PHN-690 – Topic 8 DQ 2- Measurement StrategiesTopic 8 DQ 2

QUESTION-What are disparities of health and why are they important to address? List three resources needed to benchmark disparities of health and what information they provide.

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Solution

What are disparities of health and why are they important to address?

Disparities of health refer to differences that are preventable in disease, violence, injuries, and opportunities to access and achieve optimal health, and they are experienced by the economically disadvantaged communities/populations. They can also refer to a specific type of health difference associated with the social, environmental, and economic disadvantages and commonly affects communities or populations that have experienced historical exclusion/discrimination, such as the racial and ethnic groups, physically disabled groups, communities from lower socioeconomic status, and individuals with different sexual orientation or gender identity issues (Center for disease control and prevention, 2022).

Understanding the health disparities is essential in determining how health care is financed and delivered to these communities in an attempt to overcome the existing disparities. Addressing health disparities is the initial step to eliminating some of the diseases in the general community and contributes to improved health for all the people in a community; addressing the disparities allows everyone to have access to health services, leading to improved health and elimination of disease reservoirs hence healthier communities. Eliminating disparities reduces the economic burden on taxpayers; for example, addressing poverty levels in communities can reduce the expenditure on Medicaid and emergency room services that are provided to those living below the poverty line. Addressing the health disparities can also assist in eliminating the stigmatization that some of the disadvantaged communities face to a higher disease burden (Healthy People.Gov, 2020).

List three resources needed to benchmark disparities of health

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; this is a government agency that is involved in conducting research to understand how healthcare is delivered and what can be done to improve the delivery process. Information that can be obtained includes data on the prevalence of diseases in the community, patient and care providers’ experiences, the effectiveness of healthcare technologies, and health data on minority and ethnic groups. American Public Health Association mainly focuses on health issues affecting the community, including the prevalence of disease in the community and factors that contribute to health disparities, such as violence and drug abuse. The Commonwealth Fund; is a private foundation that focuses on providing resources to support research on health issues such as disease burden and health disparities among marginalized populations (American Colleges of Surgeons, 2022).

References

American Colleges of Surgeons, (2022) Health Care Disparities Resources Retrieved from: https://www.facs.org/health-care-disparities/resources

Center for disease control and prevention, (2022) Health Disparities Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/disparities/index.htm

Healthy People.Gov, (2020) Disparities Retrieved from: https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/Disparities