Discussion post. Health Care Access and Quality

An essential public health service is to Communicate effectively to inform and educate people about health, factors that influence it, and how to improve it.(Health-Care Access and Quality Essay )  As community health nurses create health promotion and health prevention programs, the populations they work with are affected by community and circumstances they live.  Often our actions as health care providers can have huge implications in terms of whether a patient is actually able to follow our recommended course of treatment.  To create health programs that are impactful with the population nurses can look to how the Social Determinants of Health impact health promotion and health prevention

For this discussion:.

Select on of the Social Determinants of Health using  https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health. Links to an external site. I choose: Health Care Access and Quality(Health-Care Access and Quality Essay)

-Describe the selected social determinant of health and give 2-3 examples from your community.

-Discuss how your selected SDOH can impact an individual’s personal health and the health of the community.(Health-Care Access and Quality Essay)

The initial post must integrate evidence from readings and outside scholarly source(s) with citations and (2 or more) references total.

Solution

Health-Care Access and Quality Essay

Healthcare access and quality is one of the most essential socioeconomic determinants of health. Availability and quality of healthcare play a significant role in influencing both an individual’s health outcomes and the community’s overall health. According to (Hill-Briggs et al. 2020), these factors have a major impact on an individual’s health outcomes and the community’s general health. Several variables, including location and ease of access, cost of care, health insurance coverage, and the knowledge and sensitivity of healthcare practitioners to cultural differences, influence the accessibility of healthcare and quality care.(Health-Care Access and Quality Essay)

Strong interactions between these socioeconomic determinants may lead to inequalities in health outcomes. For instance, people from low-income communities could have trouble accessing healthcare due to a lack of financial resources, health insurance, or means of transport (Burström & Tao, 2020). Such barriers may force some patients to forego care, exacerbating health disparities. For instance, individuals suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, or cancer need regular access to services like medication, doctor consultations, and monitoring. Therefore, inadequate access to healthcare in communities can result in increased community health complications, high morbidity rates, and uncontrolled illness progression.(Health-Care Access and Quality Essay)

However, those with access to high-quality medical treatment and disease management support are more likely to have better health outcomes. Several people in my community lack access to healthcare services, and the standard of care is not a top priority. For instance, my community has few primary care doctors, which significantly affecting the community because they have to travel long distances to access medical services. As a result, they encounter delays in receiving care, which may later cause more serious health issues (Alderwick & Gottlieb, 2019). Another illustration is the scarcity of affordable healthcare services for low-income people and families.(Health-Care Access and Quality Essay)

To address these problems, community health nurses can create and implement programs that increase access to healthcare services and the standard of care in collaboration with neighborhood healthcare providers and community organizations (Nutbeam & Lloyd, 2021). For instance, they could collaborate with family doctors to open satellite clinics in disadvantaged localities. Additionally, they can offer free or inexpensive health screenings and educational programs to increase awareness of the need for healthcare to improve the community’s quality of life. In this case, implementing such measures will aid people in understanding the value of preventative care and motivate them to seek treatment when necessary.(Health-Care Access and Quality Essay)

A person’s health outcome is largely determined by their access to and satisfaction with the healthcare they are provided with. The effect of healthcare access on health outcomes is highlighted by timely intervention, preventative care, illness management, and socioeconomic ramifications. Examples from real life show the effects of limited access, including delayed treatment worsening symptoms, and missed chances for preventive care leading to more complicated diseases. Therefore, it is essential to find and eliminate healthcare access barriers, raise the level of care, and promote health equity to guarantee that people have positive health outcomes. By giving healthcare access and quality top priority, we may work to build a society that supports everyone’s optimum health and well-being.(Health-Care Access and Quality Essay)

References

Alderwick, H., & Gottlieb, L. M. (2019). Meanings and misunderstandings: A social determinants of health lexicon for health care systems. The Milbank Quarterly, 97(2), 407-419. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.12390

Burström, B., & Tao, W. (2020). Social determinants of health and inequalities in COVID-19. European Journal of Public Health, 30(4), 617-618. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaa095

Hill-Briggs, F., Adler, N. E., Berkowitz, S. A., Chin, M. H., Gary-Webb, T. L., Navas-Acien, A., Thornton, P. L., & Haire-Joshu, D. (2020). Social determinants of health and diabetes: A scientific review. Diabetes Care, 44(1), 258-279. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci20-0053

Nutbeam, D., & Lloyd, J. E. (2021). Understanding and responding to health literacy as a social determinant of health. Annual Review of Public Health, 42(1), 159-173. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-090419-102529