There are numerous social, ethnic, and culture-related reasons behind the poor health of the population. It is essential to understand their origins and connotations in order to eliminate their effects efficiently. The role of nurse practitioners has been shifting from providing direct medical assistance to directing the social changes that improve community health (Xue & Intrator, 2016). In this review, three scholarly articles related to the ways to identify these factors will be analyzed in order to prepare for the practicum project.
The first article to be reviewed is “Addressing social determinants of health and health inequalities” by Adler, Glymour, and Fielding. It concerns the topic of the social determinants of health in the United States and what measures were taken to alleviate their impact in the recent past. Adler et al. (2016) argue that the United States puts an emphasis on “medical treatments for acute problems,” which does not eliminate the source of the issue (p. 1642). It provides statistics related to this issue, allowing the reader to understand their magnitude. The main body of the paper includes a set of priorities for nurses, such as what groups must be prioritized and what factors contribute towards the poor outcomes. Adler et al. (2016) conclude that alleviating “US health disadvantage may require rebalancing priorities to prevent or ameliorate health-damaging social conditions and behavioral choices” (p. 1642). The paper ends with a set of recommendations for the government to combat the issue.
The second scholarly article in this review will be “Avoiding the unintended consequences of screening for social determinants of health” by Garg, Boynton-Jarrett, and Dworkin. It provides an overview of the proper ways to identify the social determinants of health. It begins with the description of vulnerable groups that must be put at a higher priority when searching for the reasons behind health conditions. The main idea of the paper is that the context of the patient’s unmet needs, such as housing, nutrition, and mental state, is essential for a proper diagnosis (Garg et al., 2016). The authors provide tips for an essential screening for social determinants of health. The paper explains the fact that seeking social determinants of health is a different process than the usual medical assistance, and there is a need for a change in the diagnostic approach.
The last paper I chose for this paper is “Cultivating the role of nurse practitioners in providing primary care to vulnerable populations in an era of health-care reform” by Xue and Intrator. It describes recent trends in healthcare-related to dealing with the adverse factors that affect vulnerable groups of people. The article explains what categories must receive greater attention, and what programs are proven to be efficient for engaging nurses and patients in a care delivery process. Vital steps in these programs include the expansion of the role of nurses in expediting the progress in community health initiatives and the implementation of the evidence-based policies (Xue & Intrator, 2016). The paper highlights the importance and nuances of nurse training for dealing with socioeconomic issues.
In conclusion, these articles give the reader an insight into the state of the healthcare system and how it deals with the most vital source of current health issues within the human population. This data gives a clear idea of the current trends in global health initiatives, as well as provides information about the role of the nurses in this process. By using this information, a nurse will learn how to identify socioeconomic issues that have an adverse effect on the population and how to decide on the right course of action to eliminate them.
References
Adler, N. E., Glymour, M. M., & Fielding, J. (2016). Addressing social determinants of health and health inequalities. JAMA, 316(16), 1641-1642.
Garg, A., Boynton-Jarrett, R., & Dworkin, P. H. (2016). Avoiding the unintended consequences of screening for social determinants of health. JAMA, 316(8), 813.
Xue, Y., & Intrator, O. (2016). Cultivating the role of nurse practitioners in providing primary care to vulnerable populations in an era of health-care reform. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 17(1), 24–31.