Public health issue for final paper

In our final assignment for Intro to Public Health, we were instructed to take a deep look at a public health problem of our choice. In class we learned about defining a problem and it is very important that the topic is narrow. After a lot of thought, I have decided to address the issue of the spread of disease within hospitals. Many people who are hospitalized have compromised immune systems, and are consequently more susceptible to picking up a disease. Even though there are many unavoidable cases that contribute to this issue, such as patient to patient transmission, there are other incidences that can be prevented. For instance, doctors who have neglected to get vaccinated for the influenza virus can spread it to their patients. The influenza virus can already be deadly, but if contracted by a patient who already has a suppressed immune system, their chances for survival could be much lower. This is truly an important topic because it can save lives. People go into hospitals to seek care and be treated, not to be exposed to preventable illnesses.

To more clearly define my problem, I plan to study patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and if that is still too broad, I would focus on a specific hospital: Johns Hopkins. This topic is interesting and relevant to me because Johns Hopkins is the top hospital and affiliated with the university I attend. I find it interesting that there are certainly measures that can be taken in hospitals to prevent transmission of disease, but in many cases they aren't. For instance, in November of 2009, the American Medical Association House of Delegates voted to reject the proposal for mandatory influenza vaccines for health care professionals.