preview

Disparity In Healthcare

Decent Essays

A healthcare disparity is a limitation of healthcare availability, usually among a certain racial or socioeconomic demographic (Black, 2013). However, there are disparities that don’t have a specific demographic and affect the entirety of the United States, which are potentially most detrimental to the overall health of our country. One of those disparities is health literacy, or the exchange of complex information from the healthcare provider to the patient or client (Black, 2013). The lack of health literacy in America poses as a problem, especially with the chronically ill. Without proper knowledge of how to treat their illness and what to do when the disease process worsens or ameliorates can potentially cause millions of unnecessary hospitalizations, …show more content…

An MDI is an aerosol medication, taken orally and inhaled into the lungs (AAAI, 2015). A metered dose inhaler on a medical stand point is a bronchodilator and corticosteroid that aides in the breathing process when bronchiole tubes become constricted (AAAI, 2015). Bronchiole tube constriction is the reason for the difficulty breathing, and the main symptom of asthma (AAAI, 2015). An MDI dilates the bronchioles (AAAI, 2015). 73 patients were analyzed, and 16 of them were dubbed as having ‘inadequate health literacy’ (Bilderback et al., 2005). 10 questions were answered in true or false format to determine these results and 22% didn’t know how to properly administer their medication. These patients had no knowledge of when they should or shouldn’t take their medicine, when and how they should treat an asthma attack, and lastly how much time will persist before symptoms subside and how promptly they should be treated (Bilderback et al., 2005). Out of those 16 patients, 13 of them were hospitalized in the last 12 months, 14 of them had to visit the ER in the last 12 months, and 10 of them are said to have near-fatal asthma (Bilderback et al., 2005). On a satisfactory note, 11 of those 16 were removed from the list of those with inadequate literacy after one educational session …show more content…

In contrast to asthma, 285,000,000 people in the US had either type I, type II, or gestational diabetes in 2010 (Cavanaugh, 2010). Type 2 diabetes, which is acquired due to unhealthy lifestyle and other external factors, is more common, affecting 95 out of 100 diabetics. (Cavanaugh, 2010). The most crucial aspect of diabetes to have adequate knowledge about is glycemic blood levels (Cavanaugh, 2010). Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are extremely common due to the pancreas’s inability to correctly administer insulin, the hormone that manages glycemic blood levels, throughout the body (Cavanaugh, 2010). According to the study, those who are more proficient in math had an easier time administering their medications (Cavanaugh, 2010). This is due to the necessary method of injecting insulin based upon measured levels of blood sugar using a device that pricks the skin, and calculates a value by testing the blood (Cavanaugh, 2010). While a lot of it is done automatically with today’s society, a basic instruction on how the electronic devices used would dramatically affect literacy outcomes (Cavanaugh, 2010). Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia is more common with individuals possessing inadequate health literacy (Cavanaugh, 2010). Without the proper knowledge, 30% of those with Type 2 diabetes are expected to have hypoglycemic emergency events, and out of the 14,000 tested, 11% of them did have a hypoglycemic

Get Access