Answer for NURS 8310 Week 11 Practical Application of Epidemiological Interventions in Settings and Population

Epidemiological approaches are key in analyzing population health problems. Population health problems have been one of the factors that increase disparities in healthcare provision in the U.S. across all ages. Such problems adversely affect various people, leading to the need to develop more effective and robust interventions that can duly address them (Hossain et al., 2020). A notable success has been found in this regard through the use of research evidence. Therefore, the aim of this assignment is to develop a write-up detailing a selected problem, including the environment and a summary of the selected population health problem in terms of person, place, and time. Besides, this paper will further explore the research methods that can be used in assessing and addressing the population health problem, the intervention that can be implemented, the impact of the health outcome, and the evaluation plan based on the health outcome.

The Chosen Problem

The chosen population health problem of public concern is prescription drug overdose, specifically the opioid crisis. The drug overdose epidemic has claimed over 750,000 lives since 1999. The U.S. DHHS (2021) asserts that two out of three drug overdose death involve the use of an opioid. The problem began in the 1990s when pharmaceutical firms reassured the country that individuals would not be addicted to opioid pain killers leading to healthcare providers beginning to prescribe these drugs at higher rates (Nam et al., 2018). The rise in opioid prescription led to widespread misuse of the drugs and non-prescription ones. Studies would later reveal that opioids could be highly addictive (Nam et al., 2018). The Health and Human Services Department declared the issue a public health emergency. Recent figures show that over 70,000 people died from a drug overdose in 2019.

In the year 2019, over 70,000 deaths occurred due to drug overdose, with the rates increasing by over 4% from the previous year. As earlier indicated, opioid overdose leads to most deaths among mortalities caused by drug overdose, with up to 73% of opioid overdose deaths caused by synthetic opioids. Again up to 70% of the drug overdose deaths were attributed to opioid overdose. As of the year 2019, the mortality rates due to opioids were majorly among the White, non-Hispanic (72%) while Black non-Hispanic was 15%. It is also worth noting that opioid overdose and mortality rates due to opioid overdose have sharply risen in the U.S. in recent years (Monico et al., 2020)

The problem affects individuals who use pain killers as non-prescription drugs as a source of drug addiction. Experts opine that since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise in substance abuse and drug overdose. The restrictive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 led to increased boredom, which in turn increased the risk of substance abuse, including the use of opioids. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (2021) asserts that misuse of and addiction to opioids, heroin, and synthetic drugs like fentanyl is a critical national issue that impacts public health and social as well as economic welfare of the affected individuals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projects that the opioid crisis costs the country over $78 billion each year. These include the cost of healthcare, productivity losses, treatment for addiction, and involvement of individuals with the criminal justice system.

According to the American Medical Association (AMA) (2021), the drug-associated overdose and death epidemic is worsening despite efforts to address the prescription drug overdose problem. According to Healthy People 2020 (2021), substance abuse that entails the use of drugs, alcohol, or both leads to a host of destructive social aspects that increase health disparities. These include disruptions in families, financial difficulties, and lost productivity. The problem is significant because it causes failure in school, a surge in crime, domestic violence as well as child abuse.

The opioid crisis implies that more individuals become addicts leading to mental health challenges and the need for treatment interventions. These individuals also become more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and a rise in suicide and homicide cases (Liang &Shi, 2019). Efforts by the CDC (2021) through programs like “Prevention for States” focus on providing sufficient resources and support to states to advance interventions aimed at preventing overdose of prescription drugs. Overdose of these drugs causes deaths increases susceptibility to harm and injuries from a host of areas, including road safety issues.

Preliminary Research Hypothesis/Question

The preliminary research question based on the selected issue is “what is the efficacy of a psychosocial c