Cashless Economy: Positive and Negative Impacts of Demonetization on SMES

A cashless economy: Demonetization as experienced by SMES

Demonetization and cashless economy are often put together, with the former used to mean a general reduction in physical legal tender. The original concept of demonetization, however, entails the eradication of particular denominations, usually the larger denominations, with an aim of curbing crime and fraud among other reasons.

Reasons for Demonetization

  1. Curbing crime – high denomination legal tender is known to be a delight for criminal merchants such as drug dealers and perpetrators of corruption, as it eases the storage of this money in its physical form, evading the need to deposit these monies at the bank, a move that would jeopardize criminal transactions.
  2. Mitigating hyper-inflation – the aim may be to generally reduce the money in a country’s circulation. Higher currencies, therefore, are the most impactful to cut a currency and thus the demonetization policy will begin by limiting high legal tender.
  3. Introduction of a new currency – demonetization may also be used not just to reduce the presence of a particular currency but also to totally replace it with a new currency. This happened across the entire of Europe in 2002, when the European Union was implementing the introduction of the Euro as the currency standard for member countries and ultimately the entire continent. 

Demonetization eventually breeds a cashless society through the following ways:

How Demonetization Leads to a Cashless Economy

  • The only way to possess high denominations would be through electronic methods. People will then resolve to having electronic cash and digital wallets to deal with this change.
  • Small denominations become cumbersome to carry around. The government may cut the supply of high denominations, but this does not in any way increase the value of the currency in question. Cashless methods like plastic money and digital currency become the ultimate solution to cumbersome denominations.
  • To have assurances for security, people will reduce physical currency in possession and store the currency in banks, carrying them around in a non-physical form. Demonetization is a dread for consumers holding old currency. They will therefore opt to just transfer physical cash into banks and digital wallets and spare themselves the mayhem associated with currency replacement.

Demonetization has its own pros and cons, not only to businesses but the entire economy of consumers. Let’s look at them below.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Demonetization and a Cashless System

Advantages

  1. Reduced money handling – physical money is cumbersome, and people will find it inconveniencing to carry loads of cash around, while they could just deposit it and much more in their card or digital wallet. During the COVID-19 pandemic, demonetisation was a critical initiative of preventing the spreading of CoronaVirus. Demonetization is not only secure but highly hygienic and infection-safe.
  2. Highly secure – physical money attracts all forms of insecurity: robbery, fraud, and unknowingly losing the money. Banks and issuers of electronic money have developed stringent measures for monetary security, such as configuration of digital wallets with biometric security.
  3. A delight for tax and surveillance agencies – the point of introducing digital money has always been to enhance transparency. The cashless system has been a hallmark to traceability of transactions by relevant authorities. This factor has sparked a debate on the level of surveillance accorded by banks and digital wallets to government and financial authorities. Through digital tracing, financial systems have been able to automatically levy tax and other fees directly from digital wallets and electronic transactions.
  4. Cashlessness facilitates unlimited transactions – cashless transactions have defied all geographical boundaries, unlike physical cash. Swift transactions have been made possible between far apart points across the world. Someone in Kuwait can now order and pay for Nike Merchandise in the United States, far away from the Middle East. Cashlessness has unequivocally been referred to as the future of money, due to the monumental role it has played in globalisation efforts..

Disadvantages

  1. Cyber Insecurities – cyber crimes have been the nightmare of electronic banking and digital transactions. Through sinister attempts on one’s cyber security, fraudsters may catastrophically syphon a person’s lifetime savings in a heartbeat.  This is done through hacking, email phishing, and infringement of one’s data privacy.
  2. A chaotic transition – demonetization may be a favourable fiscal policy with a bright future for the globe. However, the annihilation of a denomination or the replacement of one currency entirely would spur a frenzy throughout banking halls. Not everyone would be privy to such a process taking place, and many will be left out with illegal tenders. 
  3. Too much surveillance – rogue institutions may invade so much the privacy of consumers, infringing basic rights to a private transaction. Moreover, surveillance is not every consumer’s cup of tea, and some users will be exposed to taxes, fees, and fines that they would have otherwise dodged in an otherwise physical monetary system.

Demonetization, Cashless Transactions, Impact on SMEs

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) may not be the carrier of any economy, but their impact on the greater population is cast in stone. WorldBank puts it that SMEs comprise 90% of businesses worldwide, 40% of global GDP, and employ up to 50% of the labour force globally. This has been made possible by the remoteness of these businesses, covering all areas from the cities to rural zones. 

1. SME traders may lag in technological advancements associated with cashless transactions.

Traders in the city may always jump into new technologies immediately they prop up, but others in remote places may suffer from huge technological gaps. As a result, they may not be able to transact with everyone else in the purchase of supplies, sale of goods, and any other transactions.

2. SMEs are subjected to unnecessary surveillance.

Government laws and regulation, though legally significant, may curtail the development of Small and Medium-Sized enterprises. Punitive taxations, license fees, and non-compliant fines may threaten the establishment of enterprises which constitute the backbone of the global economy.

3. Digital transactions are expensive, and so is receiving them.

Digital wallets reap from imposing transaction fees during every transaction. This would not be the same if the transaction was physical, as cash-to-cash transactions are free. These charges are unnecessary and non value-adding to business ventures.

4. Demonetization is a hectic and costly process for SMEs.

Demonetization reduces the amount of money in circulation, and trade volumes would sharply plummet, due to the reduced supply of money.

On the brighter side, demonetization boosts trade, as long as merchants in the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises comprehend the know-how of plastic money, digital wallets, and cashless transactions. Globalization, a child of the cashless economy, has opened unlimited pathways for SMEs. Trade is now taking place across thousands of miles between different parts of the world. In the end, just like with other technologies, there usually is no going back. As an SME trader, therefore, you can only reform and adopt the new technologies, or be subdued and lag behind forever.

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Deflation: Causes, Advantages and Disadvantages

Deflation happens in economics when money in circulation is greatly reduced.

A lot is said of the dire effects of inflation on price commodities etcetera, but little is said on the commensurate irreversible consequences of a sharp plummet in the price of these commodities. First of all, deflation is an indicator of economic failure, and is historically associated with economic catastrophes such as the Great Depression of 1930’s and the 2008 Financial Crisis. But first let’s define deflation.

Deflation Definition

An antithesis of inflation, deflation is a gradual fall in the price of basic commodities across the economy. Deflation and inflation are indicated by the value of consumer price index (CPI), calculated as the average change in price of commodity baskets. A fall in price of one commodity may be due to a specific factor like demand/supply, government intervention, or international trade theatrics. However, deflation is when prices fall across different sectors in the entire economy, as a result of factors such as monetary policy and low confidence in the economy.

Causes of Deflation

These include monetary policies to cut money circulation, an unfavorable course of the economy, or increased production.

1. Monetary Policies

These are government directives implemented by the central bank to reduce the amount of money in circulation. These policies include quantitative easing upon a looming crisis whereby the central bank sells government securities to repossess money, increased interest rates on bank loans, and a tighter regulation in the cash reserve requirements held by banks, as required by the central bank. Reduced government spending, though a fiscal policy, may also result in deflation as it cuts the amount of money in circulation. When monetary supplies are lower, the demand of goods and services suffers the same fate. Money is the only way people pay for goods and services, and its supply is directly proportional to demand and the price of commodities.

2. Pessimism and Panic

This one is associated with financial disasters, whereby the public lacks confidence in the trajectory of the economy, holding back their spending and saving more. Deflation is a direct course of demand, and when people do not wish to spend, the prices will dramatically fall. A point in case is during the Stock Market Crash of 2008. Employees were losing their jobs in droves and on a daily basis, spreading financial panic across the population. Seeing that, even the employed held back their spending to save and shield themselves from the effects of a possible retrenchment. 

During the crisis too, people stopped borrowing from banks, fearing that they could fail to repay the loans due to the prevailing financial shocks. Also, customers withdrew deposits from banks in fear of the banks’ collapse. This cut the liquidity of these banks, draining the money in circulation. Lack of confidence in the economy is mostly unsubstantiated, and only based on anticipatory prospects. Sometimes the expected doom fails to come, and deflation happens for no good reason, just imaginations and hot air.

Increased Production

Positive events too can cause deflation. Increased production aggravates market supplies, leading to a fall in price of goods sold. These are just demand/supply dynamics which change so often and may not have lasting impacts on the economy. However, when the deflation transforms into a spiral one, whereby people hold back spending anticipating for further fall in prices, the deflation may never end. This happened with Japan in the 1990’s, whereby a mild fall in demand translated to a case of permanent deflation which has not been resolved to date. 

Increased production is always as a result of technology, or natural phenomenon such as rain. Technology increases productivity and reduces the cost of production, reducing the overall cost of goods at the market. In context, the cost of computer services has fell constantly over time, due to the advances in the technology. Phenomenon like rain have always reduced the price of agricultural commodities after a bumper harvest. This, moreover, can significantly lead to overall deflation in economies that are heavily reliant on agriculture.

Now let’s look at the impact deflation has on the economy.

Effects of Deflation

The effects of deflation are both positive and negative; prices of goods fall but unemployment is warranted in the same breath.

  1. Discourages Spending (Spiral Deflation)

Deflation gives consumers even more hope to keep their money and wait for further fall in price of goods. In this case, the economy stagnates wildly as there is no production and at the same time there is no demand for commodities. Spiral deflation is a dangerous course of the economy due to this false hope. 

  1. Increases Unemployment

Deflation is not a delight for producers. The demand of goods will result in low production, reducing the demand for labor in return. The low profit margins will force producers to lay off part of their staff in order to remain afloat. In real sense, therefore, consumers are advised to consume more during deflation so as to protect their jobs otherwise they’ll lose them.

  1. Increased Cost of Debt

Deflation has huge implications on the real interest rate or in other terms the value for money in the future. Consistent deflation means the value of money today is less than tomorrow, the day after and so on. In literal terms, the amount of goods buyable tomorrow by a set amount of money is more than the goods buyable today by the same money. Therefore, saving is prioritized while debt is more expensive as you’ll pay more tomorrow than today.

  1. Boosted Currency Strength

Deflation is an implication of lower monetary supply, and thus a reduced demand for the dominion’s currency. This is because of an increase in the purchasing power of a currency within the country. However, deflation is not a stand-alone factor in exchange rates, as there are more impactful causes like foreign trade and currency demand.

Combating Deflation

At the end of the day deflation is bad news for the economy. The recommended economic condition is a 1-3% inflation rate per annum. This is the ideal condition as it creates jobs, and keeps the economy moving. While governments actively seek to reduce unemployment, the real antagonist under confrontation is deflation. That is why governments are on the constant spending spree, implementing subsidies and other monetary and fiscal policies to pump money in to the economy.

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Balance of Trade: Definition, Formula, and Types

balance of trade

Balance of Trade has been widely used as a variable when calculating the economic status of a country. However, this variable is still contentious due to the unclear comparisons of the implications of the different balance of trade forms.

Definition

Balance of trade is easily defined as the status of a country’s trade value with other countries. It is defined as the comparison between a country’s exports and imports. When the country’s exports are more than its imports, that BOT is considered positive. Negative BOT is when the country’s imports are more than its exports. As per this variable, a country that has a positive balance of trade is considered economically sound, while a negative balance of trade implies a struggling economy. Balance of trade is also called net exports, meaning exports minus imports.

Balance of Trade Formula

Balance of trade is calculated by subtracting a country’s total imports from its exports as shown in the formula below:

Balance of Trade (Net Exports) = Total Exports – Total Imports

Balance of Trade (BOT) Vs Balance of Payments (BOP)

Balance of Trade is one of the variables under the greater Balance of Payments umbrella. BOP measures the net payments a country makes in other countries in the three forms: Current, Capital, and Financial Accounts.

  • Current Account encompasses now the balance of trade, that is the cash inflows from goods exported versus the cash outflows for the goods imported. 
  • Capital Account includes all the asset inflows balanced with the outflows as a result of the possession, sale, and transfer of assets in and out of the country. Fixed assets such as land, mines, and buildings are literally not transferable from one country to another. However, the ownership to these assets may change severally, and these transfers are what’s used to calculate BOP’s capital account. This means that a country with more ownership of assets overseas has a positive capital account and hence favorable balance of payment. Capital account does not include financial assets as they are the basis of the financial balance of payment account.
  • Financial Account is the balancing of the transfer of financial assets in and out of the country. Financial assets, unlike fixed assets, are transferrable in the literal form, transfers which make up BOP financial account. The financial account includes all forms of financial assets and government securities transferred from one country to another.

Balance of payment is a major element of a country’s Gross Domestic Product mainly due to its composite form.

Types of Balance of Trade

There are three forms of BOT as per the above formula. A country can either have a positive BOT, negative one, or the exports equals imports. Therefore, the three types of balance of trade are Favorable, Unfavorable, and Equilibrium BOT.

1. Favorable Balance of Trade

A favorable balance of trade is the goal of every economy. Favorable BOT can generally imply that a country’s exports are higher than imports, and thus there is more money coming in than going out. In more detailed macroeconomic terms, favorable BOT may have the following implications:

Implications of Favorable BOT

  • The country has a trade surplus, as it’s exporting more and importing less
  • More foreign cash flows into the country
  • The country is saving more than it is spending
  • High productivity in the country
  • Less consumption in the country
  • The country’s government is spending more
  • The country has less investments in foreign countries

Favorable balance of trade may also be as a result of low-productivity in the country, as raw materials exported to other countries are also counted as exports. Favorable balance of trade has impacts across many aspects of the economy, such as employment, productivity, economic growth, foreign exchange rates, and the country’s budget size. The impacts, interestingly, are both positive and negative.

Impacts of Favorable BOT

  • Increased employment, as the country is producing more goods and services for export. 
  • High inflation, as the country has more money supply from cash inflows.
  • High commodity prices. Exports have an unfavorable implication on consumers, in that there is less price competition in the country and more demand for goods produced.
  • A stronger currency. Exchange rates fluctuate according to currency demands. More exports create demand for the country’s currency, as importers will have to use the currency to pay for the goods sold.
  • A bigger budget. To sustain the demand for its currencies and high productivity, the country may make more government spending.
  • A greater GDP due to high productivity experienced in the country, and positive foreign exchange.

The other type of balance of trade is unfavorable BOT, which is the exact opposite of favorable BOT in all its good and bad dimensions.

2. Unfavorable BOT

Every country works to avoid this economic status, even though some power houses like the US and Hong Kong have hugely unfavorable balance of trade. From the BOT formula, unfavorable balance of trade is negative net exports, meaning the country is importing more and exporting less. 

Implications of Unfavorable BOT

  • The country has a trade deficit, as the amounts of imports is more than exports
  • More consumption
  • The country is producing less
  • More investments made in foreign countries by the country
  • Less foreign investments into the country
  • The country is spending more and saving/investing less

These implications turn out to be negative, but that is not the case with the effects of a negative balance of trade. BOT is multi-dimensional and should be interpreted in all these dimensions.

Impacts of Unfavorable BOT

  • The country lurks in high unemployment conditions as production is low within
  • The country’s currency is set to depreciate in value due to reduced demand
  • Commodity prices will drop due to the price competition rendered by high amounts of goods imported in to the country
  • Higher living standards in the country due to high spending on the goods imported.
  • Lower inflation rates will be experienced over time, as the country will be flowing more cash in the outside compared to the money pumped in by foreign trade.
  • A tighter budget, as the country will want to spend less in order to appreciate the country’s currency.

When the pendulum settles in neither the favorable nor unfavorable balance of trade, it means there is a balance of trade.

3. Equilibrium Balance of Trade

This is the ideal situation for international trade. In as much as economies seek to increase net exchange, equilibrium balance of trade is what’s sought by international trading arrangements; to import as much as you export, and build each other in the trading arrangement. The implications of equilibrium BOT are a balance of foreign exchange, and the impacts are neither positive nor negative.

Balance of Trade sells good in politics, but as we see, it has its pros and cons. A country’s populi may rejoice in high trade surpluses, not knowing its implications on consumer prices and the living standards.

The bottom line: Balance of Trade is not a stand-alone measurement of economic health, and relies on other variables in the Balance of Payments umbrella.

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Monetary Policy: Simple Explanation in 3 Easy Steps

Monetary policy is key to control prices and employment

What is Monetary Policy?

Monetary policy is explained as the management of a country’s economy by controlling the amount of money in circulation. Economic conditions rely so much on this control. Inflation is a state of unmanageably high levels of monetary circulations, caused by among other things, low-interest borrowing. On the other hand, high unemployment can be managed by increasing monetary supplies, creating jobs as a result. 

Monetary Policy vs Fiscal Policy

These two are both instruments of macroeconomic control, with their competitive effectiveness a constant debate. Fiscal policy controls monetary supplies only indirectly, but does so well in regulating employment and price levels. In most jurisdictions, monetary policy is the mandate of the dominion’s central bank. In the US it’s the Federal Reserve Bank (the Fed), while in the UK it’s the Bank of England. Fiscal policy on the other hand, is controlled by the government of the day, through legislative processes provided for by the country’s law. The Congress oversees the fiscal policy in the US, which is ultimately approved by the executive. 

The two most common fiscal policy tools are taxation and regulation of government spending. In times of crisis, the government has been a premium savior of the day. During financial breakdowns, the government bails out banks and other institutions so as to protect depositors and investment bankers. 

Aims of Monetary Policy

These ones differ from place to place, but the most common goals of monetary policy and central banks at large are to control interest rates, moderate prices and achieve maximum employment rates. These are the goals of the US’ Federal Reserve Bank.

  • Controlling interest rates is a directive meant to curb inflation, and the same time keep the economy growing. While the Fed has in notable instances increased the interest rates to check inflation in the past, the high interest rates resulted in a major set-back in economic growth. On the other hand, the Fed, so as to salvage an economic recession has in the past reduced interest rates to an almost zero level. This did the magic in reviving the economy, but often led to an inflation surge. Financial regulation is thus a roller coaster, and the central bank has to be in active watch to maintain a moderate economy.
  • Price control is arguably better done through fiscal measures such as tax waivers and government subsidies. However, monetary policies have significant roles to play too. Inflation is sometimes defined as the rise in price of basic commodities, a phenomenon that is significantly caused by low interest rates. The central bank (the Fed in USA) attempts to control these prices by regulating the interest rates charged on loans.
  • Maximum Employment is also largely controlled by non-monetary factors in the labor market. In the US, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) considers prevailing employment conditions; the number of jobs created, number of jobs lost, and current unemployment. Its role in employment maximization? Communication of these findings and the constant monetary measures used to control other aspects of the economy.

Monetary Policy Tools

1. Federal Funds Rate

The term is only used in the US, but the monetary tool is universally applied by central banks worldwide. Federal funds rate is the interest rate charged on bank-to-bank transactions, and the interest rates charged on reserve lending to commercial lenders. The central bank may not control consumer interest rates by decree as much as it does by regulating the funds rate.  

In the US alone, the Fed documents over $ 1 trillion daily of non-cash transfers within banks and from one bank to another. The Federal Reserve facilitates the settlement of these transfers through daily bank-to-bank exchanges of cash deposits at the reserves. The Fed also issues daily loans to banks against these transfers, and limits the frequency of these loans by adjusting the funds rate. A lower funds rate is used to ease financial regulations and encourage bank liquidity. Loans will in turn become so cheap, and customers will be encouraged to borrow heavily. That way, monetary supply multiplies within days.

In the build-up to the 2008 Financial Crisis, the Fed had reduced the federal funds rate from 6.5 to 1.75%, leading to so much liquidity in the hands of commercial banks. People borrowed in droves, and the banks still had extra left. The extent of this was sub-prime lending to under-qualified borrowers. This now is the risk with reduced funds rate, as massive defaults would cripple the economy.

2. Reserve Requirements

This is the amount of banks’ cash reserves held in the central bank as a fraction of customer deposits. By regulating the net to capital ratio, the central bank controls the liquidity held by banks and consequently the amount of money in supply.

3. Open Market Operations (OMO)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Federal Reserve reduced the net to capital ratio to zero, allowing banks to hold so much liquidity and in turn pump funds to the economy, as a responsive monetary policy to the pandemic economic breakdown. 

Another effectively proven monetary tool is Open Market Operations. This is the purchase and sale of government securities in the open market, conducted by the central bank on behalf of the government. The OMO strategy is direct; the Fed buys securities and pays cash to release money into circulation, and sells the securities to repossess the monetary supplies. 

Government securities include treasury bonds and bills, savings bonds, and treasury notes. These securities differ in the rate of interest accrued depending on maturity periods. Treasury bills, for instance, mature in four weeks on the least, accruing a minimal interest rate of sub-1%. Treasury bonds, on the other hand, mature at 10 years on the least and may go up to 30 years, but accrue yields of up to 5%. 

In the US, the Federal Open Market Committee trades on behalf of the government’s Federal Reserve Board. Depending of the prevailing circumstances, the FOMC sets a target for interest rates, and directs the Trading Desk to either buy or sell government securities. Impacts on interest rates can be felt in as soon as 4 weeks.

4. Quantitative Easing

This is almost similar to OMOs, but now the government implements a massive shake-up in the market to respond to an economic emergency. Quantitative easing involves the bulk purchase of government securities and other financial instruments such as mortgage-backed securities so as to boost a stagnating economy. Notable instances of Quantitative Easing in the US and other governments include the 2008 financial crisis and during the COVID-19 economic breakdown. 

Key Take-Away: Monetary Policy is a roller coaster, and a country’s central bank has to be vigilant to detect any miniature changes to the economy, and respond suitably. A monetary policy response to a crisis may aggravate to another crisis in the opposite direction, thus a balance has to be sought. 

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THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2008

Wall street, cradle of the 2008 financial crisis
Wall Street – THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2008

Of the many stories told in US history, the 2008 financial crisis is one notable event that a big population of the country will resonate with. The story is told of an economy that rendered itself too big to fail, thanks to the preceding years of economic bloom. In financial terms, the 2008 crisis is an intriguing case that everyone has their own version despite the overwhelming research conducted on the crisis.

However, some aspects of the crisis are as clear as the day, such as the existence of a housing bubble, and the ramifications caused by overconfidence on this bubble. There is also a unanimous admission of a lax regulatory system, whose trend in the posterior years was hell-bent towards deregulation of financial institutions. SEC reduced the net-capital ratio, the Fed consistently weakened the federal fund rate, paving way for a lending hemorrhage. 

Financial regulators aside, the US public economy by itself knowingly marched towards the guillotine, enjoying on its way the goodies fetched from feel-good deals like the subprime mortgages and the resultant Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS). Before we go any further, how about some background on these advancements?

Build-up to 2008 Financial Crisis

We might not have a specific date to the beginning of the financial crisis loom. We, however, mark some events that can be attributed to the fall of the US economy.

  1. Deregulation

The US Federal Reserve’s role in the 2008 crisis was monumental. As the ultimate oversight body, the Fed carried the blame on taking some financial deregulation measures, and remaining unhinged when lenders and banks went berserk on an unsecured lending spree. 

In the beginning of the 21st century, the Federal Reserve scantily anticipated a financial recession, and quickly averted the situation by cutting the fund rate, explained as the interest rates charged on bank-to-bank transactions. Over the period of 2001-2004, the Fed cut the rate four-fold, from 6.5 to a low of 1.75 percent. 

Banks snatched the opportunity to lend themselves, but now the lending was greatly incentivized. The public took these loans owing to their cheapness, amassing important assets such as houses. It is believed that this is how the housing bubble came to happen.

  1.  Subprime Lending

At a reduced cost of loan and an increased liquidity at their disposal, lenders became less rigid to customers, giving loans to underly qualified borrowers, otherwise known as subprime customers. Lending decisions were made more easier upon the advent of the housing bubble. 

Due to the sudden surge in the demand for houses, banks could now issue mortgage loans on the security of the profitability of these mortgage houses. Mortgage lending became a rich plunder for banks, in that at the prevailing house demand borrowers could refinance the mortgages or in case of a default, banks could resell the houses at a good profit margin. 

  1. Securitization

Subprime mortgages gave birth to another baby; increased and diversified securitization. Subprime mortgages seemed to be profitable, and other sectors were now sanctioned by the SEC to dig into the fray and diversify their portfolios in the housing bloom. Investment banks advanced to a bigger role in finance, becoming securities firms and insurers at the same time.

These banks came to be deemed as “too big to fail”, in that their collapse would disrupt the entire financial market. One of them was the infamous Lehman Brothers, whose collapse marked the height of the financial crisis. AIG, a grandiose insurance firm, also took part in the murky mortgage securitization, offering a diverse portfolio of security for mortgage loans. These included Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS), and Credit-Default Swaps (CDS).

  • Mortgage-Backed Security (MBS) is a financial instrument that bundles up several mortgages into one asset, breaking them down into financial instrument units before trading them as market securities. These securities became popular in that era as they were supported by the rising demand of houses, and the profit margins that come by. Banks were the manufacturers of MBSs, and they sure did benefit from it. The MBS market was so big, owing to the promising trajectory of the housing bloom. Mortgages sold through MBSs fetched banks a lot of money that increased their liquidity and so their profits. Banks reinvested these slack funds back into the mortgage industry in droves, further entrusting their survival on a profitable yet risky asset. To solve this, the market introduced yet another instrument; Credit-Default Swaps.
  • Credit-Default Swaps were a further securitization of mortgages, whereby investment banks, hedge funds, and banks bought these swaps for insurance against customer default on mortgages. Mind you, banks had now transferred the burden of default to the firms by selling them the Mortgage-Backed Securities.

The Collapse

The housing bubble was now ready to burst. Inflation was now at its highest, and the Federal Reserve came in to salvage the situation by increasing interest rates. This move had direct implications to every end of the chain. Loans at higher interest rates meant mortgages now became uncharted waters. House owners who anticipated profits were set aback by the surging interest rates.

Borrowers defaulted in droves. Banks that had invested heavily on MBSs had to throw in the towel. They immediately filed bankruptcy as their over-valued mortgage assets could not offset their obligations. Insurance firms were the worst hit, as the Credit-Default Swaps were triggered by the massive defaults. Firms like Lehman Brothers and AIG were overwhelmed and had to call it a day. 

Impact and Economic Resurge after the Crisis

The financial crisis of 2008 was not just a US affair. As a world leader, any impact on the USA economy would be felt in almost every corner of the globe. Same case happened with the Global Recession of the1930’s. The crisis experienced in the US spread its wings to the global expanse.

The US, though, felt the worst brunt of the crisis. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) plummeted in a matter of months, going to a record low of -2 GDP in 2008. This steep disrupted every pillar of the economy. A record 10 million people lost their jobs in the US alone during this time, just showing how the “too big to fail” institutions’ failures were catastrophic.

And what did the government do? In as much as there was a lot of politicization of the crisis, the same government that had paved for the crisis was the ultimate savior. The Federal Reserve executed massive bailouts, nationalizing many banks and institutions, so as just to shield its people from losing their money in the crisis.

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5 Types of Ethics Dilemma Encountered in Healthcare : Discover

 

Ethics are part of the working code in healthcare. Healthcare has become one of the most fragile environments for snap decision-making. At the heart of it all are nurses who are tasked with relaying information, negotiating, and discussing health decisions with patients. To govern all this, the nursing community has long been reliant on ethics and principles for guidance. 

What are ethics?

In a normal world, ethics would be defined as a code of conduct for the practice of one’s responsibility. In the nursing world, though, ethics are more than just responsibilities. To some plausible extent, ethics can become impediments to one’s duties – a hard nut to crack. For this reason, 4 ethical principles embody the practice of healthcare administration.

Ethical Principles of Healthcare

They are just four, the core ones;

  1. Autonomy

The principle of autonomy requires that healthcare is administered based on the patient’s preference, decision, and wishes. Anciently, the autonomy on patient care rested with the physician in charge. The situation has evolved, and at the current age no hospital staff is allowed to not just make decisions on behalf of the patient, but also influencing the patient to these decisions.

Autonomy comes with so many legal intrigues, such that the provider is expected to be adept with all legalities around healthcare administration. A point in case is the qualification of consent, which changes a lot from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. At an age below 18 or 16 in some countries, the patient does not consent to any decisions, and in their place the guardian holds that autonomy.

However, emancipation has grown into the society, placing nurses at an even tighter spot. Briefly, emancipation comes in the forms of (i) Underage marriage (ii) Expulsion by parents/guardians (iii) A court order (iv) Underage parenthood, and (v) Unequivocal responsibility on the minor. Emancipation is one of the dynamic laws across different jurisdictions, and nurses should be keen to follow the rule of the situational land.

  1. Beneficence

This principle requires healthcare providers to be kind to the patient, and relieve them from any pain, injuries, or terminal consequences. Beneficence as a principle provides that healthcare should be administered in the best interests of the patient. Unlike autonomy which is a strict law, beneficence is more like a caregiver’s moral responsibility to give the patient the best care, and have the patient’s well-being at heart.

  1. Non-maleficence

Professional caregivers are expected to “not do harm” on the patient in many ways but most commonly, as a result of the caregiver’s negligence. Non-maleficence is the exact antithesis of beneficence, where the nurse acts to not just do good, but instead “not do any bad”. 

The principle of non-maleficence demands that caregivers deliberately fetch all information on an active patient, be on the active watch, and respond to the slightest of cues from the patient or their behavior. Ethical dilemmas surround this principle, where an act of heroism for one patient may be commission of malice to another. And here is where the principle of justice and equitability comes in.

  1. Justice

The principle of justice states that all patients are equal, and that healthcare should be administered equitably across patients. Justice requires that healthcare be administered without any discrimination in the lines of financial ability, class, race, color, nationality, age, or gender. Nurses as human beings and also suffer the temptation of administering care on considerable bias such as financial ability.

Justice is administration of care equally to all patient, to all according to need, effort, and contribution. Healthcare is a service industry and people may forget that the primary objective is to make money, otherwise the service will not be sustained. However, a contested debate has ensued around providing care on a public platform. 

Other auxiliary principles in healthcare ethics are fidelity and veracity. Fidelity requires caregivers to respect their relationship with the patient, and to show loyalty to the patient even when it stands to compromise seamless healthcare administration. A nurse should only make promises to a patient when they are sure they can keep them.

Veracity is truthfulness, requiring caregivers to relay all the information to patients and in due time. One common dilemma with this principle is withholding of information from the patient under instruction from loved ones, in the plight that the information might further distress the patient. Nurses should make all relevant communication to the loved ones, explain all rules before rejecting that request as patients have a right to information on their health, regardless of the prevailing circumstances.

Issues in Healthcare Ethics: Situational Dilemmas

  1. Religious and Cultural Beliefs in Healthcare

Ethics is a vast dimension that cannot be limited to the four or six principles provided by industry scholars. Some ethical values are rooted in cultural and religious beliefs on contentious issues such as pro-life/pro-choice, blood transfusion, and so much more. To the farther extent, some patients will be selective on the gender of attendants they want, also based on their beliefs.

Nurses too have beliefs, but the rule of the thumb here is professionalism comes before your beliefs, otherwise you’ll have to sit the case out if you feel compromised. When it comes to a patient’s beliefs, present them with all available information on the consequences and prevailing circumstances before sticking to the principle of autonomy, allowing them to make the final call.

  1. Resource Limitations

Healthcare resources are generally scanty, unless the patients want un-affordable care. Moreover, a pandemic might prevail, paving for a resource crisis in the industry. This happened at the summit of the COVID-19 pandemic not long ago, when infections were unmanageably high, offsetting the available clinical resources. Caregivers were forced to make unpopular decisions like reassigning oxygen ventilators from lost causes to patients with a hope of recovery. During this time, hospitals erected boards to consider such cases, and recommend the decisions. Under no circumstances should residents make these decisions on their own, without keeping tabs with higher authorities.

  1. Right to Information

Disclosing very negative news to a patient may not serve any substantial purpose in aiding healthcare administration especially if the patience is sponsored and under guidance from relatives. However, disclosing the news means more distress to the patient, and may even worsen their condition. Be that as it may, every consenting adult has a right to information on their body regardless of prevailing circumstances. Its only that nurses should consider relaying only the required information and in a way that does help with the situation. Beneficence comes into play, as the mental well-being matters just as their physical health.

These issues are a blanket for the many unique compromising situations faced by nurses in their daily routines. It is however important that the nurse prioritizes the principles of ethics, the general practice code of conduct, and the house policies for the facility they work in. Dilemmas are not to be avoided but rather to be negotiated. A problem shared with the right people is just as solved. 

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Types of Simulations Useful in Teaching Nursing

A SIMULATION EXERCISE

Nursing programs are purposed to offer ready-to-apply experiences in critical care. It was for this reason that simulation was introduced in clinical education some 111 years ago. Simulation in clinical studies is the creation of almost real scenarios that facilitate the application of acquired skills in real life. That said, nursing simulations not only take the form of human bodies, body parts, or alike figures. A lot can be achieved in behavioral, standardized patients, and role-playing simulations too. 

Even while the main goal is hands-on experience, simulation-based learning (SBL) is focused on specific objectives, such as training specialized care for nurses who have specified specialties like maternity, equipping critical care skills and resource management during emergency care, team building among students and healthcare staff, and for assessment purposes.

Pre-briefing Before Simulation

Simulation is a learning experience, and has to be prepared for just like any other study session. Pre-briefing is a concept mapping session whereby the trainer interacts with the students and gives information as to the kind of simulation that will be unfolded, the purpose of that simulation, learning objectives, instructions to the simulation exercise, and what is required of the students. Pre-briefing serves the following objectives:

  • Attending to the psychological safety of learners. Research has shown that creating a safe environment from the beginning of the simulation exercises reduces the learner’s insecurity with risk-taking and commission of mistakes, and averts any defensive behaviors upon such mistakes. Research has also shown that simulations make students very apprehensive and may breed anxiety that is unsafe for the experience. Pre-briefing should avail a safe space to address these and other psychological insecurities.
  • The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) details standards for quality simulation exercises, and provide that pre-briefing sessions should provide learners with information on the method of evaluation, location of equipment, roles played by each participant, communication practices, the timing, and limitations off the simulation experiences.
  • Pre-briefing facilitates the communication of the session’s learning objectives. Simulation as a learning technique should be guided by objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. Examples of learning objectives could be practicing patient-centered healthcare, successful maternal deliveries, and fostering safety during resuscitations.

Types of Simulations in Nursing 

There are many forms simulations can take, while more are being invented each day during these sessions. However, all forms of simulations are grouped into either low, medium, or high fidelity. Fidelity is an important concept in simulations, with the word itself meaning the level of reality achieved by a simulation exercise. High-fidelity simulations employ the most sophisticated technologies to portray a humanly reaction from learners’ stimuli, while the lowest level of fidelity simulations may take the form of theoretical case studies.

1. Case Study Simulation

Learners are provided with information on a real case scenario. A set of tasks are derived from these scenarios and the learners’ responses are evaluated. Case studies are low-fidelity simulations and only provide learners with theoretical knowledge with no physical experiences. This model, however, is significantly popular among nursing schools as it is less-costly, safe to the learner, and absolutely not exhaustive.

2. Role Play Simulation

Students are provided with real case scenarios, and required to act out in response of those scenarios. The objectives of role play are to equip learners with clinical judgement to offer care solutions in different scenarios. Role play is also used to foster teamwork at the work place, as well as providing patient-centered care. During role play simulations, learners can be provided with challenges like language barrier, patient paranoia, as well as leadership gaps. Role play are the best fit for interpersonal interactions between colleagues and dealing with issues such as work place bullying can be learnt.

3. Standardized Patients

These are professional actors invited to act-out patient roles for real scenarios for the purpose of learning. Standardized patients (SP’s) are specialists, and are rigorously trained to serve the learning objectives of simulations involving them. Standardized patients, otherwise called simulated patients, are required to deliver real patient performances. They should look sickly when required to, have paranoia concerns, and present other clinical challenges. In SP simulations, nurses are required to conduct life-like interviews, check vitals, and conduct lab tests as would be in a real situation. SPs offer the most human-like performances during simulations, eliminating the risks that would be posed during interactions with real patients.

4. Mannequins

A low-fidelity mannequin

High-fidelity mannequins are the height of simulation technology. They employ high-tech features that simulate real-patient scenarios, and result in reactions to any stimuli administered, as would be with a real-life patient. High-fidelity mannequins absorb the risks that would be in a real scenario, as the mannequins deteriorate in health, and even die when exposed to required conditions. High-fidelity mannequins are computerized, and may be controlled even as the simulation exercise is on. Low-fidelity mannequins, on the other hand, include static models and partial tasks. Static models are commonly used to train resuscitations and other non-invasive procedures, while partial tasks are body parts that are used to demonstrate functions like IV pump mechanisms, and making injections.

5. Virtual Reality Simulation

A very new technology, virtual reality in its latest versions provide life-like simulations that are not only thrilling to experience, but are also very indulging. Virtual reality use computer modeling to present a life-like sensory environment, controlled by the learner’s movements of a part or the whole body. The sensory environment is not only visual but also audio and touch. This technology is still gaining momentum in healthcare education, but will have many modifications in due course. 

Some other simulations include E-learning, where electronic models are displayed on monitors, phones, and tablets to demonstrate particular scenarios. 

Debriefing After Simulation

At this stage, learners and the trainer gather to discuss the outcomes of the simulation exercise. Debriefing is an opportunity for learners to express their psychological status as a result of the simulation exercise. The session also allows the trainer to give remarks on the performances of each learner, share the success of the simulation’s objectives, and make recommendations to the conduct of learners in the future. That way, the SBL learning process is successfully complete.

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10 Types of Technology Useful in Nursing Practice

Technology in Nursing

Industries across the board have all been visited by the current wave of technology inventions. In the current space, the most recent innovations have been in the fields of data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics. Some other technologies have been existent for some time such as teleconferencing, high-end software designs, and smart mechanics.

The nursing scope can tell of the monumental role played by these technologies. Patient-centered care has been empowered, quality of healthcare boosted, and caregivers’ work made easier. Let’s look at some of those technologies and their impacts: 

Technology in Nursing

  1. Electronic Health Records and Predictive Analytics

Data collection has been made easier, with records from past and present patients providing big data opportunities. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are miles superior to the ancient paper records used in the recent past. Streamlined user interfaces allow quick registration of patients complete with all their medical and demographic details. The data collected equips a connected technology – Predictive Analytics.

Data from past patients is used to appropriate quick judgement for the disease and prescribe solutions and medication. In addition, the big data collected from these records have been used during epidemics to combat pandemics across large populations.

  1. Smart Beds Technology
Smart beds and bedside technology are preventing a lot of accidents and surprises

Beds are equipped with sensors to check on the mobility and progress of the patient. Smart beds monitor the patient’s weight and other vital signs.

With the high cases of patient falls and injuries, smart beds have come to provide a clinical solution by sending information of any movements and changes in position of the patient to the nurse. This technology also joins the many others in reducing the time required for caregiver’s personal attention, ultimately increasing nurses’ work rate.

  1. Automated Drips

Nurses are able to remotely control the amount of dosage transfused to a patient using the automated IV pump. Attendants set a specific amount of nutrients, medicine, or water to be administered to the patient, and the automated pump will do the rest in controlling the dosage.

The drips also employ monitoring technology that checks the patient’s vitals and responds relevantly. In the recent versions of this technology, patients are able to control pain-relieving drip medication according to their levels of pain.

  1. Smart Wearable Devices

Just like we have smart watches checking body temperature and blood pressure, this technology has now been introduced in the healthcare industry. Patients are strapped with wearable devices that use body contact to check vital signs in the patient including oxygen saturation, ECG, and respiratory rates.

The signals spare hospital staff the trouble of taking blood samples for lab tests every time they require to check patient’s vitals. Talk of healthcare undergoing a revolution.

  1. Clinical Mobility

Smart mobile devices like tablets and smartphones have been introduced into the health industry to bring the much-needed mobility. Nurses can now check the patient’s vitals from afar, study the patient information while on the move, and monitor the patient’s progress while attending to other patients.

Mobile monitors are placed at different regions and are used to provide staff with quick information while on their duties. Some hospitals have central command centers where all these technologies are merged and the data stored and full-house service delivery monitored from the centers.

  1. Telemedicine
Doctor attending to a patient online

The advent of COVID-19 introduced a new problem, that of limited interaction no matter the field. One of the technologies that bloomed during that period was teleconferencing. Even in healthcare, providers tried as much to reduce patient interaction as possible, and this was made seamless through telemedicine.

The technology has been carried on to date and has proven itself in the test of time. Doctors and caregivers are now attending to patients via teleconferencing, giving consultations and professional guidance seamlessly.

  1. Remote Patient Monitoring 

Teleconferencing, streamlined user interfaces, quick messaging, and other impersonal technologies have expanded the scope of healthcare beyond in-house physical attention. Some hospitals have employed a blended physical-remote approach to medicine, while others have taken up the niche to offer exclusively remote healthcare.

This way, patients without the financial or physical strength to attend clinics can do so via online programs. Remote patient monitoring has all the benefits to the health facilities, such that there are reduced infrastructural requirements, less staff demand, and an increased work rate.

  1. Robotics
Monitoring robotics in action

Experience and skills can fetch quality care, but there can be no assurances on the accuracy of that care. Robotics technology has come to close that gap, providing precision medicine with an almost zero margin of error. In surgery, minimally-invasive robots have been used to conduct operations with high precision requirements. Thanks to this technology, delicate procedures like heart surgeries are now feasible with much confidence.

Robotics have also been applied in service delivery, engaging patients in clinical interviews, delivering supplies, and assisting patients with mobility. 

  1. Social Media
Social media, even in hospitals, is inevitable

We cannot leave behind the most obvious of technology that sweeps through a large part of the world’s population. Social media has brought together professionals from multiple and similar disciplines, creating a pool of information that beats everything else.

Nurses share their own experiences, dish out professional advice, and ask any questions with a surety of getting not just the correct answers but also different personal perspectives. In the overall field of healthcare, patients get access to information that could be so troubling to get in an otherwise non-digital ecosystem. 

  1. Virtual and Augmented Reality
Doctors wearing VR simulation with hologram medical technology

Lastly, we have virtual reality (VR) as the most recent innovation that has been barely tapped. Virtual reality is mainly considered entertaining, but there’s so much to it when it’s applied in multiple industries. In healthcare, virtual reality provides near-to real simulations that are excellent for learning and professional simulation exercises. Aside from that, patients are strapped with virtual reality googles to destruct their minds during a pain-staking procedure. The technology is new and there is really more to come in the field of healthcare.

Technology and innovation have been brilliant for the world, but not everyone gives it approval. There are many concerns with labor-market disruption, data privacy, and im-personalization of care with robotics. These concerns are well-deserved, but they have not impeded innovation for a second. Healthcare providers are responsible with embracing these technologies, for they not only serve the good of patient through quality care, but also expanded healthcare provision to greater populations.

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Importance of Teamwork in Healthcare and How To Building One

TEAMWORK IN HEALTHCARE

Arguably in health facilities more than elsewhere, teamwork is inevitable. Between the time a patient walks into a hospital and when they leave, a team of professionals are involved, be it receptionists, nurses, imaging technicians, laboratory officers, physicians, or even surgeons. An important role is played by the non-essential staff, those that make sure the facility’s infrastructure runs seamlessly. Teamwork is the backbone of every health facility. The harmony in which these teammates work is so beautiful to watch. 

The kind of team in which multiple specialists are involved, like the one listed above, is referred to as a multi-disciplinary team. A uni-disciplinary team is now the one engaging specialists of similar or close to similar skills, like a host of nurses doing rounds in a ward.

This article will elaborate the various forms hospice teams can take, as well as how to optimize the potential of those teams.

Why Teams and Teamwork Matter in a Health Facility.

For it to be called a health facility it becomes a team first. The many employees of the facility from the janitor all the way to the C-suite are equally important, making a team that is very impactful. A team is the collection of the hospital staff, while teamwork is the active participation of each of the staff and in willingful coordination with other members of the team.

A team is important in completing the most basic of tasks. Teamwork, on the other hand, makes the most complex of operations successful. 

  1. Teamwork ensures meticulousness in the face of intense speed requirements. 

Time is always limited in feats like an emergency case, a resuscitation, or in the operating room. When every team member plays their part exhaustively, the big task is decimated to small chunks that are brief to complete. 

  1. A team is a puzzle, and everyone benefits from the many appendages held together by organized teamwork. 

A surgeon who by his side stands a sterilizer, anaesthesia administrator, dresser, and assistant will do better than if the team was absent.

  1. Teamwork mends and boosts relationships. 

We all can tell of the significance good relationships serve the workplace. Colleagues work with passion, are ready to support each other, and admire the success of the entire ship holding everyone. Teamwork builds this comradeship and strengthens the vision of the facility.

  1. Uni-disciplinary teamwork gets the big job done. 

A group of nurses doing rounds will collaborate and make sure each patient is attended to by at least one caregiver. Again, the work will be completed very fast, and the patients will be attended to their full satisfaction. This as every nurse will be readily available to answer any questions, and notice anything that should be noticed.

  1. Teamwork is an exchange platform

Learning is a continuous process, and experience is always as they say the best teacher. There is more to be experienced in the future of a practitioner than what’s already experienced. Some new experiences will require the assistance of sometimes more than one experienced professional. The sharing of information does not just help with the situation but boosts the experiences of everyone in the team. It’s a platform to learn from others and use the knowledge in the limitless future.

  1. Specialization and creativity

A team brings together differential skill sets, which allow a team member to practice what they do best. After regular repetition of the same task, individuals will develop better the feasibility of the task, in addition to increasing the team member’s work rate. Also, teamwork allows teammates ample time to complete their work chunks, allowing them enough time to get creative and make realizations that may better the facility, or better yet, change the course of the entire industry.

Teamwork is paramount in any health setting

Building Teamwork in Health Care

Every success story begins with a plan, and in this case, a successfully built team has to stem from a “teaming strategy”. Importantly, efforts in building a prosperous team are bi-sourced from the leadership in collaboration with the staff. The strategy in this case comes from the leadership with the active participation of the other staff. Now let’s build a “teaming strategy”;

We will use the IMO strategy, which stands for Inputs, Mediators, and Outputs. 

Inputs

These are the team members’ attributes, competencies, and diversity factors; the team’s leadership, training, technology, and the team structure; and the organization’s culture.

A team brings together not only people of different skills, but also unique personalities. Even so, all them have to match up for a common vision, and to do that there has to be a set of acceptable attributes and standards of professionalism. Technology is a significant impersonal part of a good team. Communication and cooperation thrive when there is seamless technology to facilitate it. The organization provides (i) the culture and (ii) resources. Some basic characteristics of a good organizational culture are cohesiveness, leadership support, and democratic work spaces.

Mediators

These are the middle-in between the team infrastructure and its goals. Mediators are the team processes, objectives, and emergent states. Under team processes we have action process which comprise of communication, team learning, performance monitoring, team leadership; interpersonal processes which consist of conflict management, trust, mental models; and transition processes. Team objectives are as the name suggests, and they should be in sync personally across the team members. 

Outputs

Now these are the achievements as a result of a well-built team, and the relevant processes. A good team is measured by its outputs at the personal and organizational level. In a healthcare facility, the preferred output is proper disease management, satisfactory clientele which means professional but emotive handling of patients, more precision in the quality of healthcare characterized by less errors, and an improved work efficiency showed by a higher work rate and less costs in completing tasks. Finally, the staff itself should be beyond the satisfaction level when it comes to their work experience at the facility.

The IMO strategy has potential to construct a complete team, as long as the strategy is finished in its fullness. Healthcare teams are not just built by pre-briefing before work begins, and similar meetings on a regular basis. Healthcare needs strategic teams whose aspects are well rooted throughout the staff and in the organizational culture.

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Managing Cancer Patients: Complete Guide for Nurses with Results

Nurse managing cancer
Managing cancer patients

Caregivers are at the frontline of global efforts to managing cancer. This article might seem like a soap note because it kind of looks like one. However, it’s a guide for general oncological management for all types of cancer. The article will look at it in four phases: diagnosis, treatment, detection, and prevention.

Managing cancer: Diagnosis

You are a nurse in your random rounds at your place of work. Hellen walks in with reports of a sudden change in the size of her breast, and she cannot really confirm whether it has a lump or not. 

Foremost, there are more than 100 types of cancer documented. However, the most prevalent ones are lung, prostate, and colorectal among men; and lung, breast, and colorectal among women. When a patient comes in with speculations of a disease likened to cancer, a vigorous diagnostic process ensues. The mostly used diagnostic models for cancer among caregivers are laboratory tests, endoscopic examinations, diagnostic imaging, genetics tests, and tumor biopsies.

Types of cancer diagnoses

  • Laboratory tests can take the form of complete blood count tests, electrophoresis blood tests, tumor markers, and urinalysis.
  • Endoscopy is direct visual examination of body cavities, mostly used in imaging the upper GI (gastro-intestinal) tract. Common types of endoscopies are colonoscopy, bronchoscopy (lungs), and laparoscopy for the pelvis.
  • Diagnostic imaging includes X-rays, Computed Tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Ultrasound, and Fluoroscopy.
  • Genetic testing reveals cellular mutation genes that pose great risk, or are already mutating in carcinogenesis. 
  • Tumor biopsies involve the collection of small quantities of fresh samples of tumors speculated to contain cancer cells. 

Oncological diagnosis has mental and physiological effects on the patients, something that the care-giver is tasked with managing. Imaging and Endoscopies may have a fatigue effect, along with feelings of nausea and headaches. Proper medicinal therapy would do in this case. It is also worth noting that caregivers should also manage their safety when conducting diagnostic exercises. Imaging requires protective gear, and surgery should be done with enough safety.

Cancer Treatment Management

In as much we call it treatment, cancer therapy can have many objectives, not just to permanently cure the disease:

  • Curative treatment seeks to permanently cure the disease, allowing the patient to live a normal life-span.
  • Primary treatment is aimed to completely get rid of the cancerous cells from the body. The most common method of primary treatment is surgery, whereby the affected part of the body.
  • Adjuvant treatment takes after primary treatment. It’s a clean-up therapy aimed to remotely kill malignant cells that remain after primary treatment to prevent any chances that the cancer will recur. Some common methods for adjuvant treatment are chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and any other cancer treatment.
  • Palliative treatment seeks to relieve the impacts of cancer treatment, or relieve the symptoms of the disease itself. Treatment therapies may result in fatigue, fever, and shortness of breath. Palliative treatment relieves these side effects, as well as do away with cancer symptoms like pain and bleeding.
Nurse managing a cancer patient in a wheelchair

Types of Cancer Treatment

  1. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill mutant cells attributed to cancer. Chemotherapy also seeks to:

  • Make tumors smaller before primary treatment.
  • In adjuvant therapy to kill cancer cells that remain after primary treatment.
  • Speed down mutation and spreading of cancer cells to other parts of the body.

Medication used in chemotherapy has strong side-effects. The drugs kill fast-growing cells, but they also slow down the growth of other healthy cells like hair cells, leading to reduced hair growth. Caregivers should therefore prepare the patient for these and other side-effects, through psychological pre-briefing, and appropriate medication.

  1. Radiation Therapy

High quantities of radio-active rays are used to kill cancer cells in this form of treatment. All forms of radiotherapy are local treatment, whereby therapy is focused to only the affected part of the body. In internal therapy, the source of radiation, could be seed or capsule, is placed near the tumoxr to act on it. In contrast, external radiation is the use of beams from outside the body. 

One of the side effects of radiotherapy is fatigue, as the body consumes a lot of energy in the healing process. The patient may not be able to show up for work, or execute simple tasks after undergoing radiation therapy for some time. Radiotherapy also causes nausea, and the patient’s appetite levels may drop. Nurses should provide medication for all these side-effects.

  1. Surgery

In this type of treatment, surgeons make incisions on the body to remove cancerous tumors. Amputation as a remedy for cancer also entails the use of surgery, with administration of anesthesia. Technology has allowed the administration of anesthesia locally; numbness on a specific part of the body which is being operated on.

Surgery may inflict some pain even after the anaesthesia, pain that is easily manageable through the cooperation between the nurse and patient. Additionally, incisive surgery may result in wounds that should be managed or otherwise risk infection.

  1. Stem-Cell Transplant

Although used as palliative treatment, stem-cell transplant is a major recovery phase after primary treatment. In this case, healthy blood-stem cells from donors or the patient are transfused into the patient’s bone marrow to replace the cells destroyed by primary treatment methods like radiotherapy. 

Allogeneic transplant, which is the transfusion of donor-stem cells, may result in graft-host disease. White blood cells in the host body may detect and act against introduced cells as foreign cells. The disease is however manageable by steroids or other immune-suppressing mechanisms.

Managing Cancer: Detection and Prevention

Nurses have a role to play in preventing cancer cases, and helping to detect the disease early. Cancer screening is the checking of cancer in people who do not have symptoms for the disease. 

Chemical carcinogens cause cancer, and to prevent it, the public should be advised of the following risk-factors:

  • Smoking
  • Excess body weight
  • Ultraviolet rays
  • Cancer-related infections, and
  • Physical inactivity.

Cancer screening should come with expert advice on how to prevent the disease. Such ways include avoiding smoking and binge-drinking, eating a balanced diet complete with fiber and folic acid, keeping off intense sunlight, and undertaking physical exercise.

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