Individual factors can influence the health of vulnerable populations in many ways. Many people in a low socioeconomic status do not have adequate access to healthcare. With this, comes many problems. Since there is no access to good quality healthcare, they may have many diseases that become untreated, that can worsen with time and shorten the lifespan. . Environmental and societal factors also can have an impact on the health of marginalized populations because depending on where a person lives, they may not be within a good distance to a healthcare facility. If they live in a rural area, they may have to drive very far to go to a doctor’s appointment or may not even have the means to get to a doctors office.
Social and cultural beliefs have a huge impact on marginalization in healthcare. Many people are not used to different cultures and how they do things differently from one another. Some cultures may have different views on healthcare or have a specific ritual that they do before or after a baby is born for example. A lot of healthcare professionals are not education on how to properly care for these patients. It is important that when you meet your patients, you ask them what they want to do or how they normally do certain things. They may not be comfortable doing certain things that others find okay.
Strategies that may be used to improve healthcare disparities and improve the health of vulnerable populations can be done in many ways. As a future nurse, learning about these important topics now helps me to gain a better understanding of how this works and how to go about situations like these. I will be able to give my patients an idea of who to contact if they need help with anything and send them in the right direction. I also think that healthcare professionals can try to work around the patients schedule more. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has improved tremendously. Using telehealth as a tool for patients who may not be able to make in person appointments due to their schedules could also have an impact on how the vulnerable populations receive quality care.
I think that this presentation helped a lot for me to better understand how to enhance my care of diverse populations. I learned a lot about the different populations, especially ones that have a low socioeconomic status. We have to realize that many people have jobs that they cannot miss and we may have to work around the patients schedule in order for them to be able to get to an appointment. I have gained a new respect for people who are trying to provide for themselves or their families by putting their job first instead of their own health, since they might not be able to get the time off of work.
