Cultural Disparities In Health Care

It is essential to me to be a patient advocate, provider, teacher, manager, and leader because I think that we as nurses should deliver the highest quality nursing care in order to accomplish excellence in patient 's outcomes. To me nursing is about compassion and trying to understand human beings on all emotional, physical, and scientific levels. As a professional nurse, I feel a personal commitment toward life-long learning, through formal education and hands-on experience to better myself and my nursing knowledge. Of all the things that make up nursing, nobody can truly understand or know what it means to be a nurse until they have actually lived it. The first thing that comes to mind when someone asks me why I want to be a nurse is because I just love to take care of people.

Healthcare differences or disparities refer to the condition or state of unequal, unlikeness, and disproportion that is observed between people within a society with regard to access to healthcare services (Williams & Torrens, 2011). Such differences are caused by different demographics such as economic status, age, gender, color, and ethnicity. In the United States, such disparities have been witnessed since time immemorial. These differences mean that some people within the country do not have access to quality healthcare services whereas others have full access at all times. Some of these differences in access to healthcare in the country are discussed below.

Studies have demonstrated that the various beliefs, knowledge, and interpretations of value, health, principles and identity make it difficult for indigenous people to employ mainstream healthcare facilities. In addition, there is a close connection between their core beliefs and delays in accessing health checks, follow-ups, and cancer

Health care disparity according to U.S National Library of Medicine (2017) “typically refers to differences between groups in health insurance coverage, access to and use of care, and quality of care”. The purpose of this research was to identify the different factors that prevent San Bernardino County residents from accessing quality healthcare and identify specific groups affected. Our research has concluded , social economics status, gender, race and ethnicity to be major factors in San Bernardino County that have created these healthcare disparities. According to the Kaiser Permanente Community Health Needs Assessment San Bernardino County (CHNA 2013 ) the impact of economic instability, unemployment, homelessness and transportation,

The author also states and concludes that measures must be taken to eliminate racial disparities in health. Racial disparities, the racial differences in discrimination, is an indicator of health status of a person. Large racial disparities can cause a decline in health in one type of racial group for example Blacks have an elevated death rate for 8 of the 10 leading causes of death. The mortality rate and infant mortality rate for Blacks is higher than for Whites and this is because there isn’t equality in society. There are many reasons for the large difference in health between Blacks and Whites, one of the reasons is the limit of housing options

Although, the health care system is set up to reduce or to prevent disease etc., there is a gap or disparity in the US health care system. The sexual orientation, race, age, etc., in the US deprived certain groups from receiving equal opportunity in the health care and the health care. Thus, making the disparities in the US health system an increasing problem issue. What is/ are the health and health care issue or disparities? According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2012), health and health care disparity refer to differences in the health and health care between population groups.

There is a large gap between the people with coverage and the people without. In one article, the author states, “Minority groups have a harder time obtaining health insurance” (“Overview of the American Healthcare System”). This may be greatly due to the fact that minorities usually live in lower income areas. The same author also brought something to light: “Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater social and/or economic obstacles...based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory, or physical disability; sexual orientation; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion” (Overview of the American Healthcare System). This further proves and stresses the fact that there is a large difference between the uninsured and insured as well as the sick and the

As a medical profession, one must examine his or her practice and make sure it aligns with actions that are conducive to creating a more equal healthcare environment. This begins with facilitating greater access to primary care and actively providing services in underserved areas. The greatest way that primary care impacts underserved populations is through preventing disease and promoting healthy lifestyles. When a medical provider can see a patient while his or her condition is still at an early stage, the disease is prevented from progressing to a stage that is more difficult and costly to treatment. In addition to increased primary care access, it is also important for medical providers to educate the public about health disparities.

Interprofessional practice improves health care delivery through the use of knowledge and skills of health care professionals. Interprofessional practice is an advantage for healthcare professionals because it improves communication among health care professionals. Interprofessional practice also includes collaboration. It includes collaboration of health care professionals from different backgrounds meet, interact, learn and practice with the client. Collaboration which is a part of Interprofessional practice is powerful in a way that it achieves satisfactory health outcomes.

Disparities in health care have been an ongoing issue for more than two decades. Evidence suggests that disparities in women and minority population continue to be problematic, with little progress being made to eliminate them. Ethnic and disparities exist for several different reasons. However, several national organizations have made efforts to reduce health disparities, including the Institute of Medicine, (IOM), and the Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) as well as Healthy People 20/20.