Translational Research on Infant Mortality Rate

Introduction

Infant mortality refers to the total number of deaths for children below one year of age occurring per 1000 live births with a specific geographic region during a specific year. Infant mortality includes the time duration starting with the first breath of the infant up to the infant’s first birthday (Bairoliya & Fink, 2018). The infant mortality rate is an indicator of the health state in a given region or community because it indicates the overall health situation of a certain region or country (Rai et al, 2017). Therefore, this paper presents a translational intervention aimed to lower infant mortality rate within the USA, as a strategy to eliminate health disparities.

Population, Demographics and Health Concerns

The population target is the women of child-bearing age (15-49 years) in the US. This population is of interest because it is the reproductive age and hence has a direct relationship with infant mortality. In the U.S, the infant mortality rate in 2016 was 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births (Rai et al, 2017). In the U.S, most of the infant deaths are caused by pathological causes resulting from causes known at birth such as premature births, congenital abnormalities, low birth weight, as well as other pregnancy complications (Ahrens et al, 2017).  However, 5 percent of infant mortality within the U.S is as a result of external causes like assault or accidental injury (Ahrens et al, 2017). Infant mortality rate indicates the link between causes of infant mortality and other causes likely to affect a population’s health status.  Translational Research on Infant Mortality Rate Essay Paper

How Nursing Science, Health Determinants, and Epidemiologic, Genomic, and Genetic Data may Impact Population Health Management

Infant mortality is associated with several risk factors such as lack of prenatal care, social and economic factors, lack of employment, preterm births, congenital defects, ethnicity, and general lack of education on preventative lifestyle choices for women when they are pregnant (Rai et al, 2017). For example, social determinants of health such as economic status and unemployment impact infant mortality. For example, families with low income and without employment may not have resources to cater for the basic needs and also may not be able to access transportation to healthcare facilities, as well as for routine prenatal and postnatal appointments. (Kim & Saad (2014)) found out that using specialized healthcare resources improves health and also improves infants’ survival. Social and economic factors have a direct impact on health access as well as conditions of fetal developmental and thus these factors have an impact on infant mortality and morbidity. Education also plays a role in infant mortality. According to Rai et al (2017) mothers with high education use health facilities, adopt healthy lifestyles and use available resources to improve their health and infant’s health and hence may improve the infant’s health. Access to healthcare as a determinant of health also impacts infant mortality. For example, in the USA when Medicaid was expanded to cover pregnant women there was a significant decline in infant mortality. For genomic and genetic data, race and ethnicity have been shown to play a role in infant mortality. Data indicates that infant mortality is more than two times higher among non-Hispanic Blacks when compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Race and ethnicity have also been shown to impact infant mortality through racial residential segregation (Kim & Saad, 2014).

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Potential Solution and PICOT Statement

Outreach Interventions for Women of Childbearing Age

Outreach interventions are used to improve health status by identifying the population of interest and determining the health concerns and connecting the population with the appropriate resources for addressing health concerns (Kim & Saad, 2014). The population of interest, in this case, is “women in reproductive age”. Therefore, outreach interventions targeting this population should aim to provide information, support, as well as to improve healthcare access irrespective of socioeconomic status, ethnicity/race, and other social disparities; this is because such interventions have been shown to play a role in reducing infant mortality (Williams et al, 2016). For example, outreach programs can identify resources for women from lower socioeconomic status in order to ensure that such women are able to afford healthcare services. In addition, outreach programs can be conducted within the community and collaborate with other organizations to provide continuous education during pregnancy and patient monitoring. In addition, the outreach programs should integrate health promotion strategies aimed to promote healthy behaviors such as healthy diet and smoking cessation in women of childbearing age (Okhakhume, 2018). Translational Research on Infant Mortality Rate Essay Paper  

PICOT Statement

In infants aged 0-12 months (P) do outreach interventions (Intervention), compared to no intervention (Comparison) lower infant mortality rate (outcome) within the first year (Timeline).

How the Solution Incorporates Health Policies and Goals that Support Health Care Equity for the Population of Focus

The outreach interventions provide the appropriate strategies and enabling services to assist in overcoming obstacles related to healthcare. The outreach interventions aim to provide information, support, as well as to improve healthcare access irrespective of socioeconomic status, ethnicity/race, and other social disparities. For instance, ensuring accessibility to healthcare for all women of reproductive age, irrespective of their race or economic status can assist in reducing health disparities for the target population (Okhakhume, 2018). Improved access to healthcare can, for instance, be implemented by taking mobile clinics to the community to ensure all pregnant women with financial challenges attend prenatal and postnatal care clinics effectively. Outreach programs can also link women from low socioeconomic status with the appropriate organizations to offer support. Lastly, education as an outreach intervention informs the target population about healthy behaviors and lifestyle strategies to adapt and hence helps in supporting healthcare equity (Williams et al, 2016).

References

Ahrens K, Thoma M, Rossen L, Warner M & Simon A. (2017). A plurality of Birth and Infant Mortality Due to External Causes in the United States, 2000–2010. American Journal of Epidemiology. 185, (5), 335–344.

Bairoliya N &Fink G. (2018). Causes of death and infant mortality rates among full-term births in the UnitedStatesbetween2010and 2012: An observational study. PLoSMed. 15(3), e100253.

Rai S, Kant S, Rahul S, Gupta P, Misra P, Pandav C & Signh A. (2017). Causes of and contributors to infant mortality in a rural community of North India: evidence from the verbal and social autopsy. BMJ Open. 7(8), e012856.

Kim D & Saad A. (2014). The Social Determinants of Infant Mortality and Birth Outcomes in Western Developed Nations: A Cross-Country Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.  1(10), 2296-2335.

Okhakhume A. (2018). The Knowledge and Practices of Women of Child Bearing Age towards Safe Motherhood in Ekiti State. Journal of Current Medical Research and Opinion. 1(09), 47-65.

Williams J, Walker R & Egede L. (2016). Achieving Equity in an Evolving Healthcare System: Opportunities and Challenges. Am J Med Sci.  351(1): 33–43.

In this course, you will be complete a 2‐part assignment in which you conduct research about a population of focus, develop a PICOT statement, and write a Literature Review. The PICOT statement and Literature Review you write in this course can be used for your evidence‐based practice project in the next course so be sure to select an issue you want to continue working on in your next course.

PICOT (Population/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Time to achieve the outcome) is a method that helps clarify the qualities needed to create a good question out of a practice issue or problem affecting the population of focus. Additionally, the information derived from a good PICOT makes it easier to perform a literature search to find translational research sources that can be used to address the clinical problem.  Translational Research on Infant Mortality Rate Essay Paper

Use a national, state or local population health care database to research indicators of disparity. Choose a mortality/morbidity indicator to identify a clinical problem or issue that you want to explore pertaining to a population of focus. Use this indicator to begin to formulate a PICOT and conduct research on the population.

Write a 750‐word paper that analyzes your research and focuses on the population you have chosen. Describe the population’s demographics and health concerns, and explain how nursing science, health determinants, and epidemiologic, genomic, and genetic data may impact population health management for the selected population. Provide an overview of a potential solution for solving the health issue related to your population and the intended PICOT statement. Describe how the solution incorporates health policies and goals that support health care equity for the population of focus.

You are required to cite three to five sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and nursing content.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.  Translational Research on Infant Mortality Rate Essay Paper