Analyzing Self Awareness Amongst the Vulnerable Populations in United States

The main purpose of this article was to unexamined biases, to see how much they contribute as well as to address ethnic and racial in health care disparities. Biases can be referred to as favoritism, a favor of one and against another, very systematic and differing by racial and ethnic groups. Many psychologist has turned their focus and studies on common biases, which biases influence medical decisions and interaction.

The Institute of Medicine’s Report on Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial/Ethical Disparities in Health Care states that cultural bias is one contributor to racial and ethnic minorities having higher rates of poor health outcomes than Whites in the case of disease; even when income, employment

This paper discusses some of this areas in more details as wells as areas that need a deeper look. Health care workers for example, health care practice, residency of minorities and opposing views. These concerns are known as health disparities, which refer to differences in health status of different groups of people. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether perceived discrimination in the health care system based on race is correlated with delays in pharmacy prescriptions or delays in medical tests or treatments.

Everyone should have the opportunity to achieve a healthy life and have comprehensive health care services available to them. To achieve this healthy life, people need to have access to the health care system and to a health care provider with whom they can develop a trusting relationship. However, existing barriers to attaining health care services often lead to disparities which in turn lead to differences in life expectancy, health status and a higher prevalence of certain chronic diseases (HealthyPeople.gov, 2012).

When attempting to understand health care disparity, one must first also understand race. As race applies to health care inequity, Williams and Sternthal (2010) suggested that race is not purely biological but also a social classification system created by the hegemonic class. As such, favorable traits are those attributable to whites, thus creating an atmosphere predisposed to prejudices. In a health care setting where providers rely on swift judgment and scientific data to arrive at decisions, culturally ingrained norms are bound to influence attitudes

The clinical issues affecting the homeless individual can range from mental illness to health issues. Several clinical issues affect the homeless population because of lack of health insurance and clinical resources. “The clinical issues affecting homeless people are dental, vision, foot diseases, post-traumatic arthritis, HIV, TB, STD’s respiratory infections, diabetes, hypertension, and nutritional problems are all major clinical issues” (Zevin, 2013). Quite a few people are homeless and suffer from various clinical issues because they have no insurance, housing, support from family/friends, or program resources. It seems when populations such homelessness is so huge some are left behind with no help. Various social service organizations exist that cater to the homeless population, but so many individuals and families are not helped because of mis-direction. Health care is an important factor to many, especially those who do not have access to a health care facility. Social services resources are available as well as the human service

Vulnerability is defined as susceptibility or increased risk for health problems (DeChesnay, 2008).  A group of individuals are considered at higher risk for illness when their physical, emotional, psychological, or social health, is compromised (Aday, 2001).  There are many leading causes for why a population is considered at higher risk; socioeconomic, age, gender, demographics, personal, and cultural backgrounds are some of the key factors (Aday, 2001; Sebation, 1996). Individuals can become vulnerable at any time because of change in life circumstances, placing them at higher risk. One group

The U.S. healthcare has been dealing with disparities for centuries. These disparities can be racial, social, or economical. The disparities are easier to see when compared to other reference points, such as policies, procedure or protocol. Williams & Torrens, 2008 list several disparities when it comes to patient care, such as minorities are less likely to get diagnosed with cancer verses whites, patients with lower socioeconomic statuses are less likely to received diabetic services, and many more. In order to eliminate some there disparities it must first be recognized by others that it is a serious problem. These problems have been around for years; therefore the public must put pressure on the policymakers to promote change. In order

Poor health can be mentally, physically, and socially. One component of health can be easily affected by another. Vulnerability is determined by predisposing characteristics, enabling characteristics and need characteristics. They determine the patient’s access to care and influence the individual’s risk of contracting an illness and recovering from an illness. The framework explains those with problems along multiple dimensions health needs are greater than those with problems along single dimensions. The predisposing characteristics are racial and ethnic characteristics. Racial is based on biological characteristics. Ethic refers to the common characteristic in culture, language, nationally, and religion. Gender and age are another predisposing characteristics such as women and children. Lastly, geographic location is a predisposing characteristics and would be consider rural health. The insurance status and is an enabling characteristics. The needs characteristics would be mental health, chronic illness, and disability. It is first important to understand that these distinctive characteristics to grasps and understand vulnerability factors and there can be some co-occurrence can occur. The vulnerability framework is a comprehensive model which factors in individual and ecological attributes of risk. It looks at the total population when exposed to risk and find common ground. Lastly, it

One of the points raised in IOM’s article to prove that racism is a prevalent cause of health care disparity is the way the health care system is set-up, meaning at times, some hospitals and clinics can adopt a policy to contain health care cost, but may pose hindrances to minority patients’ capability to access the care.

Gordon Moskowitz and his co-authors’ (2012) expands on this discussion of unconscious bias by associating it with stereotyping certain racial groups. The providers’ unconscious biases are referred to as implicit biases, and demonstrate usefulness if correctly used to identify groups more readily susceptible to a health condition than others (996). When used correctly to identify these individuals, patient outcomes have a positive outcome. However, a hasty assumption that leads to an incorrect stereotype results in severe negative outcomes from a resulting incomplete or inaccurate diagnosis by the physician (1000). These implicit biases also tie back to the previous theme

During my fourth year in college, I enrolled in a course called Psychology of Health Disparities. My decision to enroll in this course stemmed from my experience as a medical assistant, and my duty involved working in clinical settings low socioeconomic status individuals (SES). Even though this class met only once a week, it deeply impacted the way I viewed the public health care system. Health disparities are particularly evident in the United States health care system, mostly because of factors like SES, race, and education as well. Not only did we explore the causes of these disparities, we focused on how individuals with lower incomes were affected. In the private clinic where I worked, most individuals were under health insurance by

Vulnerability is often one-dimensionally viewed as the degree to which mishaps, pain and shame are allowed to enter into one’s life. However it is also the birthplace of creativity and basis for a feeling of self-worthiness. Thereby vulnerability creates authenticity. There are various different definitions of vulnerability according to the field in which the term is used. The most commonly found dictionary definition states that “Vulnerability refers to the susceptibility of a person, group, society or system to physical or emotional injury or attack. The term can also refer to a person who let

Social Vulnerability refers to risk as its primary element (Scanlon & Lee, 2007). Every individual is exposed to risk factors therefore; everyone is potentially vulnerable to health problems (Scanlon & Lee, 2007). Social vulnerability consists of various economic, democratic, and cultural variables in relation to an individual’s likelihood of becoming ill (Scanlon & Lee, 2007). The degree of social vulnerability is that an individual experience is greatly reliant on their personal capacity to tolerate adverse influences (Scanlon & Lee, 2007). Each individual will have different strategies and abilities in coping, resisting, and recovering from situations that could result in social vulnerability (Scanlon & Lee, 2007).

There are many variations that are often hidden within the special population. As of today, the health care system inhabits the margins by exposing impoverished individual. However, the individuals that are part of the special population each carries a unique set of needs. The special population can consist of the uninsured, minorities, children, disabled people, elderly, prisoners, pregnant women, students, and sadly to say veterans and military personnel. Furthermore, foundations of the special population consist of maintaining the self-perceived notion that fairness will apply to all individuals. In addition, it is important within the special population to distinguish the risk factors that are involved in health care. The best way to complete such a task is applying nonprejudice judgments. Individuals that make decisions for the special population often describe the services as insensitive in regards to understanding and accepting integration into health care. According to (Shi & Singh, 2015, p. 417) “to the framework, vulnerability is determined by a convergence of (1) predisposing, (2) enabling, and (3) need characteristics at both individual and ecological (contextual) levels.” Within the paper, I will discuss the factors that are attributed to the special population. The characteristic within the special population poses a weakness that stems from insurance coverage, and access.