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24 Chapter 1 • Development of protective public health measures: influenza must be diagnosed rapidly and accurately, strict infection control methods must be implemented to limit the spread of the virus, first responders and health care personnel must be immunized so they will be able to care for infected individuals, and quarantine measures must be used if necessary to control the spread of the disease • International cooperation: countries must be willing to work with each other to create an international plan that will limit the spread of lethal viruses and decrease the severity of a pandemic Of growing concern are the drug-resistant bacteria, or superbugs. Infections such as MRSA (Methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus), VRE (Vancomycinresistant Enterococcus), CRA (Carbapenem-resistant E nterobacteriaceae), and MRAB (Multidrug-resistant A cinetobacter baumannii) are believed to be caused by decades of unnecessary antibiotic use. This overuse caused genetic mutations of bacteria and resistance to commonly used antibiotics. In the near future, much effort will be directed toward identifying and limiting the effect of any organism that could lead to a pandemic. Health care workers must stay informed and be prepared to deal with the consequences of a pandemic. Conclusion Although the preceding are just several of the many trends in health care, they do illustrate how health care has changed and how it will continue to change. Every health care worker must stay abreast of such changes and make every attempt to learn about them. STUDENT: Go to the workbook and complete the a ssignment sheet for Chapter 1, History and Trends of Health Care. CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY The history of health care shows that treating illness and disease has been an important part of every civilization. Even in ancient times, people were searching for ways to eliminate illness and disease. Some of the early plants and herbs that were used to treat disease are still in use today. Computers and modern technology have caused major changes in health care in the past century. Many more changes are expected in the future as scientists continue to study the human body and discover the causes of illness and disease. As health care continues to grow as an industry, changes and trends will occur. Issues of primary importance are cost containment to control the high cost of health care, home health care, care for the elderly, telemedicine, wellness to prevent disease, complementary and alternative methods (CAM) of health care, and pandemic preparation. INTERNET SEARCHES Use the suggested search engines in Chapter 12:4 in this text to search the Internet for additional information on the following topics: 1. History of health care: Research individual names or discoveries such as the polio vaccine to gain more i nsight into how major developments in health care occurred. 2. Trends in health care: Research topics such as home health care, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, telemedicine, holistic health care, cost containment, geriatric care, and wellness to obtain additional information on their present effect on health care. 3. Complementary/alternative methods of health care: Search the Internet for additional information on specific therapies such as acupuncture. Refer to Table 1-8 for a list of many different therapies. 4. Pandemics: Search the Internet to obtain information on at least four (4) pandemics. Compare and contrast the cause of each pandemic, the number of people infected, and the death rate.