Study question/ objective
Gonorrhea is a contagious disease that is often transmitted from one individual to the other one through sexual contact. It is one of the commonest sexually transmitted infections that affect young individuals of between ages 15 years to 24 years since the majority of them do not understand how well to take care of themselves (Kidd & Workowski, 2015). As such, it is vital that a program be developed with the intentions of ensuring that this portion of the populace can receive the utmost care which will satisfactorily address this problem. The purpose of this program, therefore, will be to develop a guideline that will provide the essential teaching regarding the causes, symptoms and the interventions that can be taken to avert the severity of the condition.
Literature review
This is one of the commonest STDS in the United States with statistics indicating that over 700,000 cases of the disease are reported every year. In the year 2012, the CDC reported about 334,826 cases of gonorrhea, a factor which shows that there is the need for the condition to be properly managed (CDC, 2014). In the same year, the rates of the disease decreased in this category of individuals. Gonorrhea rates amongst men were higher in 2013 than in men with statistics pointing at 109.5 cases for men against 102.4 cases for women in a population of 100,000. The same year saw an increase of the rates amongst adolescents and young adults. Higher rates were reported in adolescents between ages 15 to 19 with the cases standing at 459.2 cases for every 100,000 persons. In women between ages 20 to 24, the infection rates stood at 541.6 cases in every 100,000 persons. To this effect, adolescents in this age group accounted for 93.6% of all gonorrhea cases in the country. There are concerns regarding the proper management of the disease since the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria has developed resistance against most of the available antibiotics (CDC, 2014). The current medicines that can address the condition are ceftriaxone and doxycycline. From the preceding, therefore, there is the need for having in place a sound educational plan that will address the needs of these patients.
Theoretical framework
The causative agent of the condition is a bacterium which is referred as Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The disease is mainly spread through vaginal, oral or anal sex whereby it can be passed through the mucous membranes of an infected person. The condition may also affect the eyes of adults if the infected discharges come into contact with them. A mother can also pass the infection to their newborn child via an infected birth canal (Kidd & Workowski, 2015). The condition usually takes some time before the symptoms become evident with the range being between 10 to 30 days. Symptoms may include whitish or yellowish discharges from the vagina and penis, conjunctivitis, spotting after having sex, burning sensation during urination, burning in the throat due to oral sex, bleeding between periods in women and lower back pains. The proper management of this condition will be dependent on the Pender model of health promotion which puts much focus on the adolescents’ past experiences, personal behaviors, and the interpersonal behaviors. There is the need for the teens to be asked whether they have taken prior steps in trying to learn about the management of the condition. Secondly, the educational program will be to show the youth the benefits they will derive from the program and any barriers that may impede them from realizing this objective (Current Nursing, 2012). The barriers will then be addressed using the self-efficacy methodology where they will choose the most appropriate teaching plan that most suits them. Finally, in line with the interpersonal experiences that these youth may be faced with, it is important that the education plan includes the aspect social support in the form of a role model who the youth look up to. Such a factor is aimed at ensuring the success of the program. Situational influences may also play a role in making sure that these adolescents benefit from the health promotion program. As such, the most appropriate place where this program can be rolled out is mainly in schools and colleges. The commitment these youths have towards the action plan will determine the success of the program (Current Nursing, 2012). Such a commitment is necessary in achieving the objectives of the gonorrhea reduction educational program.
Standards of practice
The condition is diagnosed by culture followed by DNA probe and ligand chain reaction. The use of DNA is useful for the detection of gonorrhea specimens. All areas likely to harbor the bacteria like the cervix, urethra, pharynx and rectum are supposed to be cultured. The correct management of the condition is through the use of the required antibiotics. These drugs act by only stopping the infection but not undoing any permanent damages that may have come from the effects of the disease (Kidd & Workowski, 2015). The recommended drugs for treating this condition include ceftriaxone, cefoxitin, clindamycin, and ceftizoxime
Teaching plan
The affected individuals should ensure that they take the full dosage of the prescribed drugs. In the case of women, there is the need for frequent Pap smear tests to check for any possibilities of ovarian cancer. It is also important to have discussions concerning the disease with the affected adolescents to prevent any chances of low esteem cases. They should be taught the importance of using condoms when having intercourse if at all abstaining may not be an option. They should also be discouraged from having multiple sex partners as it increases their risk of contracting the condition.
Instructional strategies
The strategies that will be used to address this condition satisfactorily are through community awareness seminars and workshops. Such workshops are essential since a good number of the adolescents can be reached. Additionally, these youth can also be incorporated into the program through demonstrations on how well to use condoms. The instructional materials that can be utilized include; pamphlets, brochures, posters, power point presentations and academic materials containing information concerning the proper management of the condition.
Evaluation
The evaluation process will be done based on the number of adolescents that have gone for screenings and Pap smear tests. Data from local hospitals regarding the number of treated youths will also be used as a baseline for determining the success of the program. Furthermore, follow-up testing will serve as an important step in determining the number of adolescents that have made steps in knowing the progress of their medication. Survey tools like questionnaires will be helpful in gathering valuable information concerning the efforts that these youth would have put in place to ensure the success of the program.
References
CDC. (2014). 2013 STD Surveillance Gonorrhea | CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats13/gonorrhea.htm
Current Nursing. (2012). Health Promotion Model. Retrieved from http://nursingplanet.com/health_promotion_model.html
Kidd, S., & Workowski, K. A. (2015). Management of Gonorrhea in Adolescents and Adults in the United States. Clinical Infectious Diseases,61(suppl 8), S785-S801.
