Creating an Extensive Awareness About the Effects of Syphilis

Capstone Project Change Proposal
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Capstone Project Change Proposal
Background
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a severe health risk plaguing the United States healthcare system. STDs are linked with morbidity and mortalities that are ever-surging. Syphilis is identified as one of the STDs with severe effects, primarily on pregnant women. According to Bach and Heavey (2021), up to 2 in 5 babies are born by women suffering from untreated syphilis. This condition affects infants that, in some cases, lead to death. The disease is spread via sexual contact, with mucus or fluids being the leading transportation agent from one person to another. Noteworthy, Mayo Clinic (n.d.) affirms that syphilis can be spread via having close contact with an individual infected with HIV bacterium, engaging in sex with multiple partners, and engaging in sexual sex activities with other men. Syphilis is manageable. Often treatment is prescribed depending on the level and stage of the disease (CDC, n.d). The common intervention method includes the prescription of drugs. Three main objectives guide this change proposal: creating extensive awareness about the effects of syphilis, administering counseling and proper medication to syphilis patients, and nurses informing the public on ways syphilis is spread and best approaches of mediating the spread.
Clinical Problem Statement
Syphilis is associated with severe impacts among pregnant women. In this vein, it is prudent for pregnant women to undergo screening of syphilis during their initial stages of pregnancy to guarantee the health safety of the fetus and theirs in general (Curry et al., 2018). Syphilis cases among pregnant women in the United States have been rising exponentially. This worrying trend has compelled responsible stakeholders, including local and state health departments, to ensure existing modalities guarantee that pregnant women are screened on time. Literature concedes that early syphilis screening among pregnant women is associated with lower prevalence rates of congenital syphilis and undesirable outcomes linked to maternal infection, such as the death of an infant (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). The bottom line is that syphilis is linked to severe effects among pregnant women, but the disease is manageable if the right initiatives are taken seriously.
Purpose of the Change Proposal
Syphilis, if unattended, leads pregnant women and their unborn children to suffer. This suffering transcends pregnant women because it leads to emotional suffering to family members and the community. In this light, the problem in question must be addressed in its entirety. Three objectives guide the change proposal. The first objective is to create an extensive awareness about the effects of syphilis. This objective demands nurses to offer adequate information about the illness to different ethnic groups, young people, and genders in the quest of ensuring the whole society is safe. The second objective is ensuring that the affected women are offered counseling and proper medication. Besides providing adequate medicines, it will be prudent to scrap the stigma linked with syphilis infection. This move will encourage p...