Social Political & Environmental Issues in International Healthcare

The report discusses COPD, its symptoms, prevalence, causes, diagnosis, and treatment. It also highlights the impact of social, political, and environmental factors on international healthcare. The report further explores COPD in Australia and India and the strengths and limitations of global strategies.

Social Political &
Environmental Issues in
International Healthcare

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
TASK A...........................................................................................................................................3
Defining COPD...........................................................................................................................3
Main symptoms of COPD...........................................................................................................3
Explaining the prevalence of COPD-have trends risen or decreased..........................................3
Causes and risk factors of COPD................................................................................................4
Are certain countries more susceptible to COPD and why.........................................................4
Diagnosis methods are used to identify COPD...........................................................................4
Treatments available for COPD and alternative therapies for better medical treatment.............5
Stage of the disease are certain treatments suitable.....................................................................5
Describe some different approaches of defining health..............................................................5
Chronic disease is and non-communicable disease.....................................................................5
TASK B...........................................................................................................................................5
1.Prevalence and management of COPD in Australia.................................................................5
2. The aetiology and assessment of the prevalence of COPD in India and Australia................7
3. Strengths and limitations of global strategies..........................................................................8
TASK C – Reflection.......................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
The healthcare industry is growing and developing day by day in rapid manner where it
provides the better result to the public and society. Today, there are different factors which
put the great impact on the healthcare industry and lead to obtain the issues in International
healthcare organisation. Social, political and environmental are the main factors who are
leading the global health care industry to get affected by these factors. The current report will
illustrate the different task which will include the brief about the COPD and key risk factors
of COPD (Plante, Guinde, Boudreau, and et.al., 2020). Also, a brief discussion on impact of
international economic, social and political environment in a particular developed country. In
addition, it will include the strengths and limitations of global strategies and reflection on the
learning which will help to understand the learning areas.
MAIN BODY
TASK A
Defining COPD
COPD is a lung disease where it blocks the airflow in human body and makes difficulties
for the human body to breathe properly. COPD refers as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
which damages the lungs and provides shortness of breathe and chronic cough.
Main symptoms of COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease makes breathing more difficult for human being
who gets impacted where increasing the shortness of the breathing is the main cause of the
COPD. Also, person who is suffering from this disease have a chesty cough which do not
recover so easily and creates problem in breathing. Along with this, it also frequently provides
the chest infections where it becomes important to get the right treatment in definite manner.
Some more symptoms include weight loss, tiredness, swollen ankle, chest pain and coughing up
the blood are some symptoms and signs of the COPD.
Explaining the prevalence of COPD-have trends risen or decreased
In the research, it has been evaluated that prevalence is growing day by day and rates of
diagnosed COPD is increasing where the incidence and mortality rates are decreasing. This type
of disease is mostly associated with women of age at least 65 years of age and younger than that.
However, this disease also has been seen rapidly in children where their lungs get infected in
childhood and genetics problem has occurred (Lu, Chang, Yao, and et.al., 2019). Also, the

research has announced that black complexion women had the highest rate of reporting COPD
diagnosis at 7% of the while women at 5.2%, however the in women this COPD disease is
founded in increasing manner.
Causes and risk factors of COPD
The main reason of getting suffers from the COPD problem is smoking and tobacco where
it damages the lungs and start harming the human body. In the developing countries, COPD
occurs in people when the burning fuel for cooking heating is used but within poorly ventilated
house which leads the human body to get affected by the COPD. This is the main reason that
COPD is caused mostly in women where this heating level of the gases makes women to get
difficulties in breathing and damage their lungs in wider manner. The lungs are getting affected
by the airways obstruction where exposure to tobacco smoke is one the significant risk factor for
the COPD where long term smoking affects the people health. Also, people who are
already an asthma patient have a risk in wider manner to get impacted by this disease. Along
with this hazardous chemicals and vapours at the workplace can irritate the lungs and increases
the risk factor.
Are certain countries more susceptible to COPD and why
People who are living in developing countries like India or people in low or middle income
countries are more vulnerable to developing the COPD as a result. Today, this disease is leading
the human creature to lead to death in worldwide where it become is important for an individual
to understand its causes and symptoms and can follow the positive measure to overcome this
disease in rapid manner (Early, Wellwood, Kuhn, Deaton, and Fuld, 2018). Thus, smoking is the
one of the major and significant risk factor which is making the human body to get attracted and
harm their lungs in definite manner and sometimes it leads them to death which is
developing the risk for many other countries people as well.
Diagnosis methods are used to identify COPD
Today, in this growing and developing world, health industry is also able to grow in
definite manner where this industry has using the different diagnosis method to identify the
COPD in human body. Some of the diagnosis method includes the usage of spirometer. This is a
device which utilised by the healthcare to measure the amount of air a person is taking to breathe
in and out and can effectively measure the deep breath. This test is painless and measures the
lung and capacity. Along with this, many and different test has been done to identify the COPD

such as blood test, Bronchodilator reversibility test, genetic test, chest x-ray or CT scan, ECG or
such more.
Treatments available for COPD and alternative therapies for better medical treatment
The healthcare industry is growing rapidly where the COPD can be treated in effective
manner by using the proper medications such as Bronchodilators, Oral steroids, antibiotics and
such more types of medications which will allow the human to get the best treatment where it
helps to overcome the COPD and can improve their breathing (DeCato, and Hegewald, 2021).
Along with this, the alternative therapies also can be adopted by the human such as yoga,
ginseng, massage and much more.
Stage of the disease are certain treatments suitable
At the first stage of the disease, care givers will provide a drug and proper medications
to the human being from where they can be able to breath and can have the quick relief. It will
help to relax the muscles in airways of the lungs and can make the breathing easier.
Describe some different approaches of defining health
There are different approaches of health where a human body needs to understand this in
better manner from where they can be able to adopt some factor which can contribute to health in
social, political and environmental areas. A biomedical model is used in western healthcare
industry where it helps the health care providers to understand the normal and abnormal function
and can prevent the diseases. Thus, the social model of health measures all the factors and enable
human to improve their health.
Chronic disease is and non-communicable disease
Chronic disease is non-communicable disease where tend to be in long term duration and
result effectively. The COPD is a non-communicable disease where it does not affect another
human by connection and interacting with each other. Chronic disease includes high blood
pressure, arthritis, diabetes and health failure affects.
TASK B
1.Prevalence and management of COPD in Australia
COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a prolonged instigative lung
disease that leads to obstructed flow of air from the lungs of human beings. The symptoms of the
COPD involves difficulty in breathing, generation of mucous and wheezing. Australia is a
developed country as per the Human Development Index for the year 2021. The doctors and

clinicians of Australia tries to diagnose the COPD among the individuals suffering from this
disease with the help of clinical sorting and the presence of fixed air duct blockage detected via
spirometry. Spirometry is a test that helps the clinicians in determining how effectively the lungs
of an individual are working on the basis of their capacity to quickly release the air just after
inhaling high quantity of air within the lungs (Agustí, and Faner, 2018). This procedures is used
within the Australia in order to determine If the person is suffering from COPD or asthma or any
other breathing condition. It has been determined that the Australian Hospitals are funded by the
state and territory and the Australian Government, however, they are specifically closely-held
and managed by the state and territory governments within the country. It has been identified that
since Australia is a developed country and the population of Australia is very less as compared to
other countries, and therefore, it is easy for the people suffering from COPD to get access to its
treatment within the country. Also, it has been determined that one in seven Australians above
the age of 40 years are suffering from the COPD lung condition within the country.
It has been identified that even though the Australian government initiates several
policies in order mitigate the risk of COPD among the people of the country. However, it has
been observed that COPD increases as the age of the people living within a country increases. In
the year 2017-2018, the Australian government noted a figure of around 77754 hospitalizations
specifically for the treatment of COPD, this means that 260 hospitalizations per 100000 people
of different age groups (Chen, and et.al 2019). The Australian government makes use of several
interventions which are used in order to treat the patients suffering from the COPD, these involve
immunization, oxygen therapy, non-invasive ventilation, pulmonary rehabilitation , and
medication. Oxygen therapy refers to providing the patient with external oxygen for a minimum
of 15 hours a day. This treatment is specifically provided to the one having extremely low levels
of oxygen within the blood. The Pulmonary rehabilitation includes exercise training, education,
nutrition counselling and emotional support. These treatments have been found useful in treating
the patients suffering from the COPD in Australia (Jaoude, and El‐Solh, 2019). The Universal
Health Coverage is a policy which has been developed in order to ensure that each and every
individual gets proper treatment to his sufferings without having to face any kind of financial
hardships. Similarly, the Australian government makes sure that each and every person suffering
from the COPD gets proper treatment within their country on the basis of the level of their

suffering. However, it has been determined that some people who already have the capacity to
pay for their treatments try to get the treatment this category.
2. The aetiology and assessment of the prevalence of COPD in India and Australia
It has been determined that there are a number of reasons which gives rise to the risk
factors leading towards the generation of COPD within an individual in India. The major causes
and risks factors includes active and passive smoking, smoking of tobacco, need of working
within a place which is expose to dust, pollution and the increasing age of the people living
within the India. The toxins and the harmful substances in the smoke of cigarettes, polluted air
and other causes of COPD weakens the lungs of human beings due to which the patients lose
their capacity to fight against the infections and develop the disease of COPD within themselves.
On the basis of the data, it has been identified that the number of cases of COPD have
been rising rapidly. The number of cases in the year 1990 in India were recorded as 28.1 million
when then rose to 55.3 million in the year 2016 in India. The causes and risk factors associated
with the COPD in India and Australia are different. The major causes and risk factors of COPD
in Australia includes malnourishment, air pollution , tobacco smoking and serious childhood
lung infections. It has been determined the number of cases of COPD in Australia are much less
than the number of cases recorded in India (Yang, Jenkins, and Salvi, 2022). There are several
reasons due to which the number of cases of COPD is higher in India. One major cause is the
population. The population of India is much more than the population of Australia. Other factors
involves low levels of education within India due to which many people start consuming tobacco
and tobacco based products at a very early age which affects the lungs of an individual and leads
to the rise of COPD within an individual. The diagnosis of COPD in India is conducted by way
of chest X ray and CT scan and conducting different types of blood tests for the purpose of
determining the intensity of growth of the disease within an individual. It has been determined
that in India, the doctors provides their patients with oxygen therapy, Bronchodilators and self-
care treatment in order to treat the patient suffering from the disease of COPD. However, it has
been determined the course of treatment India and Australia are similar in nature, but the quality
of treatment differs on the basis of technology and professional knowledge and skills of the
practitioner. The major factors affecting the diagnosis of COPD within India includes the
finances (Adeloye and et.al ., 2022). It has been noted that in India, the private health care
service providers have the funds to provide quality treatment to the patients as they cost higher

but the Government health care institutions are not able to provide quality treatments because in
order to provide treatment to the population, the government do not charge any fees from their
patient.
3. Strengths and limitations of global strategies
The world health organisation has created and implemented the global strategy in regard to
COPD where they have started the convention on tobacco control where it will help and support
the society to not utilise the tobacco and increase the risk of COPD disease in wider manner.
This strategy has been adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2003 and come into force in a
year 2005 where it is required to be announced and created for the betterment of the public and
society (Triest, Franssen, Reynaert, and et.al., 2019). The WHO has implemented the guidelines
in regard to usage of tobacco where a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising and promotion
has been implemented within the five years where they also had kept packaging cover at least
30% principle display within 3 years. However, the WHO is not able to provide the effective
treatment to the patient who suffers from COPD as there limitation is old group age of people
and genetic issue which is creating a problem for them to identify and provide the appropriate
result and outcome. Most of the COPD is affected in women of approx. 65 years of age where it
becomes a limitation for WHO to provide the effectiveness.
TASK C – Reflection
Reflective writing and practise simply defines where an individual person express and
reflects their past experience and can be bale to learn something from that particular situation
along with creating an awareness to another people. However, the reflective writing is required
to be understood by the individual person where the model of reflection named Gibbs is used by
many of the people as it helps them to reflect their Past experience in definite manner. The model
is consisted if six stages which has been described below:
Description: The first stage refers to describe the entire learning of the past experience and
enable the individual person to understand it in better manner. However, during the lesson
learning I am able to understand the importance of the healthcare services and the efforts of
health industry where the COPD which is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Shilian,
Abraham, Peppers, and et.al., 2018). Also, the report has provided the enough knowledge and

information about the global citizenship where I learned that it is also an important factor to be
understood.
Feelings: During the lesson learning, at first I was quite nervous and stressed that if I will not be
able to collect the education in term of global citizenship and what if not able to understand it in
better manner. But during the lesson, I was able to grab the education in proper manner and felt
quite good.
Evaluation: While attending the lesson, I evaluated that learning the global citizen is quite good
and went well where the lesson was quite interesting. However, in the lesson learning at first I
was not able to understand the global citizen in detailed manner but with the help of my mates I
was able to grab the education definitely (Sfaxi, 2021).
Analysis: The global citizenship is the coverage for the social, political, environmental and
economic actions of globally where it becomes important to understand it in wider manner.
Conclusion: The reflective learning on the particular subject refers me to understand the global
citizen and its important where it will help me to grow and develop my educational level in
wider manner.
Action Plan: I am required to improve my communication skill in better manner so that I can be
able to interact with each other person in definite manner and can from myself as a global
citizen.
CONCLUSION
The report has concluded the brief description about the COPD where its symptoms and
causes. Also it has mentioned the risk factors of COPD and different approaches of health.
However, the report has also detailed about the impact of international, economic environmental
and political issues of a specific country. At last, a reflection part has been performed from
which it express the importance of the reflective writing and information about the global
citizenship.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Adeloye, D., and et.al ., 2022. Global, regional, and national prevalence of, and risk factors for,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2019: a systematic review and
modelling analysis. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Yang, I.A., Jenkins, C.R. and Salvi, S.S., 2022. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in never-
smokers: risk factors, pathogenesis, and implications for prevention and treatment. The
Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Jaoude, P. and El‐Solh, A.A., 2019. Predictive factors for COPD exacerbations and mortality in
patients with overlap syndrome. The clinical respiratory journal, 13(10), pp.643-651.
Chen, Y.W., and et.al 2019. Prevalence and risk factors for osteoporosis in individuals with
COPD: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Chest, 156(6), pp.1092-1110.
Agustí, A. and Faner, R., 2018. COPD beyond smoking: new paradigm, novel opportunities. The
Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 6(5), pp.324-326.
Plante, A., Guinde, J., Boudreau, and et.al., 2020. A rare complication: development of an
aspergilloma after endobronchial coil placement in a COPD patient. Respiration. 99(5),
pp.423-425.
Lu, Y., Chang, R., Yao, and et.al., 2019. Effectiveness of long-term using statins in COPD–a
network meta-analysis. Respiratory research, 20(1), pp.1-14.
Early, F., Wellwood, I., Kuhn, I., Deaton, C. and Fuld, J., 2018. Interventions to increase referral
and uptake to pulmonary rehabilitation in people with COPD: a systematic
review. International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 13, p.3571.
DeCato, T.W. and Hegewald, M.J., 2021. Diffusing Capacity, the Too Often Ignored Lung
Function Test in COPD. Chest, 160(2), pp.389-390.
Triest, F.J., Franssen, F.M., Reynaert, and et.al., 2019. Disease-specific comorbidity clusters in
COPD and accelerated aging. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(4), p.511.
Shilian, R., Abraham, T., Peppers, B., and et.al., 2018. Daily Care Conferences Decrease
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Hospitalization Length of Stay in
Community-Based Hospitals. In C42. CONTEMPORARY TOPICS IN COPD (pp.
A4972-A4972). American Thoracic Society.

Sfaxi, R., 2021. Tobacco Is Not the Only Risk Factor for COPD: Let’s Not Forget the Genetic
Factor. Ann Clin Med Case Rep, 5(8), pp.1-2.