Write a paper (2,000-2,500 words) in which you apply the concepts of epidemiology and nursing research to a communicable disease. Refer to “Communicable Disease Chain,” “Chain of Infection,” and the CDC website for assistance completing this assignment.

Communicable Disease Selection

Choose one communicable disease from the following list:

1. Chickenpox
2. Tuberculosis
3. Influenza
4. Mononucleosis
5. Hepatitis B
6. HIV
7. Ebola
8. Measles
9. Polio
10. Influenza

Respond to this post with a positive response :

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.

Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.

Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.

Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.

Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.

Use  references

                                           Main Question Post:

                                      Using the Walden Library   

            During research for another assignment, I came across an interesting article about suicide and substance abuse in the Walden Library. I was looking for how substance abuse related to suicide if at all and was delighted with the search results. In this post, I will discuss a summary of the study, its strengths and limitations, and my search experience.              

            The study was conducted in Denmark using their national registration systems. The registers can track who has had psychiatric treatment for a mental health disorder as well as co-occurring disorders such as substance abuse. The purpose of the study was to determine links between substance use and completed suicides and attempted suicides. The study used the registry data to conclude that substance use increased the risk of completing suicide by triple (Ostergaard, Nordentoft, & Hjorthoj, 2017). Although this is valuable information, it has limitations. For example, the study outcome may apply in Denmark, but it is not representative of mental health populations outside of Denmark. A strength present in the study was the use of national registers that allowed the study conductors to follow individuals over an extended period versus a randomized controlled trial where time to study is often short.

            The use of the Walden Library has become more comfortable over time. Finding the study was relatively easy as I mentioned above that I was looking for how substance abuse and suicide relate. According to Walden University (n.d.), splitting your topic into keywords and avoiding phrases are vital strategies for searching for articles. I typed “substance abuse” and “suicide” into the search bar, and this study was number two on the list under the CINAHL Plus database. Using keywords is the best-kept secret to successful searching. Also, I like to take advantage of citations that are included in the library resources. Walden University (n.d.) suggests checking the citations from the library before using in your works as they do have errors. I have found errors when using the built-in citations, so this is excellent advice.

References

Ostergaard, M. L. D., Nordentoft, M., & Hjorthoj, C. (2017). Associations between substance use disorders and suicide or suicide attempts in people with mental illness: a Danish nation-wide, prospective, register-based study of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression or personality disorder. Addiction, 112(7), 1250–1259. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/add.13788

Walden University. (n.d.). Academic Guides: Foundations – Library Resources: Searching & Retrieving Materials in the Databases. Retrieved from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/foundationscoursedocs/SearchingRetrieving

Walden University. (n.d.). Academic Guides: Foundations – Library Resources: Identifying & Evaluating Online Resources. Retrieved from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/foundationscoursedocs/IdentifyingEvaluating