Answer 3 for DNP 835 Reflecting on the “IHI Module TA 102: Improving Health Equity,” describe two causes of health disparities in the United States, or in your local community, that lead to health inequity

Answer 3 for DNP 835 Reflecting on the “IHI Module TA 102: Improving Health Equity,” describe two causes of health disparities in the United States, or in your local community, that lead to health inequity

Health inequities are prearranged variances in the chance groups must attain ideal health, resulting in inequitable and unnecessary dissimilarities in health outcomes (Baciu et al., 2017). Two causes of health disparity in the United States that lead to health inequity are social circumstances and access to quality health care. It is established that low socioeconomic status hinders an individual’s capability to attain ideal health by preventing access to health-preserving resources. Low-income Americans are likely to die before the age of 65 years due to their inability to have issues with health insurance and health coverage. In addition, as explained in the module, an individual’s zip code can also determine their life expectancy. Access to quality health care is one cause of health disparities noted in the United States. Persons of low economic standing usually do not get the care they need, and their health become worse than that of those who have better access. This is quite evident in marginalized, underserved, and low-income communities. Also, people with lower incomes have more health issues, more disabilities, and earlier deaths than people with higher incomes.
The ethical issue that inhibits access and quality of care is Respect for Persons and Patient Autonomy. Respect for persons involves defending a patient’s humanity, as well as their capability to make informed decisions about care in harmony with the patient’s personal values. This entails identifying the physician’s clinical judgment in assisting patients to make these decisions. Patient choices might always not be affiliated with the preferred option of a physician. Hence, shared decision-making using a collaborative approach is important to ensure respect for persons (DeCamp et al.,2018).

An initiative that may help in reducing these health inequities and sustain the change within the health care system is Faith-based organizations (FBOs). FBOs have been used tremendously and serve as essential team members in health promotion and disease prevention efforts (Schoenberg, 2017). In addition, FBOs have been identified for their ability to offer mental and physical health programming. Their ability to reach marginalized populations with health inequalities issues has led to initiatives endorsing their participation in health programming. These initiatives have concurred and recognized that, in spite of substantial sponsoring in biomedical and public health infrastructures, there are particular communities and individuals that are still disposed to health inequities In addition, transformative research orientations, as well as community-based participatory research recognizes the knowledgeable input of community members and their exceptional contributions through community and academic collaboration (Schoenberg, 2017).

References

DeCamp, M., Pomerantz, D., Cotts, K., Dzeng, E., Farber, N., Lehmann, L., Reynolds, P. P., Sulmasy, L. S., & Tilburt, J. (2018). Ethical Issues in the Design and Implementation of Population Health Programs. Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 33(3), 370–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-017-4234-4
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States, Baciu, A., Negussie, Y., Geller, A., & Weinstein, J. N. (Eds.). (2017). Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity. National Academies Press (US).
Schoenberg N. E. (2017). Enhancing the role of faith-based organizations to improve health: a commentary. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 7(3), 529–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-017-0485-1