Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasingly becoming a major community and public health issue. This paper looks into CKD as both a community and public issue and proposes how concerned stakeholders and partners can be mobilized to work together toward fighting the disease.
CKD is regarded as both a community and public health issue as a result of four main reasons: firstly, the disease places a huge burden on the community, which continues to grow despite the numerous measures that have been put in place to control it.
Secondly, CKD is unfairly contracted as various segments of a given population are known to be unequally affected (Couser, Remuzzi, Mendis, & Tonelli, 2011). Thirdly, there is sufficient proof that effective preventive measures could greatly reduce the burden caused by the health problem. However, the proposed preventive measures are still in process and not yet functional (Levey & Coresh, 2012).
CKD is a common community and public health concern in the United States and many more other countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and even African countries. In the United States alone, there are more than 20 million people living with CKD. Although CKD already affects many people in the United States, the number is likely to increase by a huge margin in the future.
The major burden caused by CKD in the United States is felt in terms of premature morbidity, mortality, low quality of life, and high costs of care for patients with the disease (Couser, Remuzzi, Mendis, & Tonelli, 2011).
The health problem is also unevenly distributed in the country as it mostly affects minorities and less-fortunate families. However, there is evidence that preventive measures targeting political, economic, and environmental factors affecting the minorities and less-fortunate individuals could help reduce the burden caused by CKD (Levey & Coresh, 2012).
Although the effects of the disease are so adverse, they are controllable. The most effective way to manage CKD is to implement various preventive measures, which should involve identifying individuals who are at risk at the earliest time possible. It is medically proven that earlier stages of CKD are easily detectable and treatable (Daugirdas, 2011).
The relevant stakeholders should also try to improve the living conditions of the people who are at high risk of contracting CKD. This may include improving sanitation, campaigning against excessive alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking, ensuring they take enough and healthy food, and managing other heath conditions such as diabetes, which affect the health of the kidney. Consequently, the project should major on the two main strategies to reduce the burden of CKD (Tangri et al., 2012).
To involve the relevant stakeholders and partners in the proposed project for reducing the burden of CKD, the project managers need to develop strategies that would convince the former to join hands with the latter. Firstly, the project managers may organize for workshops in which they can demonstrate to the stakeholders the importance of having the project.
Secondly, the managers can hold meetings and seminars in which the stakeholders can be taught how and why they need to participate in the project. Lastly, the stakeholders may be encouraged to participate in the project through financial assistance and other donations.
In conclusion, CKD is a serious fiscal and societal problem that gets worse each day. However, there are several preventive measures that can effectively manage the disease if utilized. For that reason, every project aimed at reducing CKD should focus on the implementation of the relevant preventive strategies.
References
Couser, W. G., Remuzzi, G., Mendis, S., & Tonelli, M. (2011). The contribution of chronic kidney disease to the global burden of major communicable diseases. Kidney International, 80(1), 1258-1270.
Daugirdas, J. T. (2011). Handbook of chronic kidney disease management. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Levey, A. S., & Coresh, J. (2012). Chronic kidney disease. The Lancet, 379(9811), 14- 20.
Tangri, N., Stevens, L. A., Griffin, J., Tighiouart, H., Djurdjev, O., Naimark, D.,… Levey, A. S. (2011). The Journal of the American Medical Association, 305(15), 1553- 1559.