Disparities in Healthcare. Free Essay

Disparities in healthcare refer to a higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by one group relative to others. Its also a difference in health between groups; for example, people with low income have more obesity than those with higher income. Why some specific patient's expanding population faces challenges when it comes to receiving competent care.

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Language barriers-language and communication barriers can influence the quality of healthcare provided. Poor communication will lead to the patient not being satisfied with the services offered, adherence, and low health quality provided. The level of interpretation services given to patients determines the level of satisfaction to enable them to open up and explain their health condition to health workers and get good feedback about the treatment. The language barrier possesses difficulty in delivering services and the ability to provide information and instructions.

Geographical location-it has a significant impact on a person's health. For example, rural areas have limited resources; hence they have few medical centers and clinics, and a limited number of medical staff. Accessing health services on-time and during an emergency can be a significant problem. If a medical officer in the rural area speaks a different language, it's hard to find interpreters in rural areas, which affects relationship-building opportunities regarding services materials, several studies, treatment plans, treatment materials, and treatment goals.

Low literacy: The elderly have lower literacy levels, and during their time, they had a less formal education than the younger population. The minorities have lower literacy levels, communication, and language barriers, and cultural beliefs, hence differing in education. Low levels of literacy will affect the patient's ability to understand and read the instruction on medicine prescription, insurance forms, medicine bottles, or even insurance forms. Due to illiteracy, one can take the wrong medicine prescription endangering their life.

Income- groups with low income have the most inferior healthcare and unable to access medical care and health information. They can not be able to participate in healthy behavior, which includes: eating a balanced diet, exercise, enough sleep.

Strategies Can Be Used To Overcome This Challenge

Work on improving language and communication barriers as different cultural groups will be entailed within the health worker language use. It is best to find a translator or speak its language to help communicate with literate patients.

Participating in social media can make the health workers create awareness on cultural competence and create an impact on the health worker to improve their perceived cultural competency. Also, online networkers will keep them updated on any changes in cultural competency issues.

Get to know the community where you work-access the community demographic reports to guide you about the specified races, ethnicities, and language represented in your town. Learn about the culture through experienced reading, engaging, and listening.

Obtaining a cultural competence certificate- a health provider can attend a training session in an organization to gains skills, knowledge, and skills. They can also access online learning materials like journals, and reports, and can also attend workshops.

Health workers should take the initiative of creating an interactive environment with their patients because patients are different and come from different cultures with different beliefs, values, and norms. It will improve their ability to handle their patients if the health worker is ready to have a productive interaction.

Health workers should be able to determine the extent to which they can interact and work with people who come from a different cultures with different values. They should know their weakness and work on how to strengthen them to make their ability to work with different people efficiently.

Resources to Learn How to Be More Culturally Competent

Journal articles-journals will help to learn addressing disparities through quality improvement in managing healthcare. Academics and experts check journals; therefore, their information is reliable. Organizations-healthcare providers can join an organization that offers culturally competent training. This helps increase cultural awareness knowledge and skills and will help the providers improve their cultural competence.

Online learning modules through online learning will allow providers to learn how to handle the disadvantages of patients groups without barriers. They will be provided with high-quality education and on their own once and time. Webcasts will e-learning to the health providers, and they can be able to interact with other health providers, share their views, and get a chance to gain more awareness, skills, and knowledge.

References

Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., & Carrillo, J. E., 2002. Cultural competence in health care: Emerging frameworks and practical approaches—New York: The Commonwealth Fund.

Collins, K.S., Hughes, D. L., Doty, M. M., Ives, B. L. Edwards, J. N., & Tenney, K. 2002. Diverse communities, common concerns: Assessing health care quality for minority Americans. New York: The Commonwealth Fund.

Corbin, J & Strauss A. (2008). Qualitative Research Techniques and Procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousands of Oaks: Sage publications

Khamisa, C. (1997). Cultural diversity in Glasgow. Part 1. Are we meeting the challenge? Be J Occup Ther.