NSG6320 Adult Health and Adult-Gerontology

NSG6320 Adult Health and Adult-Gerontology

 

Adult Health and Adult-Gerontology

The growing attention given to the importance of better patient outcomes has led to various bodies and entities coming up with recommendations on managing diseases. One of such is the U.S Preventive Service Task Force which is concerned with strategies of preventing various conditions for better patient outcomes. For every disease, there are recommendations with the final recommendation statements and the level of evidence to support the recommendations (“USPSTF”, n.d”). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the U.S Preventive Service Task Force website and choose a topic to discuss.

A Summary of the Final Recommendation Statement

The chosen topic from the website is breast cancer. The recommendation statement entails the medication used to reduce the risk of breast cancer and screening recommendations. These recommendations have been made based on the evidence of the harms and benefits of the assessment. One of the recommendations is that clinicians need to wilfully prescribe risk lowering medications including aromatase inhibitors, raloxifene, or tamoxifene to women at risk of breast cancer as well as those who are at a reduced risk for adverse medication impacts (Owens et al., 2019). However, the body recommends against routine use of medications used in reducing risk in individuals who are not at heightened risk for breast cancer.

From the website, there is substantial evidence that the risks assessment tools used presently can predict the number of breast cancer incidences that can occur in a population. However, these tools are not as effective in discriminating between individuals who would go on to develop breast cancer later. As such, risk-reduction medications have a greater impact among women having a heightened risk of developing breast cancer. While the risk-lowering medications have potential benefits, they have potential harms (Owens et al., 2019). For example, while the medications substantially reduce the risk of getting cancer, these medications have also been associated with adverse effects such as venous thromboembolic events and cardiovascular events like stroke.

A range of breast cancer assessment strategies can be used, especially for women at greater risk of the condition. For instance, the formal clinical risk assessment tools, the National Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool are some of the common tools (Owens et al., 2019). A combination of risk factors can also be used in identifying women who are at increased risk of the condition. The USPSTF further recommends additional approaches to breast cancer prevention, including genetic testing for BRCA genetic mutations, genetic counseling, and breast cancer screening and risk assessment.

The Level of Evidence

The levels of evidence presented by USPSTF are categorized into four, A, B, C, and D. In level A, there is a high possibility that the recommended preventive measure such as risk-reducing medications is a high net benefit. In the case of B, the net benefit is considered moderate, while in the case of C, the net benefit is small. Finally, for D, the potential harms override benefits (Owens et al., 2019). These indicate that, while clinicians are advised to offer services for A and B, services for C should be offered based on the prevailing circumstances. However, offering service for D is discouraged. Based on the USPSTF recommendation, the current evidence is not enough in assessing the balance of harms and benefits since the evidence is conflicting or of poor quality.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, breast cancer is the top non-skin cancer among women in the USA and in the top two among cancer death causation. As such, it has drawn much attention from various stakeholders, researchers, and government agencies. This write-up has focused on breast cancer as a topic and how it has been addressed in U.S Preventive Service Task Force.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

References

Owens, D. K., Davidson, K. W., Krist, A. H., Barry, M. J., Cabana, M., Caughey, A. B., … & US Preventive Services Task Force. (2019). Medication use to reduce risk of breast cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Jama, 322(9), 857-867.

USPSTF. (n.d). About the USPSTF. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/

 

Access the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) at the site indicated and write a summary of ONE of the primary care recommendations below:

Depression
Aspirin to prevent colon cancer and CVD
Breast cancer
Smoking cessation
Screening for abnormal blood glucose and type 2 DM
Screening for prostate cancer
Screening for anemia in pregnant women
Screening for vitamin D
Screening for Hepatitis

Be sure to read the complete recommendation, not just the summary. Briefly, summarize the Final Recommendation Statement. Comment on the level and amount of evidence to support the recommendation. If all the topics listed are taken, choose another guideline that may be applicable to adults. Make sure the screening recommendation is an active recommendation. Summarize the recommendation.

Review the following to learn more:

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (n.d.). Recommendations for Primary Care Practice. Retrieved from https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Name/recommendations