| Course | HLTH 8574 Women's Health Issues |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 3 |
| Paper type | Access analysis |
| Length | About 610 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | PhD in Public Health |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HLTH 8574 Week 3
Access Analysis: Following a Composite Mother From Leaking at Her Six-Week Postpartum Visit to a First Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Session, Sorted Step by Step With the Levesque, Harris and Russell Framework
Student Name
Walden University
HLTH 8574: Women's Health Issues
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Access Analysis: Following a Composite Mother From Leaking at Her Six-Week Postpartum Visit to a First Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Session, Sorted Step by Step With the Levesque, Harris and Russell Framework
The Path Being Analyzed
Urinary incontinence after childbirth is common: a systematic review found a pooled prevalence of 33% in the first three months postpartum, roughly double after vaginal birth compared with cesarean birth (Thom & Rortveit, 2010). Pelvic floor muscle training is the first-line treatment, and a Cochrane review found that antenatal training probably lowers the risk of incontinence in late pregnancy and slightly lowers it in the mid-postnatal period, while evidence on treating incontinence that persists after birth is less certain (Woodley et al., 2020). This analysis follows Dana, a composite 31-year-old who mentions leaking when she laughs at her six-week visit, to her first session with a pelvic floor physical therapist, and argues that the path breaks at the handoff from the obstetric visit to the referral.
The Framework
Levesque et al. (2013) define access as the opportunity to have health care needs fulfilled. Their model pairs five features of services, from how approachable a service is to how appropriate it is, with five abilities of the people using them, which run from perceiving a need to engaging in care. Sorting each step of Dana's path by these pairs shows whether a failure lies with the service, with Dana's abilities or between them.
The Steps
Table 1
Dana's Path Sorted by Levesque, Harris and Russell's Dimensions
| Step | What happens | Dimension | Holds or breaks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Perceiving need | Dana assumes leaking is normal after birth and nearly does not mention it | Approachability; ability to perceive | Holds, barely; she mentions it only when asked | |
| 2. Asking at the visit | The clinician asks a direct question about leaking | Approachability | Holds | |
| 3. Referral | The clinician says "do your Kegels" and hands her a printed sheet; no referral is entered | Appropriateness; ability to seek | Breaks | |
| 4. Second attempt | At 4 months, still leaking, Dana calls back and gets a referral | Availability; ability to seek | Holds, delayed | |
| 5. Scheduling | The nearest pelvic floor therapist is 40 minutes away with a six-week wait | Availability and accommodation; ability to reach | Strains | |
| 6. Paying | Her plan covers therapy but applies a per-visit copay | Affordability; ability to pay | Strains | |
| 7. Engaging | Dana attends, learns correct technique and is given a home program | Appropriateness; ability to engage | Holds | |
The path is a composite built from common care patterns, not a real patient's record.
Where the Path Breaks
The step that breaks is the third. Dana's need was perceived and voiced, but the visit converted it into a handout instead of a referral. Many women cannot identify the right muscles from written instructions alone, so the advice was not appropriate to the need even though it was well meant. Dana's own ability to seek care repaired the break, but only after four months and only because she called again. A woman with less time, or who accepted that leaking was normal, would have stopped at step 3.
The later strains, distance, wait and copay, matter, but they come after the referral exists. Fixing them without fixing step 3 would improve access for women who never reach them. The obstetricians' professional college wants postpartum follow-up spread over several contacts, capped by a full visit no later than 12 weeks that looks at bladder and bowel control among other parts of recovery (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2018). A standing referral pathway for women who report leaking at that visit would turn step 3 from a handout into a handoff.
References
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2018). ACOG Committee Opinion No. 736: Optimizing postpartum care. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 131(5), e140-e150. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000002633
Levesque, J.-F., Harris, M. F., & Russell, G. (2013). Patient-centred access to health care: Conceptualising access at the interface of health systems and populations. International Journal for Equity in Health, 12, Article 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-12-18
Thom, D. H., & Rortveit, G. (2010). Prevalence of postpartum urinary incontinence: A systematic review. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 89(12), 1511-1522. https://doi.org/10.3109/00016349.2010.526188
Woodley, S. J., Lawrenson, P., Boyle, R., Cody, J. D., Mørkved, S., Kernohan, A., & Hay-Smith, E. J. C. (2020). Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020(5), Article CD007471. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007471.pub4
What the HLTH 8574 Week 3 instructions ask for
Students analyze access to a specific women's health service by following one person's path from recognizing a need to receiving care. Faculty expect a recognized access framework to be applied step by step, with each step placed in the framework and judged as holding or breaking. The strongest analyses identify the single step whose failure matters most, explaining why fixing later steps would not help if that one stays broken. Evidence on how common the need is and whether the service works should establish that the path is worth following. A composite case is acceptable when labeled as such. Recommendations should target the break the analysis identifies. A table that lists steps, framework dimensions and outcomes is a common and effective format.
Inside the HLTH 8574 Week 3 example
The analysis opens with Thom and Rortveit's pooled prevalence of postpartum incontinence and Woodley and colleagues' Cochrane review of pelvic floor muscle training, then introduces Dana and the claim that the path breaks at the handoff. A short section explains the Levesque, Harris and Russell model and its paired dimensions. Table 1 sorts seven steps, from perceiving need to engaging in therapy, by dimension and outcome. The final section explains why the referral step is the break, shows how Dana's own persistence repaired it four months later, and argues that later strains matter only after a referral exists. It cites the obstetric college's 2018 committee opinion on postpartum care and recommends a standing referral pathway at the 12-week visit.
Reading the HLTH 8574 Week 3 rubric
Faculty grade the access analysis on correct use of the framework and on the precision of the identified break. Applying the framework loosely, or listing barriers without placing them, earns modest credit. Credit rises when each step is assigned a dimension and a clear outcome, and when the analysis explains which step's failure blocks the rest. Evidence on prevalence and treatment effectiveness earns credit for establishing why the path matters, and it must be reported accurately, including where evidence is uncertain. A labeled composite case is acceptable and makes the path concrete. Recommendations earn the most when they target the identified break rather than every barrier at once. Faculty also value recognition of how a person's own abilities can repair or fail to repair a break.
HLTH 8574 Week 3 help from the desk
Access analyses often list every barrier a woman might face, such as cost, distance and time, without showing where the path actually fails. To write a stronger analysis, follow one person step by step from noticing a need to receiving care. Place each step in your framework and decide whether it holds, strains or breaks. Ask which break, if fixed, would let her reach the later steps. Check whether the later barriers matter only after that break is repaired. Use evidence to show how common the need is and whether the service helps. Recommend a change aimed at the break you found. An access analysis following a path to the service your section names can be written to your framework.
Get a HLTH 8574 Week 3 example written to your instructions
Tell the desk the condition or service your Week 3 prompt names and the access framework it requires, then attach the rubric; the analysis maps that path one step at a time, locating the break and arguing for it. Free for a first custom sample and returned within 24-48 hours, with the mother or patient in it invented to fit.
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HLTH 8574 Week 3 questions, answered
What is the Levesque access framework?
Levesque, Harris and Russell described access as the fit between five dimensions of services and five matching abilities of people: approachability with the ability to perceive, acceptability with seeking, availability and accommodation with reaching, affordability with paying, and appropriateness with engaging. The example uses that pairing at every step of the pathway, and the original article sets out the full model for your own citation.
Where can I find a free HLTH 8574 Week 3 sample paper?
This page presents the full Week 3 access analysis, following a composite mother from postpartum leaking to pelvic floor therapy and sorting each step with the Levesque, Harris and Russell model, with four references.
Where does the path break?
At the referral step. Dana mentioned leaking and the clinician asked about it, but the visit produced a printed exercise sheet rather than a referral. Only her own second call, four months later, got her to therapy.
How common is incontinence after childbirth?
A systematic review found a pooled prevalence of about 33% in the first three months postpartum, with rates roughly twice as high after vaginal birth as after cesarean birth. Weekly and daily leaking were less common.
Is Dana a real patient?
No. Dana is a composite built from common care patterns, and her clinic, plan and therapist are invented. Your own analysis can use a composite case if it is labeled as one.