What suggestions in regard to policy and advocacy should be made to reduce disparities
What suggestions in regard to policy and advocacy should be made to reduce disparities?
We can help to reduce disparities by taking a bottom-up approach and encouraging marginalized individuals and members of the LGBTQIA+ community to pursue medical careers while providing them with additional support. It is good practice that no policy be decided without representation of the group impacted by that policy. (Gil et al., 2021) Members of healthcare should strive to improve their knowledge of systematic health inequities, such as in ethnic minorities and low-income populations, to make positive changes. Advocacy can reduce disparities by helping patients be aware of the benefits of their insurance policies. For example, the ACA has required most health plans to offer preventative services with no additional co-pay. (Mason et. al 2021) Educating people on their options helps them to advocate for themselves.
Advanced practice nurses support the LGBTQIA+ community and provider better healthcare?
This can be accomplished by being an ally and creating a positive work environment where everyone feels supported and valued. Be courteous and respectful by addressing patients by the patients preferred names and pronouns, providing intake forms that acknowledge LGBTQ+ identities, and showing awareness of specific LGBTQ+ medical care. (Gil et al., 2021) It is important to remember that your patient trusts you with not only their health, but their personal identity. They may not have the support they need from their family and loved ones. Healthcare providers who maintain empathy in their interactions have been proven to be better at communicating with their patients. When working with an empathetic provider, patients tend to feel safer and be more honest in providing information. (Moudatsou et al., 2020)
References:
Gil, R. M., Freeman, T. L., Mathew, T., Kullar, R., Fekete, T., Ovalle, A., Nguyen, D., Kottkamp, A., Poon, J., Marcelin, J. R., & Swartz, T. H. (2021, December 1). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A call to break the cycle of structural barriers. The Journal of infectious diseases. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9103180/
Mason, D. J., Perez, A., Dickson, E. L., & McLemore, M. R. (2021). Policy & politics in nursing and health care (8th ed.). Saunders.
Moudatsou, M., Stavropoulou, A., Philalithis, A., & Koukouli, S. (2020a, January 30). The role of empathy in health and Social Care Professionals. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/8/1/26
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