Individual Access to healthcare in the US is a basic human right. The country bases the issue in accordance with ‘Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.’ It is a client’s responsibility to provide information about health history, medical experience, and practicing activities that promote healthy living standards (Fooks et al., 2018). A nurse is required to work collaboratively with the doctor and the patient to plan for effective care and perform diagnostic tests then monitor the person’s progress. Generally, the healthcare system should offer services that prevent, promote, treat and restore health in practically applicable and financially attainable metrics.
The cost of healthcare in the US can be projected under various approaches. Generally, US healthcare grew by more than 9.6% in 2021, reaching 4.1 trillion dollars meaning a person spends a whopping $12,530 annually (Myers, 2017 p.17). Health promotion costs $3.6 trillion per year, while disease prevention costs $730.4 billion (Myers, 2017 p.18). The US has been parting with an average of $1.1 trillion annually (Myers, 2017 p.18). Disease prevention is the most cost-effective. Nursing can reduce the cost of each approach in various ways. For example, encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle by following preventive measures can reduce the cost of health promotion in the US. That complements chronic disease management and disease prevention, reducing cost through nurse’s counseling and medication formulas.
The US healthcare system design has many shortfalls that need to be checked. First, the care system in the country lacks positive Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ). Compared to countries such as the Netherlands, with a 96.1% HAQ index, the US manages 88.7%, significantly lower (Myers, 2017 p.16). Second, health insurance is another issue due to the lack of transparency during health reimbursement. Health insurance providers have frequently manipulated a procedure to charge high premiums. To ensure health promotion, effective disease prevention, and feasible chronic disease management, the US should consider patient-centered medical formulas (Manca, 2020). In this case, primary healthcare should be targeted to improve the population health by having consumer assessment and review of data in all health care system approaches.
The future of nursing practice is based on the plan to promote healthily procedures effectively. Nurses can use nursing knowledge to promote healthy activities such as diet management, physical activities, management of stress, sleep hygiene, and maintaining relationships that are not toxic to one’s health. Through the nursing skills obtained while training, it is possible to enhance patients’ self-efficacy by teaching them about coping procedures to underlying health conditions (Fooks et al., 2018). Through the critical analysis, nurses promote health, disease prevention, and leverage on chronic disease issues hence, improving the healthcare system in the US.
While at Nightingale College, I have learned various concepts on health through essential themes in the Institute of Medicine’s report on the future of nursing. My views about nursing paraphernalia have changed especially concerning the applicable changes in designing new healthcare metrics. I have understood that healthcare regulation must be made by collaborative base between the state and federal government. I have also learned that the patient and healthcare workers must work together to ensure health is promoted through standard procedures. For example, it is the responsibility of the patient and the government to redesign the insurance perspectives to avoid inequality within the US population (Manca, 2020). A legal provision must expand Medicare and Medicaid to fit the room for all people, including the rich and the poor, by reviewing the cost and the coverage metrics involved.
References
Fooks, C., Goldhar, J., Wodchis, W., Baker, G., & Coutts, J. (2018). Effective approaches to integrating care: a three-part series. Healthcare Quarterly, 21(2), 18-22. Web.
Manca, S. (2020). Facing the challenges of emergency medicine: new beginnings ahead of us. Italian Journal of Emergency Medicine, 9(1), 34. Web.
Myers, D. (2017). US healthcare: A “disaster” of a system. Pitt Political Review, 12(1), 16-19. Web.
