Discussion Question Topic 2 DQ 1
What are social determinants of health? Explain how social determinants of health contribute to
the development of disease. Describe the fundamental idea that the communicable disease chain
model is designed to represent. Give an example of the steps a nurse can take to break the link
within the communicable disease chain.
Resources within your text covering international/global health, and the websites in the topic
materials, will assist you in answering this discussion question.
Social determinants are factors that are part of the environment that the person, or family,
interacts with and causes an effect on the overall health and wellbeing of people. The U.S. Office
of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion defines SDOH states, “conditions in the
environment in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a
wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes” (Falkner, 2018). There are five
SDOH that are recognized and impact the influence of families, their health decisions, the ability
for healthy lifestyles, and their perception of health promotion. The first factor, health, and
healthcare refer to the ease of access to proper medical treatment, whether it is a hospital, clinic,
or a primary/family care physician. Also, the health condition of the family members is another
factor that is recognized. The second, economic stability is directly relating to the ability to
access healthy food and medicine options, location of residence, employment or career
opportunities, and advancement in educational opportunities. Education is another factor in the
SDOH and is crucial in the comprehension of health and their health needs and directly results in
economic earnings are associated with a career requiring a higher level of education. Next, social
and community context is factors that influence within a region a person or family lives, the
impact of the integration and collaboration of local society, and the people that they identify with
and socialize. Lastly, neighborhood and built environment is the category that pertains to the
housing available with an adequate condition, the community in which its located, and the
quality and safety of the community.
The fundamental idea that the communicable disease chain model is a design that
represents the process for disease transmission of infections that are known to be very infectious
or contagious diseases (Green, 2018). The steps a nurse can take to break the communicable
disease and infection chain contain many different interventions, despite the variety of viruses
and bacteria. “No matter the germ, there are 6 points at which the chain can be broken, and a
germ can be stopped from infecting others. The 6 points include the infectious agent, reservoir,
portal of exit, means of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host” (National, 2016,
October 18). When one wants to break the chain of infection and disease spread, the person must
break the chain at one of these 6 points. Examples of breaking the chain for susceptible hosts are
getting immunized, treat the underlying diseases, have a health insurance plan, and most
importantly, thorough patient education by the nurse. To break the chain from a reservoir
requires cleaning/disinfecting/sterilizing dirty surfaces or equipment, developing infection
What are social determinants of health? Explain how social determinants of health contribute to
the development of disease. Describe the fundamental idea that the communicable disease chain
model is designed to represent. Give an example of the steps a nurse can take to break the link
within the communicable disease chain.
Resources within your text covering international/global health, and the websites in the topic
materials, will assist you in answering this discussion question.
Social determinants are factors that are part of the environment that the person, or family,
interacts with and causes an effect on the overall health and wellbeing of people. The U.S. Office
of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion defines SDOH states, “conditions in the
environment in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a
wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes” (Falkner, 2018). There are five
SDOH that are recognized and impact the influence of families, their health decisions, the ability
for healthy lifestyles, and their perception of health promotion. The first factor, health, and
healthcare refer to the ease of access to proper medical treatment, whether it is a hospital, clinic,
or a primary/family care physician. Also, the health condition of the family members is another
factor that is recognized. The second, economic stability is directly relating to the ability to
access healthy food and medicine options, location of residence, employment or career
opportunities, and advancement in educational opportunities. Education is another factor in the
SDOH and is crucial in the comprehension of health and their health needs and directly results in
economic earnings are associated with a career requiring a higher level of education. Next, social
and community context is factors that influence within a region a person or family lives, the
impact of the integration and collaboration of local society, and the people that they identify with
and socialize. Lastly, neighborhood and built environment is the category that pertains to the
housing available with an adequate condition, the community in which its located, and the
quality and safety of the community.
The fundamental idea that the communicable disease chain model is a design that
represents the process for disease transmission of infections that are known to be very infectious
or contagious diseases (Green, 2018). The steps a nurse can take to break the communicable
disease and infection chain contain many different interventions, despite the variety of viruses
and bacteria. “No matter the germ, there are 6 points at which the chain can be broken, and a
germ can be stopped from infecting others. The 6 points include the infectious agent, reservoir,
portal of exit, means of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host” (National, 2016,
October 18). When one wants to break the chain of infection and disease spread, the person must
break the chain at one of these 6 points. Examples of breaking the chain for susceptible hosts are
getting immunized, treat the underlying diseases, have a health insurance plan, and most
importantly, thorough patient education by the nurse. To break the chain from a reservoir
requires cleaning/disinfecting/sterilizing dirty surfaces or equipment, developing infection
