DISEASE PAPER REQUIREMENTS for BIO24
Each student will write an original paper on one disease. The topic must be approved by the instructor. The student will submit the paper to the assignment drop box for grading. It must be a Word document file and may not have been used in any other class. Papers may be checked for plagiarism.
You must describe how to pick your assigned disease out, uniquely, from all other diseases (to diagnosis it). The Respiratory Care Practitioner’s (RCP) involvement in how the disease is treated is very important! These are the two items with the greatest influence on the final score. Every paper must include all of the following headings in the order shown, and without exception. All 18 headings must be included & addressed in the material). The headings should stand out from the rest of the text so I can easily find them. Example: The headings are a different color or are the only things that are bolded and underlined. [Each item is 1 point unless it says otherwise. 32 points total]. Headings must occur in the order shown and may not be combined. Abstracts are not needed and won’t be graded.
- Name of the disease & alternative names
- History (2 points) A brief summary which may include how it was discovered or any interesting historical facts. This is a great item for presentations.
- Etiology (the cause of the disease)
- Prevalence (number of cases in the population. How often does it occur?)
- Risk factors (things that predispose the patient to getting the disease)
- Prevention (how can the disease be prevented?)
- Pathophysiology (2 points) (structural & functional changes within the body, caused by the disease)
- Diagnosis (5 points) (tests and/or procedures that uniquely separate this disease from any other disease!) [detail is important here]
- Signs and Symptoms (this is graded as a part of diagnosis, but is still a separate heading). This is an important component of diagnosis. Separate them. Do not list signs and symptoms in a single list.
- Appearance on x-ray or any other form of imaging, when applicable. (this is graded as a part of diagnosis, but is still a separate heading)
- Treatment (5 points) (drugs, procedures, and therapies. What is the role of the RT?) [detail is important here] When there is an applicable AARC Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG), you will be expected to address, or at least list, the indications, contraindications and hazards/complications of the CPG. Certain diseases may relate to more than one CPG. The Clinical Practice Guidelines can be found as follows; Go to AARC.ORG, then click on Resources, then click on Clinical Practice Guidelines, then there is a bar that says “Click here to go to the Clinical Practice Guidelines website”. I want you to pick one applicable Clinical Practice Guideline for your paper and cite it as a reference. You can pick more than one, but you only need one for this paper. The Clinical Practice Guidelines center on procedures/treatments that we perform to treat many different diseases.
- Prognosis (expected course of the disease & the chance of recovery)
- Infection control issues (is this disease contagious? If so, how are caregivers protected and by using what equipment? Does the patient need protection from us?)
- Pulmonary Function changes caused by the disease (FVC, FEV1, PEF, DLCO, TLC, etc.), including whether the disease is obstructive, restrictive or a mixture.
- Home care equipment. What would the patient need at home if they went home with the disease?
- Pulmonary rehabilitation activities, when applicable. What long term therapy would help the patient recover or improve their ability to deal with their Activities of Daily Living (ADL) if they were at home?
- Support groups/organizations/resources for the patient to deal with the disease. What professionals or groups would be needed to enable the patient to go home successfully?
- References (5 points) You need at least four references. One must be from a book that we can access on campus. One must come from the LIRN database. See the LIRN database assignment. There should be at least one Clinical Practice Guideline from the AARC. The fourth reference should come from the internet. APA format is required throughout. The Learning Resource Center/Library can help you with APA format.)
All of the underlined headings above MUST be present or the paper will lose 10%. If something is not applicable, then simply say so.
Only Word documents may be submitted. Word Perfect and Adobe PDF files will not be accepted. The paper must be submitted to the drop box. I cannot grade emails or documents other than Word files.
Feel free to ask questions about anything! I want you to succeed! The ability to gather information for your patients is crucial! I am happy to help you get there! You do not have a lot of time, so do not procrastinate!