Question

Write a paper addressing the following questions (provide citations to references used):

1. Is individual access to health care a right or a privilege? Consider the financial implications of your response. What are the additional responsibilities of the client, the nurse and the overall healthcare system based on your stance?

2. Compare the cost of Healthcare in the U.S. considering the specific approaches of health promotion, disease prevention, and chronic disease management.

a. Identify which approach is the most cost effective.

b. How can nursing practice impact the cost in each category?

3. What, in your opinion, are the current U.S. Health Care System design shortfalls, if any? How would you re-design the system to promote the approaches of health promotion, disease prevention, and chronic disease management?

4. Think about your future nursing practice. How can you use your nursing knowledge to champion health promotion, disease prevention, and chronic disease management?

5. Finally, recall the essential themes in the latest Institute of Medicine’s Report on the Future of Nursing?

Answer 1

1. Individual access to the healthcare services and medical facilities is not a leisure activity but a necessity. Thus it is an individual’s right and not a privilege.

Access to the healthcare services is necessary for good quality of health of every individual. This reduces the health burden on state and financial costs as well.

The healthcare system along with its staff team should ensure that they provide best quality care and medical services to their clients at an affordable price so that every individual can access it.

2. U.S. is one of the leading countries to spend a lot of money in strengthening its heslthcare system through various approaches. These approaches include health promotion, preventive measures and management of diseases. The U.S. health care uses the latest technologies and innovative programmes for these approaches.

But the healthcare services in U.S. are disproportionately high in terms of cost. It burns a huge hole in the pocket of clients.

The most cost effective approach is disease prevention. Preventing a disease through various precautionary measures is much easier and inexpensive than curing a disease. The treatment of any disease is much costlier. It includes the high prices of diagnostic tests, medications and surgical procedure.

Good nursing practices can reduce the period of illness and hospital stay. This will help in cutting down the medical bills for the clients and make a treatment cost effective.

3. current U.S. Health Care System design shortfalls :

- large medically uninsured population : this leads to high financial burden on uninsured population

- underprivilaged programmes for disease prevention

- poor quality of medical services

- poor management of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart diseases increasing tge disease burden on nation

- poor management of diseases leading yo complications and serious illness

- prescribing unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures to patient increaing the treatment cost.

Reforming the healthcare is necessary to overcome these shortfalls. The government should plan special policies for the uninsured population and cut down the high premiums of insurance. More focus should be made on strengthening the disease prevention programmes. The staff should be well trained, skilled and wualified to deal with the chronic diseases and their complications

4. The qualities of innovation, interpersonal skill, use of qualified and professional knowledge, compassion towards patient can be used to champion health promotion, disease prevention, and chronic disease management.