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Why are there ethnic inequalities in health care
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a. Describe and discuss two common biases that may be observed or experienced in a healthcare setting and (Minimum 100 words original words only. Check your work for spelling, grammar, and punctuation prior to posting). There can be many biases involved in any social circumstance and weight biases in the health care area can be seen as cultural or even economical. In some cases most Hispanics are seen as both unhealthy and obese from all the family gatherings overeating with rich foods and massive amount of the dreaded tortillas that can sit in your gut like a brick (not that I am speaking from experience or anything). With this being said, most ethnic cultures are also seen and categorized as low income or poor. With the arrival of an ethnic
The African American culture appears to be more accepting of obesity than other cultures in society. On the other hand, African American women experience great social pressure in respect to body size and receive painful accounts of ridicule (Averett & Sanders, 1996). Obese African American women have also been linked to the lower socioeconomic status in regards having the means to purchase nutritional foods for a proper diet.
Discriminating against a person because of one's weight can be a seriously hurtful and demeaning thing. Many people assume that the causes for being overweight are eating all day and rarely exercising. Some people call overweight people slobs or lazy, when in most instances this isn't the case. Some have health problems that lead to being overweight, like a kidney disease or malfunction, or the person may even be suffering from a birth defect.
Over 60 million people are obese in the world today. The socioeconomic statuses of the Americans play a major part in the obesity rates across the country. People with higher incomes are less likely to be obese than people with lower incomes. One in every seven preschool-aged children living in lower income areas are obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). A 2008 study showed that obesity is highest among American Indian and Alaska Native (21.2 percent) and Hispanic Americans (18.5 percent) children, and it is lowest among white (12.6 percent), Asian or Pacific Islander (12.3 percent), and black (11.8 percent) children (Get America Fit).
According to the institute of Medicine (IOM), racism is a problem in the health care system, that is, the difference between the quality of health care received by minorities and non-minorities is due to racism. IOM is a nonprofit organization that advises the federal government and the public on science policy. It released a report that on average, minorities receive a lower quality of care, even when factors such as income and type of health insurance are accounted for. The report by IOM states that racial stereotypes and prejudice are the cause of the health care disparities. The article by IOM points ...
...should become more open minded when creating an application pool for job seekers. They should make the application and hiring process less bias and discriminatory in order for minorities to have a better opportunity at gaining a job in healthcare leadership and management. To prevent employers from believing social stereotypes, they must educate themselves on other races and ethnicities backgrounds to have a better understanding of them and their beliefs. As the diversity of the United States population continue to rise, the demand for diversity in healthcare is on a steady increase. It is vital for healthcare organizations to add diversity in their workforce to benefit patients’ comfortability when seeking medical attention. The barriers that stand in the recruitment of minority employees should be broken to benefit both healthcare organizations and their patients.
The disparities in the healthcare system contribute to the overall health status disparities that affect ethnic and racial minorities. The sources of ethnic and racial healthcare disparities include cultural barriers, geography differences, or healthcare provider stereotyping. In addition, difficulties in communication between health care providers and patients, lack of access to healthcare providers, and lack of access to adequate health care coverage
As professional nurses we come across complex situations which questions our standards of practice, biases, and competencies. There are several issues in the nursing profession and practice which indirectly affects the delivery of care. One such issue is bias which can either be implicit(unintentional) or explicit(intentional). In today’s current complex healthcare settings, bias can be seen in the workplace. Ronald Wheeler (2015) notes, “Bias come in many forms and can influence all our interactions including those occurring in the workplace” (p. 237). Bias may be shown or experienced in different ways and this can impede treatment or create disparities.
I admire her critical reflection to her own bias and privilege. This attitude must be "unhidden" curriculum in medical schools. TP Implicit bias has critical relevance to public health practitioners.
These differences occur as a result of culture, race and geographical location as well as socioeconomic status (Andrews, & Boyle, 2008). Health disparities affect racial and ethnic minorities, low-income groups, women, children, older adults, residents of rural areas, and individuals with disabilities and special care needs (National Institutes of Health, 2010). Health disparities result in inadequate health care for affected populations with significant medical problems. Inadequate health care delivered in an untimely fashion ultimately requires more intervention to resolve worsening problems and also increases health care expenses for individuals, families, and communities (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008).
I grew up in India, where access to food healthcare was very rare. However, my family and I were very fortunate to have many Doctors in our family. This was the only reason why I was able to get good doctors for monthly checkups, and vaccinations as a kid. There were also shortage of pharmacies, however I personally never had to experience any hardship. That does not mean others had the same. Many people were not as fortunate as I was. People who were poor or lower caste had no proper medications or healthcare. They did not have regular health checkups or proper funds to have three meals a day. Poor people are always the target of many unfortunate situations. “You wont see inequality on a medical chart or a coroner's report under 'cause of death.' You wont see it listed among the top killers in the United States each year. All too often, however, it is social inequality that lurks behind a more immediate cause of death, be it heart disease or diabetes,
Since 1970, the obesity rates in America have more than doubled. Currently two-thirds of (roughly 150 million) adults in the United States are either overweight, or obese (Food Research and Action Center). According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 whereas obesity is defined as a BMI greater than 30.” There are numerous factors that contribute to obesity such as: biological, behavioral and cultural influences (Food Research and Action Center). While these factors all have a large role in obesity, there is no factor with as great of an influence as poverty.
I have had the opportunity to work alongside a diverse and extensive number of doctors and nurse practitioners, among other health professionals, which has exposed me to different ways of practicing, different work ethics, skills, and abilities. I know what patients typically consider to be desirable and undesirable traits of health professionals.
Some of these barriers can include discrimination and stereotyping between coworkers and also between patients and the healthcare staff. According to Andrews and Boyle (2016), gender can become a barrier for female nurses with males being paid a higher wage and receiving promotions quicker than females. Affirmative action is a policy that provides equal opportunities without being discriminated against (Adrews & Boyle, 2016). However, discrimination can happen when an employer is required to hire a certain percentage of minorities within their company instead of being able to actually hire the best candidate for the job based on experience, work ethic, or education. Role stereotyping can also hinder the workforce. Many see the traditional role of a nurse as being a female and a male being a physician. Many patients will assume that a male entering their room is a physician and therefore have more respect for them and their knowledge as opposed to a nurse. Hatred toward coworkers due to prejudice and discrimination can also play a barrier to diversity. Many employees can show negatively toward specific groups such as, homosexuals or Muslims due to feelings related to previous interactions or behaviors with certain cultures (VanLaer, & Janssens, 2011). Although there are many more barriers in diversity, it is obvious that we need to continue to work on awareness toward other
Explain who the patient is (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Age/ Generations, Socioeconomic Status, Language, and Religion) and describe a situation in which a nursing professional must navigate an encounter that is affected by his/her own biases.
This essay reviews a selection of the literature on healthcare-related inequalities, with the aim of illuminating how we can differentiate between fair and unfair, and between avoidable and unavoidable, inequalities in health. This essay also reviews some of the more common methods used to measure healthcare inequalities and discusses their limitations. Some policy considerations are provided at the end.