nurs 4020 Potential Solutions, Requirements for Implementing Solution and Consequences of Ignoring the Problem

nurs 4020 Potential Solutions, Requirements for Implementing Solution and Consequences of Ignoring the Problem

Addressing the issue of limited access to healthcare services in the US requires the adoption of responsive interventions by healthcare stakeholders. Several interventions can be embraced to address the issue of limited access to healthcare services. A number of interventions that apply to the issue can be seen in the study by Bright et al., (2017). Bright et al., (2017) categorized the interventions that can be used to address the issue of limited access to healthcare services into supply, non-monetary, demand, and financial interventions. According to them, supply side interventions include delivery of essential services such as immunization and referrals by qualified healthcare professionals closer to homes or communities experiencing limited access to health. The supply-related interventions also include service level improvements (service integration, scaling up services and provider training). The financial interventions that can be adopted include contracting in or out of essential services, fee exemptions, expanded health insurance coverage and the establishment of health education and promotion programs to raise awareness among the population on the need for improved service utilization (Bright et al., 2017). Health technologies can also be used to address the issue of limited access to healthcare services. For example, the use of telehealth could address the issue of limited access due to geographical issues or shortage of qualified healthcare providers in the rural settings. Telehalth services would enhance the access to healthcare services by reducing the cost-related barriers to healthcare (Lin et al., 2018). An effective solution to addressing the issue of limited access to healthcare would be the incorporation of telehealth services into service delivery. However, its successful implementation requires enhanced provider training of the providers and patients on technology use, provision of incentives to the providers and support to the patients to enhance its effectiveness (Slightam et al., 2020; Zulman et al., 2019). The consequences of ignoring the issue of limited access to healthcare services in the population include widening disproportionate access to care, health inequalities and poor health outcomes in the affected populations including increased mortality and hospitalization rate alongside the burden of the disease (National Academies of Sciences et al., 2018).

Pros and Cons and Ethical Implications

The solution that is proposed to address the issue of limited access to healthcare services is the incorporation of telehealth technologies into health. The use of telehealth technologies in addressing the issue is associated with a number of benefits. Firstly, telehealth is cost-effective. It reduces the costs that patients could have incurred in travelling to receive the care that they need. Telehealth also promotes patient-centeredness in care (Kayyali et al., 2017). Patients and providers can interact whenever in need to address their health issues, hence, patient-centeredness. The use of telehealth also improves health outcomes by facilitating early identification and management of health problems (Lillicrap et al., 2019). Telehealth is however associated with disadvantages that include being expensive to implement, requires provider and patient training and eliminates the physical interaction between patients and providers, which could address other health needs not possible through telehealth (Lin et al., 2018).

Addressing the issue of limited access to healthcare services using telehealth is associated with a number of ethical implications. Firstly, it promotes equity and equality in health. The use of telehealth promotes enhanced access to care by the vulnerable populations through the elimination of barriers such as costs, availability and geography. Addressing the issue also promotes the ethical aspects of benevolence and non-maleficence. Healthcare providers ensure that care that is safe, efficient and effective is delivered to the affected populations in a timely manner. Healthcare providers also utilize the technology to make decisions that are of best interest in meeting the actual and potential needs of the patients (Kuziemsky et al., 2020). The use of telehealth technology to address the issue of limited access to healthcare services however raises the ethical concern of data integrity. In specific, the use of health technologies threaten the privacy and confidentiality of the data of the patients. Data integrity issues such as breaches and ineffective use of the technology could lead to loss or access of data by third or unintended parties (Botrugno, 2019). Therefore, the use of telehealth health should prioritize the protection and promotion of data integrity.

Conclusion

Overall, limited access to healthcare services is a critical issue that affects the health o