Assessing the Problem:Quality of Care, Patient Safety, and Cost Considerations

Assessing the Problem: Quality, Safety, and Cost Considerations
Student Full Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Full Title
Instructor Full Name
Due Date
Assessing the Problem: Quality, Safety, and Cost Considerations
I met with Mr. Jim Pebbles and conducted an interview with him with the aim of understanding the effects of mental health on the quality of care, patient safety, and costs to the system and to them as individuals. I spent 2 hours discussing with him these aspects of the problem and despite his initial reticence, I was able to glean much about the patient problem. On the whole, my discussion with the patient revealed that mental health had both positive and negative effects on the quality of care, patient safety, and costs to the system and to him as an individual. I learnt that the increasing prevalence of mental health issues had brought about a growing social awareness of the public health issue. Even with his current mental health struggles, the patient acknowledged that the clinicians who attended to him were compassionate and understanding. He believed that the stigma surrounding mental health illness was waning and even admitted that the growing awareness and acceptance of the condition had resulted in substantial progress in mental health services.
However, Mr. Pebbles observed that more effort should be made to improve community support services and peer support in terms of accessibility and public awareness. For instance, he admitted that after been diagnosed with neck cancer, he became anxious and depressed but was reluctant to seek help. His mental health deteriorated rapidly as feelings of hopelessness and alienation pushed him to act on his suicidal thoughts. He believed that his limited awareness of community support services that provide group and peer support to persons with mental health struggles may have led him to despairing and eventually trying to commit suicide. Moreover, the interview revealed that his mental health struggles posed a danger to his safety, particularly the risk of recurring suicidal ideations. Mr. Pebbles was still coming to terms with his diagnosis and the fact that he had limited social support often made him feel hopeless, isolated, and helpless. He was worried that his recurring feelings of not feeling connected with his son and how detrimentally powerful they were in terms of acting on his suicidal thoughts. Although the patient was trying to find more positive ways of dealing with his pain and sadness, he felt that his mental health challenges remained a risk to his safety.
The interview also revealed that mental health contributed to rising mental healthcare costs. Mr. Pebbles admitted that his mental health struggles resulted in greater healthcare spending, given his cancer diagnosis. The increased risk of depression and anxiety could result in worse health outcomes and further spending on expensive cancer interventions. Consequently, the true financial cost of mental health illnesses was reflected in added interventions for non-mental health conditions. On an individual level, Mr. Pebbles revealed that his mental health struggles had resulted in negative physical effects such as loss of appetite, abdominal pain, amnesia, fatigue, and headaches. T...