Health falls among the most ranked priorities in any nation. In the United States of America, it is one of the top three concerns in the government, with intact and strategized policies set in place (Chesley, 2019). Over the past few years, various changes and transformations have been made to cope with the evolving world. The quality and efficacy of the health care system have changed drastically from the introduction of better and more effective medical equipment to hiring more health workers. Most of these changes have focused on preventive measures rather than curative measures with more work on the public health sector (Chesley, 2019). The government has focused on achieving wellness and prevention rather than acute care. It has focused on dealing with community health at the ground level by enhancing sanitation, issuing clean and safe water, proper disposal of waste, and educating the public on proper food and vegetable storage. Therefore, it is evident that there is a shift in the nature and quality of health care systems in the United States of America (Almoaber and Amyot, 2017).
The quality of health care systems has been analyzed using several proportions. One, the mortality has decreased gradually over the past few years. This can be attributed to the invention of modernized effective equipment that has been shown to give a better and more precise diagnosis and increase the number of physicians in the medical field that are well trained and equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge (Chesley, 2019). With trained health workers, hospital-acquired infections and diseases have been reduced. The impact of these two changes is that there has been a reduction in manageable deaths in healthcare facilities, thereby enhancing life expectancy.
Most individuals of various categories have had specific benefits. There has been an increase in vaccination programs among children, with most of them receiving vaccines for various feared conditions such as polio, varicella, and hepatitis B, among others. These vaccination programs are an indicator of improved preventive measures (Chesley, 2019). The infant mortality rate has also decreased due to improved health care services. Thirdly, the rate of teenage pregnancies has declined over the years due to increased awareness of responsible sexual behaviors and contraceptives.Regarding the elderly, the number of admissions has declined. This can be attributed to effective primary prevention by early checkups that prevent certain conditions from their chronic forms (Almoaber and Amyot, 2017). For the women, a biopsy is now possible during lumpectomy or mastectomy. This has enabled proper staging and diagnosis of the various forms of cancers and indicated metastasis, reducing the cancer mortality rate (Chesley, 2019). Evidence-based care is therefore evident in health facilities. In terms of diseases affecting various systems, conditions of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems have decreased tremendously, with nutritional, metabolic, and endocrine diseases rising over the past few years.
On the contrary, there have been some negative shifts also. The prevalence of obesity among adults has been on the rise, which can be attributed to a high intake of foods with calories and reduced physical activity (Chesley, 2019). The rate of premature deaths has risen, with most deaths associated with drug abuse and suicide cases due to depressive mental status. The rate of maternal has also increased due to poor coordination between accessing prenatal care and assessing possible risks during the antepartum period. The recent Covid 19 pandemic became the number one leading cause of death in the United States ahead of heart diseases and cancer in December 2020 and early 2021. But with most citizens having been vaccinated, the death toll due to the virus has reduced, putting it at the number seven leading cause of death (Almoaber and Amyot, 2017).
With the shift to more prevention rather than curing, it is evident that the health system has improved on a greater level, with the level of awareness on causative agents and risk factors of conditions rising tremendously (Chesley, 2019). The citizens can now protect themselves from acquiring various conditions and diseases, and it has several advantages. One, there is an increased lifespan since health is maintained. Two, preventing diseases is cost-effective since diseases are avoided (Almoaber and Amyot, 2017). Vaccinations being one the preventive measure, has prevented infections that would otherwise pose a threat to individuals. The productivity of individuals is enhanced since they are active all along (Chesley, 2019).
In conclusion, the health system of the United States has shifted over time, intending to improve the health sector by focusing more on wellness and preventive measure rather than acute care.
References
Chesley, C., 2019. Merging organizational cultures in healthcare: Lessons from the USA in differentiation among tiers in a health system merger. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 13(sup1), 447-455.
Almoaber, B. and Amyot, D., 2017. Barriers to Successful Health Information Exchange Systems in Canada and the USA. International Journal of Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics, 12(1), pp.44-63.
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