Respond to this post The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health as conditions or circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These conditions are shaped by political, social, and economic forces.
Assignment Question
Respond to this post The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health as conditions or circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These conditions are shaped by political, social, and economic forces. A toxic combination of poor policies and programs, unfair economic arrangements and bad governance may lead to unfavorable conditions. Ideally, the socio-politico-economic conditions in a society should be such that its citizens enjoy a favorable set of social resources, and that these resources are distributed fairly. The quality, quantity, and distribution of these resources, together, to a large extent, determine citizen’s health and well-being. Opportunities to have an education, a healthy living environment, nutrition, healthcare, and employment are some of those resources.” (Islam, 2019) Social determinants of health (SDOH) could encompass many areas of healthcare in relation to patients and their families demographics. A patients care should be tailored that patients specific needs. The lack of certain amenities can affect the patients quality of life and well-being. Some examples of SDOH are reliable transportation to ensure the patients access to appointments for healthcare, safe housing, discrimination and racism, and the right too safe neighborhoods. Through my continued advancement of education, care, and recent clinical rotation it is noted that the demographic most affected by SDOH are those who lack the income or have lower income, lack insurance coverage, transportation, or have a cultural or language barrier. This only creates a domino effect when it comes to the patients health. Barriers to healthcare prevent patients from seeking the treatment they need. This has presented many challenges. When the patient is able to make an appointment with a provider their health has gone untreated for some time, which if it’s hypertension, it then leads to possible kidney damage, or if hyperlipidemia, the patient may now be complaining of recent decline in heart functioning. “Delaying medical care can negatively affect health outcomes, inpatient stays, and the frequency of emergency department visits. A paucity of reliable healthcare access increases the likelihood of late-stage diagnoses, higher mortality rates, and poorer survival. Thus, there is a direct correlation between access to healthcare and disease awareness and management.” (Ratnapradipa et al., 2023) Some changes that could better serve the community could consist of surveying the area of care too help the provider be knowledgeable of the patient demographic they are serving and the specific needs of the community, community outreach programs and health fairs that allow better access to information, resources, and services available to them, and educating the patients on the importance of health monitoring and lifestyle changes that could affect their health overall. A risk assessment instrument appropriate for assessing the needs of the community could be the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). This assessment tool is used to measure the quality of the neighborhood, income, education, employment, and housing. “Examples of neighborhood-level factors incorporated within the Area Deprivation Index include education, employment, housing quality, and poverty measures.” (Diaz et al., 2023) Most health related risk identified upon the age group that I would be serving mainly harp upon socio-economic status. The inability to access the healthcare benefits needed whether it be transportation or income has the potential to be a major impact on their care. Those mainly experiencing these healthcare disparities are rachial or ethic groups, underserved rural communities, gender minority groups, and people with disabilities. The risk for the adult gerontological community experiencing health care disparities could result in terminal demise because of the importance of receiving healthcare that is consistent and easily accessible.
