Gastmyer Christine L, Pruitt B E Buzz
1Independent program evaluator, Navasota, TX, USA.
Health Promot Pract. 2014 May;15(3):349-55. doi: 10.1177/1524839913499348. Epub 2013 Sep 6.
The health care system in the United States is being overhauled by major legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). This study's goal was to provide insight into the perceived impact and changes that could occur within the health education profession as a result of this health care reform legislation. Seven leaders of the health education profession participated in this qualitative research study. Six semistructured, exploratory interviews were conducted, and one participant provided written responses to the interview questions. A thematic analysis of the content of the interviews yielded five themes: (a) a fragmented sick-care system, (b) ACA becomes law: the participants' reactions, (c) ACA becomes law: the profession's reactions, (d) impact on the profession, and (e) health education in 2020. This article describes the fourth theme, the impact of the ACA on the health education profession. Leaders of the health education profession believed that the ACA creates a more favorable environment for health education practice. The positive elements of this legislation, however, will need to be protected, strengthened, and verified, through the work of health education professionals. As more mandates within the law are enacted over time, the impact on the profession, more than likely, will shift.
美国的医疗保健系统正在通过一项重要立法——《患者保护与平价医疗法案》（ACA）进行全面改革。本研究的目的是深入了解这项医疗保健改革立法可能给健康教育专业带来的感知影响和变化。七位健康教育专业的领导者参与了这项定性研究。研究进行了六次半结构化的探索性访谈，还有一位参与者以书面形式回答了访谈问题。对访谈内容进行的主题分析得出了五个主题：（a）碎片化的疾病护理系统；（b）《平价医疗法案》成为法律：参与者的反应；（c）《平价医疗法案》成为法律：专业人士的反应；（d）对专业的影响；（e）2020年的健康教育。本文描述第四个主题，即《平价医疗法案》对健康教育专业的影响。健康教育专业的领导者认为，《平价医疗法案》为健康教育实践创造了更有利的环境。然而，这项立法的积极因素需要通过健康教育专业人士的工作加以保护、强化和验证。随着时间的推移，该法律中的更多规定得以颁布实施，其对该专业的影响很可能会发生变化。
