Case Report on Nurses’ Obesity

Answer

Case Report on Nurses’ Obesity
This case report is centered on overweight and obesity among nurses. The structure of the report follows a research problem, literature review summary, case or situation, and proposed solution to mitigate the issue. The report is centered on the PICOT question; For registered nurses (RNs) above 35 years (P), how does organizational based physical activity (I) compare to addressing occupational factors including leisure time, disrupted sleep patterns, and irregular meals (C) in managing overweight and obesity (O) for 3 months.
Problem Statement
There is an increased prevalence of overweight and obesity globally. Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2012 data, 2 out of every 3 adult Americans are obese or overweight (Wang et al., 2015). The condition remains a key area of interest based on its influence on chronic illnesses including Diabetes Mellitus Type II, cardiovascular conditions, and mental health. A vital challenge in the healthcare setting is the rise in overweight and obesity among nurses. According to Nam and Lee (2016), the prevalence of overweight and obesity among nurses in the US is approximately 30%-55%. The high incidence is attributed to irregular working hours and occupational stress. These authors, however, note that despite the numerous efforts to address the challenge through shifts, little is known about occupational risk factors and how they influence obesity such irregular meals, lack of leisure time, and disrupted sleep patterns. This research, therefore, compares addressing these factors with physical exercises at the workplace to avert overweight and obesity among nurses.
Brief Literature Review
Obesity among nurses is a critical factor that is related to poor quality of services delivery. According to Kyle et al. (2017), it is imperative for the healthcare sector to devise effective mitigation strategies to the pandemic. Essentially, obesity among healthcare providers results in mental health illnesses such as depression and stress. Nam and Lee (2016) contend that the condition also causes musculoskeletal diseases which increase workplace illnesses. Averting obesity and overweight among nurses commences by addressing the influencing factors. Kyle et al. (2017) in this regard notes some of the contributors to the conditions including lack of access to healthy options, shift working, and overworking. Kyle, Neall, and Atherton (2016) posit that the lack of physical exercises significantly contributes to increased overweight among healthcare professionals. The impacts of this health issue include poor nurses’ health, ineffectiveness in quality of healthcare services, and poor patient outcome. A research gap, however, is that there is limited research that examines how physical exercise can be implemented in the healthcare setting to address the rising overweight and obesity. In addition, there is a deficiency in research that examines how occupational factors such as leisure time, irregular meals, and sleep patterns can be integrated into interventions.
Case, Situation, or Condition
Nurses play a core role in managing chronic conditions including obesity and health promotion. However, Monakali, Goon, Seekoe, and Owolabi (2018) notes that these individuals are affected by overweight and obesity which impedes quality service delivery. Various interventions can be implemented in this regard including effecting appropriate health policies at the workplace. Such an intervention focuses on promoting physical activities, weight reduction, and fostering a healthy lifestyle among the nurses. Nam and Lee (2016) point out the importance of focusing on occupational factors to address the challenge. Key aspects to consider include having regular meal time, leisure time to reduce occupational stress, and eliminating work disruptions that affect sleep patterns. Physical activities may also be considered for interventions which are part of lifestyle modification to promote the nurses’ health. To address the overweight and obesity issue, multiple interventions are therefore required.
Synthesized Literature Findings
Obesity among healthcare providers is related to high mortality and morbidity rates. The condition has become a public health threat. As Monakali et al. (2018) note, obesity is highly prevalent in developing nations, and despite the relentless interventions by healthcare providers in health promotions, nurses continue to form a significant population that is affected by the condition. As argued by Kyle et al. (2017), obesity among nurses is highly prevalent also in England and can be attributed to occupational challenges and limited physical exercises. Nam and Lee (2016) support this argument and points out some of the occupational factors influencing obesity among nurses such as irregular sleep patterns, working in shifts, and lack of consistency in meals. In addition, nurses do not get sufficient leisure period during which they can engage in physical activities. Therefore, devising profound interventions to address the challenge is required which will promote the nurses’ health and in turn enhance their quality of services.
Case Summary
Nurses’ obesity at local medical facilities has increased. A rise in morbidities related to the condition has also been reported. The condition can be explained by several factors including nurse shortage and poor working condition. Workforce shortage increases stress and length of working hours which result in poor lifestyle and eating practices (Kyle et al., 2016). Further, nurses’ shortage is characterized by nurses being called to work in case of an emergency. As espoused by Nam and Lee (2016), such working conditions interrupt the nurses’ sleep patterns which are related to overweight and obesity. The local medical facilities also lack physical exercises training facilities and equipment. The impact of this challenge is that nurses have poor work-life balance and lack a supportive environment to address the condition. The combination of these challenges is reflected in the rising prevalence of obesity among nurses which in turn causes mental health challenges, chronic conditions, poor quality of service delivery, and health morbidities.
Proposed Solution
Drawing from the PICOT question and literature review, the proposed solution considers the intervention and control factors in the PICOT. These include regulating occupational factors and introducing organizational based physical exercises training. One of the occupational factors is leisure time. The intervention is to engage nurses in physical exercises during their leisure period. Another aspect of the intervention is to educate healthcare facilities’ managers on the importance of a suitable working environment that factors in regular meal times, healthy foods among the nurses, and uninterrupted working schedule. To the nurses, awareness programs are also critical regarding the importance of a healthy lifestyle. It is also important to work on the organizational culture and policies to focus on healthy approaches. According to Monakali et al. (2018), crafting profound workplace policies that are tailored to the nurses’ healthy lifestyle significantly reduces abdominal obesity among these professionals. The effectiveness of these interventions is reflected in the quality of healthcare services and reduced health challenges among nurses.
Overweight and obesity among nurses remain a critical challenge globally. Obesity as a public health concern is related to various challenges including mental illnesses, morbidities, chronic conditions, and poor quality of service delivery. Drawing from the literature review, it is apparent that obesity among nurses can be described from occupational factors and limited physical activity. Notably, the occupational activities can be characterized by disrupted sleep, limited leisure time, and irregular meals that are also unhealthy. The intervention to address the challenge is a combination of various factors including suitable working environment, having regular meals, awareness programs to both the managers and nurses, and integrating physical exercises in the nurses’ schedule.