Assessing the Problem-Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Considerations

The efficiency of nursing care in addressing population health problems is based on the efficiency of leadership, collaboration, communication, and management of change, as well as current policies related to the health problem. This paper will explore heart disease in the Black American population as a health problem relevant to my nursing practice and review the population health problem on the basis of current evidence, leadership, communication, collaboration, change management, and current policies on the nursing management of heart disease. Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com. We offer assignment help with high professionalism.

Population Health Problem Relevant to My Nursing Practice

The population health problem of focus that is relevant to my nursing practice is heart disease among the Black American population. Heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease (CVD), is an umbrella term for a number of health conditions affecting the heart. The main types of heart diseases include coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart valve diseases, angina, arrhythmias, subclinical atherosclerosis, stroke, and congenital heart defects, among other heart conditions (Tsao et al., 2022).

I will work with a majority of people from the Black American population during my practicum. Contextual data shows that black people are more prone to heart disease and have the highest mortality rates than other American racial groups. Incidence data from the American Heart Association (2022) shows that 60.1 percent of Black male adults and 58.8 percent of females have had heart disease between 2015 and 2018, while in 2019, 57,761 and 54,544 deaths for Black males and Black females were reported, respectively. Coronary heart disease is the most prevalent heart disease among the Black American population, in which 6.7 and 7.2 percent of males and females aged above 20 years have had the disease. Additionally, 3.9 and 2.3 percent of males and females aged above 20 years have heart attacks, from which an estimated 10 percent of those aged above 45 years are expected to die in the first year, and a further 20 percent die within five years (American Heart Association, 2022). The rise in the number of heart disease cases and extreme outcomes across the Black American population is related to high rates of smoking, a poor diet, increased physical inactivity, diabetes, and high rates of overweight and obese individuals across the population (American Heart Association, 2022).

Heart disease is a health problem of significant relevancy to my nursing practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse for various reasons. Firstly, heart diseases affect 47 percent of Black Americans and have the highest mortality rates due to the various disparities within the U.S. governance and healthcare structures (CDC, 2022). As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse (BSN-prepared nurse), I can contribute towards reducing and eliminating such disparities. Additionally, the CDC (2022) rates heart health issues as the leading cause of death in the United States, irrespective of gender, race, or ethnicity. In 2020 alone, over 697,000 Americans died due to heart disease, which is expected to be higher by 2025 (CDC, 2022). It is estimated that one individual dies of a heart disease every 34 seconds in the U.S., while 20.1 million adults aged above 20 years are feared to have coronary heart disease, while 805,000 people have hearts annually, of which 1 in 5 heart attacks are silent (Tsao et al., 2022). Another reason heart disease is a population health problem relevant to my nursing practice is due to the costs of care for heart diseases, the economic impact of the disease, and the disparities based on race and gender. Heart disease caused the U.S. economy an excess of $229 billion in care costs and lost productivity (CDC, 2022).