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How The Social Determinants Of Health Have A Direct Impact On Health Status

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Education has an imperative correlation to health outcomes. The following presented case study will demonstrate an example of how the social determinants of health have a direct impact on health status. Mrs. Smith is a 68-year-old female who was bad a diagnosis of type I diabetes for 37 years. She has developed a pressure ulcer on her left foot, which has increasingly worsened and become necrotic in certain areas. She has had uncontrolled diabetes for many years and often does not prescribe to her medication regiment “because those things don’t really work anyways.” She often has difficulties self-administering her insulin doses or understanding which dosage she should take of the short-acting insulin. Additionally, she has had a poor …show more content…

This is often related to the fact that education increases income, employment and provides greater job security. Education also produces enhanced literacy. This allows for individuals to better comprehend the societal aspects that impact their health. Additionally, by having greater literacy, a patient can advocate for their health, implement healthier lifestyle choices and seek out resources to enhance their health (Mikkonen, & Raphael, 2010). The literature also demonstrates that with poor education there are increase hospitalization rates, increased use of emergency services and medication are not taken as directed (blackboard). Therefore Mrs. Smith was admitted to hospital for a foot ulcer due to complications related to diabetes mellitus.
Recommendations for Change at Level of HCP
The recommendations for change to practice at the level of the provider would include first treating the underlying problem that Mrs. Smith was admitted for. According to the literature, a progressively worsening diabetic foot ulcer involves implementing a multitude of strategies to prevent amputation of the limb. This allow for decreased rates in mortality and can increase quality of life. Adequate wound management such as debridement, and offloading techniques should be instilled. Furthermore, education by the provider would be of critical importance for Mrs. Smith in terms of consistent foot care and management of her disease process (Yazdanpanah, Nasiri, & Adarvishi, 2015). Due

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