National Health Care Quality and Disparities Report

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Recommended: Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare

The National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (NHQDR) (2012) identified three key themes. The themes are health care quality and access are suboptimal, especially for minority and low income groups; overall quality is improving, access is getting worse and disparities are not changing; and urgent attention is warranted to ensure continued improvements in: quality diabetic care, maternal and child health, adverse events, disparities in cancer care and quality care among the states in the south.
The NHQDR 2012 is a comprehensive report that implies there are changes that need to occur at multiple levels within the health care system and public policy. The report implies that the health care system needs to become more accessible to all populations, and the disparities in quality of care need to decrease. Health care providers need to evaluate access to care, treatment quality and its effectiveness. Meanwhile public policy needs to support funded programs that will improve access to care and support preventative services.
As a health care provider Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) should be actively involved in working towards eliminating disparities. APRNs should conduct research to determine the health disparities in their community by utilizing the state and local database for the Department of Health. The APRNs need to report the findings to local health care providers, and political leaders, then initiate change based on the findings.
APRNs could write culturally relevant health promotional literature on diabetic disease management and make the literature available at public health clinics, primary care clinics, local parishes and senior centers. The literature needs to be available in multiple languages ...

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...cilitate cultural competency. The presentation should be tailored to the specific population or cultural groups which the health care providers serve; it should award continuing education credits and should provide written material including relevant online resources.
Planning and implementing a breast screening event in a predominantly African American community is one way the ARPNs are able to address disparities in preventative care. The event needs to be publicized at local social centers, parishes and other religious establishments. APRNs should collaborate with local health care providers in order to ensure follow up care is available to address any clinical findings.
References

Works Cited

Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (2013) The national health care disparities report
Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhdr12/

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