Sociocultural Challenges and Healthcare Disparities
Nurses within the U.S. deliver care to patients with diverse values, beliefs, and lifestyles that often challenge the values of the nurse (Fearrington, 2020.p235). This creates various challenges for nurses, including sociocultural challenges and a population with major healthcare disparities. This article presents opinions on responding to the challenges of providing care to socially-culturally diverse populations and those who often face healthcare disparities, experiences with healthcare disparities in practice as a nurse in Clive, Iowa, and populations at risk for healthcare disparities within the community. It also discusses healthcare disparities faced by the vulnerable population in Clive, Iowa, and possible care for the population. It also shares personal thoughts regarding improving the care for vulnerable groups.
Thoughts on Nurses’ Response to the Challenge of Providing Quality Care to Populations Facing Healthcare Disparity
Some populations in the U.S. are much expected to be disadvantaged, leading to them experiencing major healthcare disparities. Regardless of the values, beliefs, and health practices of these disadvantaged populations, nurses must find ways to respond to the sociocultural challenges and provide quality care to such populations. From a personal perspective, nurses can respond to and manage these challenges by first highlighting and understanding the sociocultural aspects that contribute to the healthcare disparities the particular populations experience. This means adopting a more people- and community-focused approach to the design of healthcare services and then further individualizing care to the individual needs of the people within the community. Secondly, by understanding the sociocultural aspects of the community and individuals within the community, nurses can be able to provide more culturally sensitive care. besides, cultural competence is often characterized by respecting the cultural beliefs, values, and practices of the patient, as these influence illness behaviors and contribute to the provision of quality patient-centered care (Baker, 2020, p. 263). Additionally, a personal belief is that a nurse who aims to provide quality and equitable care to all should always seek to continuously learn and understand the changing healthcare environment, including providing care to a socially and culturally diverse population.
Situation in Nursing Practice Resulting in Deficient Healthcare
I believe I have witnessed a number of situations that may have resulted in a healthcare disparity or provision of deficient healthcare. One particular situation is one that involved an elderly patient with dementia who had been brought by his 14-year-old granddaughter for a checkup following pain on the left side of his chest and sometimes feeling overly tired. The attending nurses did not care much about the patient’s mental and emotional status and only went ahead to conduct the tests related to the patient’s presented symptoms. I later learned that the patient was diagnosed with high blood pressure and was only provided medications for managing his high blood pressure. The care plan did not mention his dementia or further checkup for comorbid conditions, although he also presented symptoms of diabetes. Although a follow-up two weeks later led to the patient getting fully checked for other conditions, the ignorance of the care team had caused the patient to receive deficient care and delay the provision of deserved care.
Morbidity and Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia
People with dementia face the risk of developing various comorbid conditions, majorly due to old age, cases of polypharmacy, and complications associated with progressing dementia. Due to these factors, patients with dementia are at an increased risk of high blood pressure, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression, and other mental health issues. Notably, it affects a review of data from the Alzheimer’s Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that an estimated six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, with the number expected to rise to over 13 million by 2050. Of these, one in every three elderly adults is more likely to die with a type of dementia as the underlying cause. In 2017 alone, a total of 261,914 deaths were directly attributed to dementia (Kramarow & Tejada-Vera, 2019). The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that dementia will cost $345 billion in 2023, with such cost expected to exceed $1 trillion by 2050.
Healthcare Disparities Faced by Elderly Patients with Dementia
People with dementia are among the vulnerable and marginalized population groups that face healthcare disparities. From experiences during nursing practice, the major healthcare disparities elderly patients face include delayed diagnosis and access to treatment services, as well as inadequate access to specialized care. Patients with dementia are also prone to developing multiple comorbid conditions. Additionally, vulnerable populations potentially get stigmatized or experience violence in the community (Dodgen, 2019). This means such populations require special care and focus in nursing. A biblical principle relating to how nurses should care for members of minorities, those in poverty, or other marginalized populations, including patients with dementia, is caring for others and loving them as one would to themselves. This principle can help nurses bear responsibility for dementia patients, including ensuring they have access to and receive the best of care.
Thoughts on Ways Nurses Can Respond to Improve the Care for Dementia Patients
Nurses, as frontline workers, can improve care for dementia patients by first educating themselves on dementia. This includes understanding how dementia affects the patient, including its impact on physical and mental well-being. Accordingly, this will help them understand the needs of the patients and provide patient-centered dementia care. Nurses will also need to advocate for dementia patients so as to have policies that consider and prioritize care services for patients with dementia, including providing free and guided healthcare services.
References
Baker, M. J. (2020). Nurses, patients, and families: Caring at the intersection of health, illness, and culture. In B. P. Black (Ed.), Professional nursing: Concepts & challenges (9th ed., pp. 285-310). Elsevier.
Dodgen, D. (2019). At-risk individuals, behavioral health, and community resilience: Preparedness and response for vulnerable communities. American Journal of Public Health, 109(Suppl 4), S281. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305296
Fearrington, M. (2020). Communication and collaboration in professional nursing. In B. P. Black (Ed.), Professional nursing: Concepts & challenges (9th ed., pp. 259-284). Elsevier.
Kramarow, E. A., & Tejada-Vera, B. (2019). Dementia mortality in the United States, 2000-2017. National Vital Statistics Reports, 68(2), 1–29. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31112120/
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Instructions
1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. In your textbook, Professional Nursing: Concepts and Challenges, review Chapter 14, “Health Care in the United States” including the Considering Culture Box related to health disparities on page 321.
3. Review the Resources for Workshop 5: Sociocultural Considerations and Health Disparities W. You can access the articles by going to the OCLS site and selecting Nursing Journals. The full text of this article is available on CINAHL.
Sociocultural Challenges and Healthcare Disparities
a. The quickest way to access an article from CINAHL when you know the exact title (listed under course resources) is to copy the title and paste the title of the article into the search bar.
b. Select Title and click Search. You will generally end up with one result-the article you are looking for.
4. Visit the following website to learn more about sociocultural challenges and healthcare disparities:
a. Minority Health & Health Equity at CDC
6. Prepare to discuss the following prompts: 5. Search OCLS and the Internet for information on health disparities and sociocultural aspects of nursing care.
healthcare disparity. a. Include your thoughts about how nurses can respond to these challenges to provide quality care to those who often face
b. Share an example of a situation from your nursing practice that either has resulted in a healthcare disparity based on sociocultural concerns or a concern you have noted that could result in deficient care for minorities or those in poverty or marginalized groups. other marginalized groups. Psychiatric patients, patients with dementia, and the elderly are a few examples of
disparities. c. Look up information on morbidity and mortality within your community. Discuss the populations at risk for healthcare
d. Discuss healthcare disparities faced by your vulnerable population. Identify a biblical principle relating to how nurses should care for members of minorities, those in poverty, or other marginalized populations.
e. Share your thoughts with regard to ways that nurses could respond to improve the care for these groups.
can be accessed through IWU Resources 7. Find at least two current scholarly sources to support your explanations and insights. OCLS resources are preferred sources and Wikipedia is not permitted, as it is not a peer-reviewed, scholarly source.
8. Whether written or spoken, interactions are expected to:
a. clearly and thoroughly address the prompt with meaningful information that shows critical thinking.
b. introduce your own ideas and questions to add greater depth to the discussion, rather than restating what your classmates
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