Introduction
The nursing profession has experienced a number of significant changes in recent years. Throughout the course of the pandemic, the failings of the US medical system have become more apparent, and the pressure to maintain population health fell on understaffed, overworked, and endangered nurses. In light of this development, it has become more important than ever to recognize the ability of nursing professionals to change their approaches according to circumstances and provide them with the tools necessary to support a diverse array of patients. In addition, it is crucial to address the burnout medical professionals experience, facilitating ways of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and workplace resilience. This paper will focus on analyzing the National Academy of Medicine’s 2021 report that focuses on precisely these issues. By considering the guidelines provided in the work, it will be possible to approach the nursing work from a different, more informed, angle.
Significance of Health Equity
Health equity is a concept central to nursing and to the National Academy of Medicine’s report. By definition, equity in healthcare refers to the capacity of the healthcare system to provide any and every individual with equally positive health outcomes. It is an elimination of issues that hold certain groups of people back from accessing high-quality healthcare, and the amplification of marginalized voices. With the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became much more apparent that not all population groups receive the level of care they need, resulting in unfavorable health outcomes (Hassmiller & Wakefield, 2022).
In particular, people of color were significantly more likely to suffer severe symptoms of COVID-19 and die, even in cases where their white counterparts recovered. Less a problem of individual actors’ racism, this outcome is a result of a flawed healthcare system. This, along with the fragmented nature of US healthcare, allows certain people to suffer injustice at the hands of medical professionals or remain invisible. Efforts to enhance healthcare equity are directed at mending the cracks between healthcare sectors, creating a substantive safety net for individuals, and improving patient outcomes across populations. Without the participation of nurses in this process, it will be impossible to connect with vulnerable patients and improve healthcare delivery.
Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity
Health is determined by much more than one’s genetics and individual choices. It is a complex set of interconnected factors, each of which has an influence on the well-being of a particular population. Specifically, economic, political, and social factors affect people’s health enormously. The political regime of the country, recently passed legislation, where a person lives, their income level, availability of nutrition in their area, their workplace, and their identity – all of these factors can play a key role in determining an individual’s health (Lathrop, 2020). Income and class, in particular, are among the most prominent influences in the United States. In order to discuss this in more detail, a lower-middle-class family can be considered as an example. Such a family typically lives in a low-income area, meaning that access to high-quality health education and resources is non-present. In addition, the lack of finances also limits their purchasing power and dictates the family’s eating habits.
Lower-middle-class families will likely struggle to pick a better insurance plan, leading to larger medical charges. The inability to cover procedures like dental care and a lack of time exacerbate existing health issues, resulting in emergencies and medical debt. Furthermore, low-income areas suffer from underfunded healthcare institutions, providing poor healthcare and a smaller range of specialized care providers. As a result of all these problems, a low-income family cannot enjoy the same level and quality of health as a higher-income family. In order to rectify these issues, nursing education focuses on building a system of healthcare equity. By building an equitable health system, it will be possible to give low-income struggling families the same quality of care are their well-off counterparts.
Role of Nurses in Improving Health Equity
Nurses are a connecting piece between the healthcare system and the society it supports. In order to promote equity of health outcomes, nurses must fulfill a number of responsibilities and roles. Firstly, they act as direct distributors of care, capable of educating vulnerable populations and helping erase the gap in health outcomes (Lathrop, 2020). Secondly, nurses are able to act as healthcare leaders, directing other professionals to work in a patient-centered manner. This work is crucial for nursing leaders, who occupy a managing role in the healthcare delivery process. Lastly, nurses can be agents of change beyond the hospital room. By communicating with community organizations, local movements, grassroots organizations, and legislators, nurses have the ability to enhance the lives of their patients.
Self-Care and Avoiding Nursing Burnout
As outlined in this work, nurses have a wide array of responsibilities and tasks, all of them necessary in order to allow populations to live better, healthier lives. The benefits nurses bring come at the cost of their individual health, often leading to burnout and mental health crises. In order to reduce nursing stress, a wide number of intervention programs have been discussed in journals and research papers. Typically, both individual and group interventions are effective in reducing the levels of stress nurses experience. Approaches such as yoga, online stress management programs, cognitive coping, and workplace stress training have all shown varying levels of success (De Oliveira et al., 2019).
Methods such as meditation are closer to self-care and can work on an individual basis. Group resilience training, on the other hand, is based on nursing research and contemporary evidence regarding anti-burnout practices. It is necessary to adopt as many of these solutions as possible to assist nurses in their healthcare responsibilities. In closing, it can be said that nurses are vital to the changing landscape of the medical field. Providing their expertise and skills to the sphere, they are pillars of support for both the community and their organizations. Nurses of the future have a responsibility to keep up with current best practices and ensure the well-being of others.
References
De Oliveira, S. M., De Alcantara Sousa, L. V., Vieira Gadelha, M. D., & Do Nascimento, V. B. (2019). Prevention actions of burnout syndrome in nurses: An integrating literature review. Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, 15(1), 64-73. Web.
Hassmiller, S. B., & Wakefield, M. K. (2022). The future of nursing 2020–2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity. Nursing Outlook, 70(6), S1-S9. Web.
Lathrop, B. (2020). Moving toward health equity by addressing social determinants of health. Nursing for Women’s Health, 24(1), 36-44. Web.