Windshield Survey
Vulnerable PopulationsNURS 340Tracie StrandVulnerable Populations and Self-AwarenessAbstractThe purpose of this paper is to examine vulnerable populations while exploring my own beliefs and bias regarding this subject. This paper will discuss health care disparities as well as define vulnerable populations. I will identify the vulnerable populations in my community and share my own personal experiences with this population. Vulnerable & Underserved Populations“Vulnerability seems to mean lacking sufficient ability to advance health and wellness, along with a greater need to look to others for solutions” (Harkness & DeMarco, 2012, p. 335). This constitutes individuals in become part of an underserved population. An underserved population can be defined as, “people in certain groups that are not served equitably by public and private healthcare infrastructures because of lack of access, racism, sexism, homophobia, and fear of what they do not understand” (Harkness & DeMarco, 2012, p. 336). Living in a rural community I can best identify some our vulnerable population as: uninsured, unemployed, women, children, homosexuals, and elderly. Health DisparitiesThe Institute of Medicine (IOM) report defined disparities in health care as “racial or ethnic differences in the quality of health care that are not due to access-related factors or clinical needs, preferences, and appropriateness of intervention” (Egede, 2008). In the article Race, Ethnicity, Culture, and Disparities in Health care, by Leonard Egede, approximately 5% of 54, 968 respondents reported experiencing some form of discrimination (Egede, 2008). Further mathematics implies that 2,748 individuals out of the cross sectional study has felt like their race have prevented of prohibited their medical care. My CommunityAccording to the United States Census Bureau, Gratiot County has 42,063 residents as of March 2012. Of those, 92.1% of the populations are white, with Blacks and Hispanics totaling approximately 4% (U.S Census Bureau, 2012). With that being said, I am aware that I have a personal bias with other races based on inexperience. I do not consider myself raciest, but I do know that I am more uncomfortable working with clients that are non-Caucasian. I think if I had greater exposure to other races that this would not be an issue. I have also recognized that my role as a MIHP nurse may also account for this. For example, I am often times assisting with breastfeeding in the home. Initially, I can tell that some of the non-Caucasian clients are more uncomfortable that I am a different race. Building a relationship based on trust is imperative when working intimately with clients. According to an article from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), titled The Progress in increasing breastfeeding and reducing racial/ethnic differences in the United States, Race/ethnicity, prevalence of breastfeeding initiation in 2000 was 47.4% among blacks, 71.8% among whites, and 77.6% among Hispanics (MMWR, 2013). With the black percentage being so low, it is obvious that this population is in need of support. Racial bias will only prohibit the benefits of breastfeeding for the mother and child. ConclusionEquality in healthcare should be practiced more widely. Healthcare providers should acknowledge any bias they have when working with vulnerable populations to ensure they receive sufficient medical care. Education should be tailored to the patient/client’s needs and referrals made when appropriate. Health care providers need to familiarize themselves to community programs that can benefit the vulnerable populations and include resources in patient education. ReferencesEgede, L. E. (2008). Race, ethnicity, culture and disparities in health care. Retrieved from:, G. A., & DeMarco, R. F. (2012). Community and public health nursing: Evidence for practice. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.MMWR. (2013). Progress in increasing breastfeeding and reducing racial/ethnic differences - united states, 2000-2008 births. Retrieved from Census Bureau. (2011, October 27). Gratiot county quickfacts. Retrieved from ................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.