Effect of Political Health Determinants on Health Outcomes
The allegory of the orchard demonstrates how political health determinants can shift their focus from improving conditions that promote health. The allegory is a metaphor representing the challenges of accessing medical care due to varied social, political, and economic conditions (Satcher Health Leadership Institute, 2021). Such elements include inadequate insurance and infrastructure and poverty. The political health determinants substantially affect underprivileged individuals. Patients have minimal control of the political health determinants. Patients in the vulnerable group are similar to trees in the orchard, which do not compete for vital resources, adversely affecting their survival (Daniel et al., 2018). Unfavorable political health determinants promote healthcare disparity. The differences are in norms, practices, policies, and structures, which grant opportunities and value according to the presentation of varied patient groups. Just as the farmer neglected the struggling trees, the political health determinants disadvantaged vulnerable patients, increasing their risk for poor treatment results.
Addressing the Determinants
As a nurse, I am obliged to advocate for patients’ access to quality healthcare. A nurse knows the social, economic, and political health determinants. Consequently, nurse leaders can effectively engage in interventions that address housing, finances, and healthcare access challenges to assist disadvantaged patients. Nurses are usually the first point of contact for most patients. Their excellent communication skills enable them to understand and improve the circumstances of different patient groups (Hermann, Long & Trotta, 2019). Nurses can also directly participate in politics and get into leadership positions. Due to their understanding of health systems, they can determine appropriate resource allocation mechanisms to ensure it benefits the vulnerable patient groups. For instance, they can call for increased funding of primary healthcare institutions to improve skilled personnel and medical equipment. Nurses have appreciable networking skills and can work closely with various groups to improve living conditions and public health (Wakefield, Williams & Le Menestrel, 2021). For example, nurse leaders can work with community agencies to improve housing and health education.
Advocacy Priorities for the Elderly Population
This paper discusses the elderly population, who are important vulnerable groups that require urgent attention from relevant stakeholders. Advocacy priorities include developing practices and policies to reduce health inequalities and support the group in healthy living (Mackenbach, 2019). Older people should be involved in more mainstream initiatives organized by the government, communities and non-governmental organizations. Stakeholders should create influential and strong elderly people associations that empower them and enable them to voice their issues. Advocacy efforts should target increasing society’s understanding and awareness of the issues of the ageing population. There is a need to work with health providers and community members to reduce misinterpreted viewpoints regarding the support the elderly population requires.
Reflection of Disparities in Policy
The policies reflect disparities in availing critical resources, including vaccines, hearing aids and podiatrists. Age discrimination, including healthcare professionals’ negative attitudes, limited specialists and access barriers, limit practical implementations of policies. Areas lacking working guidelines on universal healthcare force older people to choose between accommodation, food and other basic requirements and settling medical expenses (Rudnicka et al., 2020). The health services in rural areas and many low-income regions must be age-appropriate. The policies lack adequate political goodwill. Moreover, there need to be more guidelines on particular local and federal government policies that can reduce inequalities.
Role of Nurses in Influencing Policy
Nurses have appropriate training, experience, advocacy skills and professional ethics. Hence can have valuable and unique views concerning health policies. Their contribution includes identifying, understanding and reacting to impediments adversely affecting health policy implementations (Abbasinia, Ahmadi & Kazemnejad, 2020). Due to the complicated nature of the health disparities affecting the elderly population, nurses advocate for their welfare and health equity by considering the economic, cultural and social factors. As a frontline team, nurses understand patient experiences and can incorporate their unique needs when making policy decisions. Specifically, nurses can advocate for health education, basic provisions and services and other resources that improve the welfare of the elderly population.
References
Abbasinia, M., Ahmadi, F., & Kazemnejad, A. (2020). Patient advocacy in nursing: A concept analysis. Nursing ethics, 27(1), 141-151. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733019832950
Daniel, H., Bornstein, S. S., Kane, G. C., & Health and Public Policy Committee of the American College of Physicians*. (2018). Addressing social determinants to improve patient care and promote health equity: an American College of Physicians position paper. Annals of internal medicine, 168(8), 577–578. https://doi.org/10.7326/M17-2441
Hermann, R. M., Long, E., & Trotta, R. L. (2019). Improving patients’ experiences communicating with nurses and providers in the emergency department. Journal of emergency nursing, 45(5), 523-530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2018.12.001
Mackenbach, J. P. (2019). Health inequalities: Persistence and change in modern welfare states. Oxford University Press, USA.
Rudnicka, E., Napierała, P., Podfigurna, A., Męczekalski, B., Smolarczyk, R., & Grymowicz, M. (2020). The World Health Organization’s (WHO) approach to healthy ageing. Maturitas, 139, 6-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2020.05.018
Satcher Health Leadership Institute. (2021). The Allegory of the Orchard – The Political Determinants of Health by Daniel E. Dawes. Retrieved May 31, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mux1c73fJ78.
Wakefield, M., Williams, D. R., & Le Menestrel, S. (2021). The future of nursing 2020-2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity. National Academy of Sciences.
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