Question

Reflect on a patient experience where you encountered a health disparity that was a determinant to the patient’s health. In hindsight, was there an opportunity where you should have acted to help eliminate this but did not? Explain. What would you do differently next time you encounter a similar situation?

Answer 1

Reflecting on a patient experience where I encountered a health disparity that was a determinant to the patient’s health was my encounter as a nurse with a patient who had type 2 Diabetes and was African American. The health disparity that was a determinant to the patient’s health in this situation was his lack of healthcare education. I should have acted to help eliminate this by counseling and educating him about the lifestyle changes, which I plan to do in future, as this time I didn’t get the time to address it while I was busy with other patients. I will teach him about the importance of physical activity, diet, weight management, and proper sleep in this regard next time I meet him.