StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Smoking as a Health Issue: The Role of Nurses - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
1.0 Health is "the state of being free from illness or injury; a person's mental or physical condition" (Oxford English Dictionary, 2002). Smoking is therefore seen as a health issue, because smoking often leads to illness and affects a person's mental and/or physical condition…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.4% of users find it useful
Smoking as a Health Issue: The Role of Nurses
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Smoking as a Health Issue: The Role of Nurses"

Download file to see previous pages

Tobacco smoking is said to be a major cause of cancer. Roughly one third of all cancer deaths are reported to be attributed to smoking (Saving Lives, 5.10). Smoking also has adverse effects on the spinal column, in the form of spinal column degenerative disease, making them more susceptible to traumatic vertebral injury (Hadley, 1997). What makes smoking a health issue is not just the physical diseases that it may cause. Just the mere addiction to this habit makes it a health issue. Wilcox (2005) states that intermittent use of nicotine leads to physical and mental dependency.

1 What happens is that when nicotine enters the brain, it acts as an adrenaline stimulant for the body, resulting in the tobacco user experiencing symptoms such as increased perspiration, and restriction in blood level. This results in a feeling of well being and alertness. It also causes the tobacco user to feel pleasure and desire for more nicotine in his/her system. Controversially, although smoking often leads to ill health, there are reports that nicotine assists with memory deficits, particularly in patients with schizophrenia2 (Coleman).

Nicotine is found to be abused by people with such psychiatric disorders. Over 50% of psychiatric patients are said to smoke (Addictive Behaviours, 2001). Unfortunately, some of these deaths result from passive smoking.3 Hundreds of people are reported to have died from lung cancer or heart disease as a result of passive smoking (Smoking Kills, 1.17). Children are particularly vulnerable. The Royal College of Physicians estimates that over 17,000 children in the UK are hospitalized each year for lung illness brought on by their parents' smoking (Smoking Kills, 1.18).3.

0 Smoking Cessation3.1 Government's PolicyIt is for this reason the UK Government has instituted a number of actions with the aim of eliminating the risks associated with smoking. The Government has launched a national public education campaign on smoking. The campaign focuses mainly on ending tobacco advertising and sponsorship, as well as modernizing the National Health Service (Smoking Kills, 3.11). 3.2 Role of NursesJust as the impact of smoking is found to be holistic, it is understood that the action/treatment in bringing about smoking cessation also has to be holistic, and that it takes time; it is a process.

Due to the level of dependence that people have on tobacco, smoking cessation often results in feelings of depression, irritability, restlessness, hostility, weight gain, and difficulty dealing with stress (Wilcox, 2005). Realising this difficulty in smoking cessation, theorists have identified a process to help smokers overcome this problem stage by stage. The role of nurses is considered integral in this process.In a study by DiClemente and Prochaska (1991) of 872 subjects trying to quit smoking, five stages were found - pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.

This is known as the transtheoretical model, stages/cycle of change. Once in the contemplation stage, people were

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Smoking as a Health Issue: The Role of Nurses Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1528043-smoking-as-a-health-issue-the-role-of-nurses
(Smoking As a Health Issue: The Role of Nurses Essay)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1528043-smoking-as-a-health-issue-the-role-of-nurses.
“Smoking As a Health Issue: The Role of Nurses Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1528043-smoking-as-a-health-issue-the-role-of-nurses.
  • Cited: 1 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Smoking as a Health Issue: The Role of Nurses

The Role of the Registered Nurse (RN) in Maternity Nursing

Hence, the role of a Registered Nurse is pivotal in providing the best possible standard of care to patients and their families during the antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and neonatal stages of this normal and healthy life event.... role of RN in Maternity Nursing Student's First name, Middle initial and Last name Name of University Prof.... First and Last name of lecturer March 13, 2012 role of Registered Nurse in Maternity Nursing Registered Nurses (RN) have a pivotal role in Maternity Nursing – a specialized field which focuses on providing care for women and their families during the antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and neonatal stages of this normal and healthy life event....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Industrial Action by the Australian Nurses Federation (ANF): Challenges and Gains

The issues under controversy began in the 1990's as a result of the healthcare policies under the Kennett administration which resulted to high departure of nurses due to poor motivation (Budgen 2011.... The essay "Industrial Action by the Australian nurses Federation (ANF): Challenges and Gains" describes that the nurse to patient ratio is beneficial to various nursing cadres who do no trust the government for protection against pressure from increased workload....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Challenges in Developing Ethical Practice in Healthare

As the health care society evolves, a set of governing rules has been implemented today to aid nurses and individuals alike in order to make judgment regarding ethical issues.... Given are some common scenarios that nurses encounter, and how it is being handled.... It is a universal code practiced by many nurses all over the world with a common goal in line with the “Nightingale Pledge,” which was first used in 1893.... ?? An ethical practice in the nursing field includes basic ethical obligations, which nurses are presumed to follow....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Breaking Bad News to Patients

a health care professional always thinks of a way on how to break bad news to patients.... In other words, the society and its communication to these people play a large part in health care services.... Medical professionals try to give this information in a lighter stance, but that does not really happen in life....
14 Pages (3500 words) Essay

Differences between Nursing and Medicine

It is important to the profession of nursing in order to help nurses to understand what their role is, and what is expected of them by the society.... It will also assist nurses in understanding the disconnection between them and medical doctors.... For example the sciences of medicine and nursing are related in many ways especially since they are concerned with human health....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Code of Ethics for Nurses

This essay "Code of Ethics for nurses" discusses the first eight provisions of the American nurses Associations Code of Ethics.... The American nurses Associations Code of Ethics lays down a set of principles that provides an ethical model for nurses to base their conduct on.... The analysis of the judgment made by nurses is referred to as nursing ethics (Fry & Veatch, 2006).... he first provision highlights the sanctity of human life and makes it binding on all nurses to show respect and empathy to his/her patients....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Role of Registered Nurse in Maternity Nursing

Hence, the role of a Registered Nurse is pivotal in providing the best possible standard of care to patients and their families during the antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and neonatal stages of this normal and healthy life event.... … The paper "The Vital role of Registered Nurse in Maternity Nursing" is a great example of an essay on nursing.... Registered nurses (RN) have a pivotal role in Maternity Nursing – a specialized field which focuses on providing care for women and their families during the antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and neonatal stages of this normal and healthy life event....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

The Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse in Promoting Smoking Cessation

The objectives of the proposed research study have been explicitly mentioned in detail in the following:To elaborate on the relevance of counseling by nurses on smoking cessationTo identify the role of nurses in teaching about smoking cessationTo integrate the notion of smoking cessation in regular nursing practicesResearch QuestionsThe research questions for the proposed study have been stated hereunder:What is the role of an advanced practice nurse in promoting smoking cessation?...
3 Pages (750 words) Research Proposal
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us