their young ones become very vulnerable to floods that are a result of slow melt. However, some amphibians are capable of having early breeding even though it’s a small percentage of them. The majority of them cannot survive these abrupt changes in temperature and the breeding confusion that comes along with it and this is why most of them are becoming extinct (Pounds et al., 2011).
Ecological diversity is the specific number of various species in a particular community. It can also be defined as the complicated network between various species that are living in a separate ecosystem and their dynamic interaction. An ecosystem is constituted of organisms from different species that live together and interact with one another in a particular area and the nutrients and energy act as their source of connection (Newsome, Moore & Dowling, 2012). In almost all ecosystems, energy from the sun is the main provider of energy. There are however various factors that have negatively had effects on ecological diversity and this may include; first and foremost there is climate change. The climate is for the benefit of all it belongs to all members of the ecosystem. It is however discussed as a complicated system that is associated with different conditions that are very essential to the lives of people. A scientific consensus however shows that we are undergoing a very disturbing climatic system warming. This does not make surviving easy for many plants and animals therefore needs to be done before it is too late (Corbera, Brown & Adger, 2011).
Previously, this warming was associated with rising sea levels, and in most cases, it seemed to occur with the increase of events during extreme weather. Not even scientific studies can be used to determine the causes of each phenomenon. Humanity needs to come to recognition for a lifestyle change, consumption, and production so that this warming can be combated. It is for a fact that different other factors interfere with biodiversity like volcanic eruptions but different studies show that the climatic change takes the lead because of the Green House Gases effect. These gases released largely by human activities include methane, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and many others. These gases concentrate in the atmosphere then contain the heat escape that sunlight produces. When fossil fuel, the heart of the energy system of the world is used, it facilitates this process. Deforestation is also another factor that has led to climate change. People all over the world are clearing forests to get agricultural land they do not know how much harm they are causing in the ecosystem. They forget these forests are home to other living things that get affected when clearing is done.
Climate change can be described as a global problem that is really affecting the environmental, political, social, and economic good distribution. The people who will experience the worst effects of climate change are the developing countries in these coming years. Most areas that experience climate change are those that majorly depend on the services of the ecosystem like agriculture as their main source of food and income and fishery. When climate changes are to the extreme and animals cannot adapt, in most cases, the majority of these plants and animals move from that place to find better and suitable places. Global warming is also another factor that contributes to climate change. It has a major effect on the carbon cycle. It is responsible for the creation of a vicious circle that provokes the situation and therefore has effects on resources that are very essential like energy and drinking water which in return causes extinction on the planet’s biodiversity. Things are worsening due to the loss of tropical forests which in return facilitates climate change.
Secondly, another factor that really affecting ecological diversity is environmental pollution. Most forms of pollution are from the daily activities of human beings. When the atmosphere is exposed to pollutants, there is the production of different health hazardous products that cause lots of deaths to not only humans but also living things. Pollution from transport, fertilizers, industrial fumes, insecticides, fungicides acidifies water and soil and thus affecting the animals and plants that live in these areas. Every year, a lot of non-biodegradable, radioactive, and highly toxic wastes are generated from hospitals, factories, homes, construction sites, and many more and released into the environment. Chemical products and wastes from industries used in agricultural areas and different cities cause bioaccumulation in the different living things that are in that particular population. Mostly, no measures or very little measures are taken when the problem is immature; they only do so when most people have been affected. The only way that has the capability of solving this problem is technology.
Most of these problems are associated with our culture of throwing away wastes which has a lot of effects on the excluded population as much as it has the ability to reduce a beautiful environment to rubbish. A very good example of this case scenario is that most of our paper industries instead of recycling paper wastes are usually thrown away. People do not accept how the natural environment works; plants make their own food and these nutrient are used as a source of food to the herbivores, the herbivorous animals become food for the carnivorous animals, the carnivores, in turn, excretes organic waste which when decomposes, are used as manure that helps in the generation of new plants and the cycle continues. This when compared to our industrial system, is far much better than us because the industrial system is not made in a way that is capable of absorbing and reusing wastes after production. We have not managed to come up with a circular way of production where resources are preserved for the future and current generation, recycled and reused and their efficient use is maximized. If this can be managed, then the environmental pollution can really be limited and cases of extinctions can as well be forgotten. These strategies if implemented can help in reducing pollution all over the world.
Thirdly, overharvesting is another problem that is greatly affecting biodiversity. It causes destruction of resources, extinction at the level of population and it leads to the extinction of a particular group of species. When certain amounts of resources are depleted, the quality of that particular resource can change times. Overharvesting does not only affect the harvested resource but it also has direct impacts on humans and other living things. Inappropriate and unregulated harvesting has the potential of causing ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and overexploitation. It can also have negative effects on community rights and the different states that receive the resources.
An ecosystem is constituted of organisms from different species that live together and interact with one another in a particular area and the nutrients and energy act as their source of connection. The radiant energy of the sun is used by plants for the process of photosynthesis after its conversion to chemical energy. The ecological importance of biodiversity may include the following; firstly, biodiversity is important for the coexistence of different species. The different species that live together in a habitat coexist with one another with the help of mutual adjustments. These species are interrelated and have all sorts of interactions with one another. These types of interactions include exploitation, mutualism, competition, and neutralism. Exploitation is defined as a case where a particular species survives at another species’ expense. Mutualism is defined as the relationship where species that coexist gain from their relationship; competition, on the other hand, is when there is a competition between coexisting species for the resources that are available and lastly neutralism is when the species that coexist depend on each other.
Secondly, interdependency is another important of ecological biodiversity. In this case, the various species in a particular community are interdependent on one another and undergo the same environmental conditions. Another importance is that it offers the dominance of different species. Normally, not every species that is found in a community are many. Just a few are found in plenty either by biomass or by their number and the bigger part of these species is very rare. It also offers succession. In this case, species that interact with one another in the ecosystem are specified by replacement and death which are processes that are continuous. By doing this, the ecosystem’s shape and composition remain dynamic. These changes keep recurring until there is an establishment of a complete balance between the environment and the species. Lastly, it brings about species diversity. Biodiversity shows all the natural collection of a huge number of animals and plant species in a particular area. A unique area that has similar habitat conditions and has supportive characteristics is called a biotope. Every species in a community has various ranges when it comes to tolerance towards biological and physical conditions of the environment of that particular habitat.
Conclusion
The environmental impacts are the major cause of plant and animal extinction. The effects it has been more than we human beings think. Something needs to be done faster and sooner before it is too late for everyone. We might not see it but if we are not careful our future generation will not have much of beautiful nature to enjoy. To reduce pollution, companies, and factories that manufacture products should find ways of recycling their wastes instead of realizing them directly to the environment. Releasing wastes directly into water bodies has diverse effects on aquatic plants and animals and if we are not very careful fish and other aquatic animals will no longer be there. We should be like plants and animals; plants make their own food which feeds herbivores who are then fed on by the carnivores and through excretion, they release their waste which when decomposes, assists new plants to grow. The environment needs to be taken care of by everyone so that we can have a beautiful nature and the health of everyone can be safe.
References
Corbera, E., Brown, K., & Adger, W. N. (2011). The equity and legitimacy of markets for ecosystem services. Development and Change, 38(4), 587-613.
Collins, J. P., Crump, M. L., & Lovejoy III, T. E. (2009). Extinction in our times: global amphibian decline. Oxford University Press.
Early, R., Bradley, B. A., Dukes, J. S., Lawler, J. J., Olden, J. D., Blumenthal, D. M., … & Sorte, C. J. (2016). Global threats from invasive alien species in the twenty-first century and national response capacities. Nature Communications, 7, 12485.
Newsome, D., Moore, S. A., & Dowling, R. K. (2012). Natural area tourism: Ecology, impacts, and management (Vol. 58). Channel view publications.
Pounds, J. A., Bustamante, M. R., Coloma, L. A., Consuegra, J. A., Fogden, M. P., Foster, P. N., … & Ron, S. R. (2011). Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming. Nature, 439(7073), 161.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
