Assessment Description

What are social determinants of health? Explain how social determinants of health contribute to the development of disease. Describe the fundamental idea that the communicable disease chain model is designed to represent. Evaluate the steps a nurse can take to break the link within the communicable disease chain.

Resources within your text covering international/global health, and the websites in the topic Resources, will assist you in answering this discussion question.

Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases-Sample Solution

What are the social determinants of health?

            Social determinants of health are non-medical factors influencing people’s health outcomes. They comprise conditions in which people are born, live, grow, work, and age and a broader set of systems and forces that shape peoples’ living conditions. The systems and forces include social norms, economic systems and policies, political systems, and social policies (WHO, 2023). Level of education, employment status, food security, housing, basic amenities, early childhood development, income, and access to affordable care is significant SDH that influence healthcare equity negatively or positively.(Social determinants of health Essay-Example)

Explain how social determinants of health contribute to the development of disease.

Social determinants of health negatively influence healthcare equality and contribute to disease development. Health and illness follow a social gradient such that the lower the socioeconomic class, the worse the health outcomes of the global community. For instance, people in low socioeconomic regions need more financial capacity to obtain fresh, healthy balanced diets and clean water. They frequently rely on and consume fast foods that predispose them to obesity risks, hypertension, and diabetes type II comorbidities (Lerman Ginzburg, 2020). Secondly, low-income areas have high unemployment, leading to a lack of access to adequate education necessary for health literacy, disease prevention, and healthy lifestyles. Lack of finances also limits people’s access to quality health services.(Social determinants of health Essay-Example)

Describe the fundamental idea that the communicable disease chain model is designed to represent.

A communicable disease chain provides that steps that render communicable diseases to spread. The chain comprises six links that lead to the spread of communicable diseases. First, the etiologic agent is the infectious cause of the disease, while the reservoir is where the causative agent lives. The port of exit shows how the infectious agent leaves the host to move to another host through a transmission mode. A port of entry shows how the causative agent enters the new host, while a susceptible host is an animal or human organism that accepts the disease-causing agent.(Social determinants of health Essay-Example)

 Evaluate the steps a nurse can take to break the link within the communicable disease chain.

            Nurses are mandated to break the link within the transmission of communicable diseases. Proper hand washing is one of the simplest and most effective means of breaking the transmission chain. Nurses should also ensure that their hands are free to form cuts to prevent themselves by blocking the port of entry of the disease-causing agent. Proper hygiene in nursing stations by sterilizing all working surfaces and proper of PPEs is crucial to prevent the patients and the healthcare providers. Preventive measures such as avoiding touching eyes and mouth also break the chain of transmission of communicable diseases. (Social determinants of health Essay-Example)

References

Lerman Ginzburg, S. (2020). Sweetened syndemics: diabetes, obesity, and politics in Puerto Rico. Journal of Public Health, 1-9.

World Health Organisation (2023). Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1