Review of lecturers

Review the following lectures:

Multilingual, Bicultural Challenges: A Slippery Slope
Barriers to Care
Before beginning work on this assignment, please review the expanded grading rubric for specific instructions relating to content and formatting.

From the Internet, read the following:

Cohn, D. (2007, May 17). The growing global chronic disease epidemic. Retrieved from: http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2007/GrowingGlobalChronicDiseaseEpidemic.aspx
Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. (2004). Cultural competence in health care: Is it important for people with chronic conditions? Retrieved from https://hpi.georgetown.edu/agingsociety/pubhtml/cultural/cultural.html
Putsch, R., & Joyce, M. (n.d.). Dealing with Patients from Other Cultures: Methodology in Cross-cultural Care. 229, 1050–1065. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK340/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK340.pdf
Roush, S. (2011). Chapter 19: Enhancing surveillance. In VPD surveillance manual (5th ed.). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt19-enhancing-surv.pdf
This week, we discussed the growing social diversity in the United States and the resultant barriers to care. Use the information presented in the readings and identify three of the most pressing issues, which, if addressed, might have the greatest impact upon healthcare delivery. In your approach, you can elect to identify an issue specific to a local hospital catchment area. Taking this approach, include the regional demographics, the problem, the issues of diversity differences within the healthcare workforce, and your approach to an effective solution. In your narrative, also discuss whether the efforts would be effective in addressing the problem and improving the health outcomes.

Full Answer Section

Approach to an effective solution:

One way to address these issues is to increase the diversity of the healthcare workforce. Healthcare providers who come from diverse backgrounds are more likely to be able to communicate with and understand patients from different cultures. They are also more likely to be aware of the health disparities that affect different groups of people.

Another way to address these issues is to provide training to healthcare providers on cultural competency. Cultural competency training can help healthcare providers to understand the cultural beliefs and practices of their patients. It can also help healthcare providers to communicate more effectively with patients from different cultures.

Local hospital catchment area:

Consider a local hospital catchment area with a large immigrant population. The hospital may have difficulty providing care to these patients if there are language and cultural barriers. The hospital could address this issue by hiring more healthcare providers who speak the languages of their patients. The hospital could also provide cultural competency training to its healthcare providers.

Effectiveness of the solution:

Increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce and providing cultural competency training to healthcare providers are effective ways to address the challenges of language barriers, cultural barriers, and health disparities. Studies have shown that healthcare providers who are culturally competent are more likely to provide high-quality care to patients from all backgrounds.

Conclusion:

Addressing the challenges of language barriers, cultural barriers, and health disparities is essential to improving healthcare delivery in the United States. By increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce and providing cultural competency training to healthcare providers, we can create a healthcare system that is more inclusive and effective.

Sample Answer

Three of the most pressing issues in healthcare delivery that could have the greatest impact if addressed:

  1. Language barriers: Language barriers are a major challenge for healthcare providers and patients alike. Patients who do not speak English may have difficulty understanding their diagnosis, treatment options, and instructions from their healthcare providers. This can lead to medical errors and poor health outcomes.

  2. Cultural barriers: Cultural barriers can also prevent patients from receiving the care they need. Some patients may have cultural beliefs or practices that conflict with medical recommendations. For example, some patients may believe that certain foods or herbs are good for their health, even if they have been shown to be dangerous.

  3. Health disparities: Health disparities are differences in health outcomes between different groups of people. These disparities can be caused by a variety of factors, including income, race, ethnicity, and education. For example, people of color are more likely to experience chronic diseases and have less access to healthcare than white people.