I need a discussion REPLY to this discussion post. Must include two scholarly references from Google Scholar or Pubmed within the last 5 years. No online blogs, web pages, etc can be used. This is the original assignment this student was doing:
In your discussion, address the following questions:
1. Describe how socioeconomic determinants affect health parity in the promotion of health and disease prevention.
2. Discuss a cultural or historical factor that may impact health behaviors among a diverse population.
3. What strategies can healthcare providers employ to promote health and prevent disease among diverse populations? Give specific examples.
Reminder: For each of the discussions, you have a discussion board rubric that identifies how your work will be graded. To view this Rubric, before submitting your work, simply select the drop box menu (three dots on the top right of this page) and “Show Rubric.”
Scholarly Sources: Only scholarly sources are acceptable for citation and reference in this course. These include peer-reviewed publications, government reports, or sources written by a professional or scholar in the field. For the discussions, reputable internet sources such as websites by government agencies (URL ends in .gov) and respected organizations (often ends in .org) can be counted as scholarly sources. The best outside scholarly source to use is a peer-reviewed nursing journal. You are encouraged to use the library and search one of the available databases for a peer-reviewed journal article. The following sources should not be used: Wikipedia, Wikis, or blogs. These websites are not considered scholarly as anyone can add to these. Current outside scholarly sources must be published within the last 5 years. Instructor permission must be obtained BEFORE the assignment is due if using a source that is older than 5 years.
THIS IS THE POST TO REPLY TO:
When I think of the term health parity and the role it plays in the health field, inclusion and fair treatment is what instantly comes to mind. The idea of treating all patients equally and providing exceptional care despite their socioeconomic status, and potential barriers is vital for all healthcare professionals to respect. Chelak & Chakole (2023), discuss that health disparities have become evident due to a patient’s educational level, social class and geographical location. It is further examined that the best way to combat this dilemma is to create solutions that work around these barriers and ultimately dissipate any inequalities. It has been suggested that the first step is for medical staff to become more aware of the hardships patients face. By doing this, it encourages staff to dedicate more time to the patient and provide resources such as increase in staff numbers, insurance opportunities and payment plans, and new policies and procedures that require equal care to be provided to promote better healthcare outcomes for all (Chelak & Chakole (2023).
One cultural practice that could impact a patient’s health is Jehovah Witnesses’ beliefs on blood product refusal. Within this religion there is an overall understanding that if a member of the Jehovah witness accepts blood products, it is considered to be sinful, would cause them to be shunned by the group and considered an outcast (Radovanović et al., 2021). This raises concerns for medical staff when a patient is in critical condition and to prolong or potentially save someone’s life, giving blood products is vital to their care. I personally experienced this moral dilemma when I was a nurse working in the endoscopy unit at my hospital. We were caring for a patient with gastrointestinal bleed who was admitted with a critical hematocrit and hemoglobin level. The standard procedure would be to administer a rapid blood transfusion protocol that would play a crucial role in the patient’s survival, and in this situation, it was more crucial to respect the patient’s religion and autonomy.
The National Institutes of Health (2023) gives several examples on how to be culturally sensitive when caring for those within diverse populations. The first example that is so simple, yet so effective is getting to know your patient by asking things like how they like to be addressed, their religious and cultural preferences, and any language barriers. Next, requires you to be more in touch with nonverbal cues, such as the patient not making eye contact, shaking your hand, any physical touch, and the tone and volume of their voice, once you discover this, it is important to reciprocate. Lastly it is also stressed how important it is for you to recognize your own beliefs and practices, how culturally competent you are, and understand how that might differ from others (National Institutes of Health, 2023). It is evident that being sensitive to differing cultures and continuing education on the topic in a diverse population needs to be prominent when caring for members of any community.