fnp 590 Week 6 Assignment on Barriers to Health Care.
Developing Suicide Risk Screening Tool to Address Barriers to Mental Health
Care
United States University
FNP590: Health Promotion, Education, And Disease Prevention Across The
Lifespan Dr. Shauna Chriss
April 12, 2021
,2
BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE
Developing Suicide Risk Screening Tool to Address Barriers to Mental Health Care
Some populations suffer more from certain health conditions than others. Disparities in
health care exist where a health outcome is perceived as lesser or greater between populations.
The definition of health disparity by Healthy People 2020 refers to a difference in health related
to socioeconomic and/or environmental shortcomings (Heath, 2020). Health disparities are more
evident among groups of people who experience greater obstacles to wellness and disease
management related to ethnic or racial origins, socioeconomic status, religion, age, gender,
mental health, physical disability, cognitive and sensory limitations, gender identity or sexual
orientation, geographical location, and historical characteristics linked to exclusion or
discrimination (“Disparities,” 2020). Health disparity reflects a higher burden of illness,
disability, injury, or mortality experienced by a specific group in comparison to another group.
The existence of health disparities is tantamount to health inequity due to factors that lead to
downstream impact on health.
One of the overarching goals of Healthy People in the past 20 years focused on
addressing disparities in health. Healthy People 2020 worked on reduction of health disparities in
the United States. Healthy People 2010 aimed at the elimination of health disparities beyond
reduction (Alegria et al., 2018). This goal was expanded further in Healthy People 2020 to
eliminate disparities, achieve equity in health, and improve the overall health of the people
across population groups. Healthy People 2020 refers to health equity as the achievement of the
highest level of wellness or health for all where everyone is valued equally, with directed
societal efforts on addressing avoidable inequalities and injustices and eliminating disparities in
health care (Baciu et al., 2017). Actions to achieve health equity and eliminate disparities were
focused on disease management in health care services over the years. However, defining health
goes
, 3
BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE
beyond the mere absence of disease and disability (Heath, 2020). Hence, the healthcare delivery
system evolved into the use of multi-level and multidimensional collaborative efforts to integrate
the determinants of health in providing more holistic care to the population.
The determinants of health are where gaps or barriers in health care are rooted. These
factors present the complex and powerful relationships between genetics, biology, and
individual behaviors and socioeconomic status, the physical environment, health services,
racism, literacy levels, discrimination, and legislative policies (Baciu et al., 2017).
Understanding the dynamics of these relationships is important in determining the gaps or
barriers in health with the aid of evidence-based tools in measuring disparities and evaluating
health equity. Tools can be used for macro-level or micro-level monitoring. Population reports
or registries are being used for large- scale health care transformation because they provide
overall risk stratification of a population, show breakdown of the morbidity and mortality in
disease conditions, and snap shots of related major social determinants statistics (Berg, 2018).
Specific assessment tools are directed at determining the gaps or barriers in health by targeting
individual diseases or health conditions.
These are used in formulating plans and implementation of set actions to achieve specific
objectives stipulated in Healthy People 2020.
Overall health is not limited to physical wellness, but also includes mental health as a
dimension linked to developing behavioral patterns and adaptation of the population across the
different determinants of health. Mental health influences the ability of people to strive for and
to maintain good health. While efforts are exerted on abating the burden of disability and death
from acute and chronic diseases, improving mental health simultaneously is critical in uplifting
the health of all in the United States. One of the major issues in mental health in country is
suicide. The comprehensive approach to preventing suicide by Healthy People 2020 aims to
Developing Suicide Risk Screening Tool to Address Barriers to Mental Health
Care
United States University
FNP590: Health Promotion, Education, And Disease Prevention Across The
Lifespan Dr. Shauna Chriss
April 12, 2021
,2
BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE
Developing Suicide Risk Screening Tool to Address Barriers to Mental Health Care
Some populations suffer more from certain health conditions than others. Disparities in
health care exist where a health outcome is perceived as lesser or greater between populations.
The definition of health disparity by Healthy People 2020 refers to a difference in health related
to socioeconomic and/or environmental shortcomings (Heath, 2020). Health disparities are more
evident among groups of people who experience greater obstacles to wellness and disease
management related to ethnic or racial origins, socioeconomic status, religion, age, gender,
mental health, physical disability, cognitive and sensory limitations, gender identity or sexual
orientation, geographical location, and historical characteristics linked to exclusion or
discrimination (“Disparities,” 2020). Health disparity reflects a higher burden of illness,
disability, injury, or mortality experienced by a specific group in comparison to another group.
The existence of health disparities is tantamount to health inequity due to factors that lead to
downstream impact on health.
One of the overarching goals of Healthy People in the past 20 years focused on
addressing disparities in health. Healthy People 2020 worked on reduction of health disparities in
the United States. Healthy People 2010 aimed at the elimination of health disparities beyond
reduction (Alegria et al., 2018). This goal was expanded further in Healthy People 2020 to
eliminate disparities, achieve equity in health, and improve the overall health of the people
across population groups. Healthy People 2020 refers to health equity as the achievement of the
highest level of wellness or health for all where everyone is valued equally, with directed
societal efforts on addressing avoidable inequalities and injustices and eliminating disparities in
health care (Baciu et al., 2017). Actions to achieve health equity and eliminate disparities were
focused on disease management in health care services over the years. However, defining health
goes
, 3
BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE
beyond the mere absence of disease and disability (Heath, 2020). Hence, the healthcare delivery
system evolved into the use of multi-level and multidimensional collaborative efforts to integrate
the determinants of health in providing more holistic care to the population.
The determinants of health are where gaps or barriers in health care are rooted. These
factors present the complex and powerful relationships between genetics, biology, and
individual behaviors and socioeconomic status, the physical environment, health services,
racism, literacy levels, discrimination, and legislative policies (Baciu et al., 2017).
Understanding the dynamics of these relationships is important in determining the gaps or
barriers in health with the aid of evidence-based tools in measuring disparities and evaluating
health equity. Tools can be used for macro-level or micro-level monitoring. Population reports
or registries are being used for large- scale health care transformation because they provide
overall risk stratification of a population, show breakdown of the morbidity and mortality in
disease conditions, and snap shots of related major social determinants statistics (Berg, 2018).
Specific assessment tools are directed at determining the gaps or barriers in health by targeting
individual diseases or health conditions.
These are used in formulating plans and implementation of set actions to achieve specific
objectives stipulated in Healthy People 2020.
Overall health is not limited to physical wellness, but also includes mental health as a
dimension linked to developing behavioral patterns and adaptation of the population across the
different determinants of health. Mental health influences the ability of people to strive for and
to maintain good health. While efforts are exerted on abating the burden of disability and death
from acute and chronic diseases, improving mental health simultaneously is critical in uplifting
the health of all in the United States. One of the major issues in mental health in country is
suicide. The comprehensive approach to preventing suicide by Healthy People 2020 aims to
