The world has become interconnected, which means that the health threats in one region can affect neighboring regions. Therefore, global health issues challenge the stability of the healthcare delivery system, and they include infectious diseases and environmental crises. Over the years, there has been a spread of emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola, SARS, and COVID-19. These diseases significantly affect the U.S. healthcare delivery system as they have strained the healthcare infrastructure.
The United States is focused on ensuring it protects its citizens from threats to their health since it wants them to live fulfilling lives. However, global health issues hinder it from achieving this goal since it negatively affects disease prevention. For example, when COVID-19 spread to different parts of the world, it was evident that the medical infrastructures in the United States were ill-equipped to manage the spread of the virus (Filip & Puscaselu, 2022). Despite the United States having a well-established healthcare system, it is challenging to have a solution to all problems. This was evident when the pandemic hit the country, as many healthcare workers did not know how to deal with the virus because it was a new phenomenon to them. Therefore, many United States citizens succumbed to the virus before the healthcare department identified ways of preventing the spread of the virus (Geyman, 2021). When a new global health issue affects the United States, it significantly affects the citizens before the healthcare system develops ways of combating it. In some instances, preparing for future diseases is ineffective because it is challenging to identify how it will affect people. Global health issues encourage collaboration among different disciplines since they want to find a solution to the problem.
Whenever a disease affects the globe, experts from different disciplines come together to identify ways of handling it. Their main goal is to assess its cause and ways of preventing its spread. This has a positive impact on the U.S. healthcare delivery system because it helps it to become well-versed with information on how to provide citizens with premium healthcare services. During a disease outbreak, different disciplines in the United States bring their expertise to the table. For example, when COVID-19 hit the country, epidemiologists, social workers, clinicians, and public health experts collaborated to find a solution to the crisis (Geyman, 2021). This strengthens the healthcare system because it helps experts to identify loopholes that can make citizens vulnerable to diseases. There is also a real-time exchange of information on the spread of disease and its emerging patterns. It will allow the system to develop effective response strategies to deal with the health issue. The collaborative environment will ensure timely decision-making, thus controlling the spread of a disease. Global health issues strain resources; hence, it calls for careful allocation (Geyman, 2021). Collaboration among interdisciplinary teams will ensure the sharing of resources and the maximization of strategies. This will ensure that all individuals have access to quality care since there will be availability of adequate resources.
The nursing profession plays a crucial role in influencing positive change related to global health issues in the evolving healthcare system. One of the actions nurses can take is engaging in efforts that promote policies that aim at prioritizing global health response. They can do this by supporting collective global health efforts. Nurses are well-positioned in society since they are capable of engaging with communities. Therefore, they can play a crucial role in promoting awareness and educating the public on how to prepare for health issues (Salvage &White, 2020). Offering information to the general public is impactful since it helps people to implement preventative measures. Collaborating with professionals from other disciplines will ensure nurses contribute their perspective on various aspects of global health issues. This approach is helpful as it will give the system a holistic response to health challenges because the nurses have information on the areas of improvement in the healthcare sector. Nurses with vast knowledge should offer education to others with the goal of helping them acquire information on how to address global health challenges (Edmonson & McCarthy, 2019). Experienced nurses can offer training programs to those joining the profession since this will ensure they are well-equipped to handle diseases and infections when they arise. The nurses should use their skills and position to contribute to the creation of an equitable healthcare system.
The interconnectedness in the world is calling for collaborative approaches to deal with global health issues. The United States faces challenges from global health issues such as emerging infectious diseases despite striving to protect the health of its citizens. These issues are unpredictable; hence, in some instances, they attack the country unexpectedly, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the U.S. having a well-equipped healthcare system, global health issues need to be addressed in its disease prevention strategies. When a new disease emerges around the globe, the U.S. finds it challenging to prevent its spread due to the limitation of information. However, such an issue brings together experts from different disciplines who research and provide information on ways of combating the disease, which is beneficial to the system. The nursing profession plays a crucial role in educating people about prevention measures and providing their insights on health issues since this will positively impact the system’s capability to care for the citizens.
References
Edmonson, C. & McCarthy, C. (2019). Emerging global health issues: A nurse’s role. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 22(1) https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol22No01Man02
Filip, R. & Puscaselu, R. (2022). Global challenges to public health care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic: A review of pandemic measures and problems. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 12(8): 1295-1309
Geyman, J. (2021). COVID-19 has revealed America’s broken healthcare system: What can we learn? International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services, 51(2) https://doi.org/10.1177/0020731420985640
Salvage, J. &White, J. (2020). Our future is global: nursing leadership and global health. Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 28 https://doi.org/10.1590%2F1518-8345.4542.3339
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