Assignment:

Recognizing a Problem

There is a tendency amongmanagers to quickly resolve problems even though they may not fullunderstand or appreciate the many causal factors contributing to theproblem. As a result, these managers function like firefighters, puttingquick fixes to problems in hopes that they will be resolved. Inreality, some problems are resolved whereas, in many cases, theperceived solution is short lived and non-effective. On the otherhand, there are managers who suffer from a phenomenon known as “analysisparalysis”. They become so obsessed with identifying and analyzing“all” of the casual factors associated with a problem that the managermay never get around to implementing a solution.

Keeping in mind the case of the home health agency that we havediscussed since Module 1. As Sara’s supervisor, how would you approachher case to ensure timely solution is implemented in regards to theconcern of disease outbreak? What are the limitations of your approach?

Expectations: 1 page, 3 cited sources from required Reading. NO PLAGIARISM! Module 1 background

Congratulations! You have been hired as Assistant Manager of a HomeHealth Care Agency. The agency offers a wide range of skilled medicalservices such as nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapyfrom qualified medical professionals. The agency also provides homehealth aide services including assistance with activities of dailyliving, such as bathing and eating.

Your supervisor told you that she recently received a call from anadvocate whom an employee consulted via the Employee Assistance Programbecause the employee felt that she had been treated unfairly aftercontracting an illness. She explained that a few months ago, one of youragency’s home health aides, Sara, became ill. Sara had been coughingfor approximately six weeks, lost weight without trying, had noappetite, was having difficulty sleeping, and had an intermittent fever.She became concerned and went to see a healthcare professional whodiagnosed her with active tuberculosis (TB).

Sara missed a lot of time from work while completing treatment forTB. Her physician cleared her to return to work after she was no longercontagious. Upon returning to work, Sara felt isolated because her bossand co-workers refused to spend time with her. She heard that someonefrom the agency’s Human Resources Department told her co-workers herdiagnosis. The stressful circumstances at work became even worse whenanother home health aide started to display the same symptoms Sara had.

Your supervisor has asked you to review the entire situation and howit was handled by the agency. Each module includes information aboutepidemiology, health statistics, public health, health communication andadvocacy, health literacy, healthcare delivery systems, the AffordableCare Act, ethical considerations, human resources management, legalaspects, cultural and global perspectives, and financial considerationsfor the organization.

Your methodology over the next few weeks will be to arrangeinterviews with the relevant individuals, departments, and agencies, inaddition to researching professional and scholarly sources, educationalvideos, and news articles. You will evaluate the information you gatherthroughout the course of your investigation in order to determine thebest course of action. Ultimately, the information will be used toformulate policies and create an employee education presentation.

Required Reading

Bates, B. R. (2016). Health communication and mass media: An integrated approach to policy and practice. Farnham, GB: Routledge.

Campbell, J. R., Sasitharan, T., & Marra, F. (2015). A systematicreview of studies evaluating the cost utility of screening high-riskpopulations for latent tuberculosis infection. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 13(4), 325-340.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC). Retrieved from https://emergency.cdc.gov/CERC/#tabs-1198595-2

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2005). Crisis andemergency risk communication (CERC) Basics. [Card]. Retrieved from https://emergency.cdc.gov/cerc/resources/pdf/basic_cerc_zcard.pdf

Pigg, R. M., Stellefson, M. L., & Paige, S. R. (2015). Willgenomics alter risk assessment methodology in health behavior research? American Journal Of Health Studies, 30(3), 146-150.

Pierannunzi C, Xu F, Wallace RC, Garvin W, Greenlund KJ, Bartoli W,et al. (2016). A methodological approach to small area estimation forthe Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Prev Chronic Dis, 13, 150480. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd13.150480

Stevens, A.C., Courtney-Long, E.A., Okoro, C.A., & Carroll, D.D.(2016). Comparison of 2 disability measures, Behavioral Risk FactorSurveillance System, 2013. Prev Chronic Dis,13, 160080. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd13.160080

Zamudio, C., Krapp, F., Choi, H. W., Shah, L., Ciampi, A., Gotuzzo,E. . . . Brewer, T. F. (2015). Public transportation and tuberculosistransmission in a high incidence setting. PLoS One, 10(2) doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115230