Access to Care for Medically Underserved and At-Risk Populations in USA

Answer

Access to Care for Medically Underserved and At-Risk Populations in USA

The mortality and disease incidences are high in medically underserved and at-risk populations in the US since these individuals are unable to access healthcare services meritoriously. According to Amendola et al. (2018), most of them die from diseases that are treatable in other parts of the country. In the United States, there are several medically underserved and at-risk populations that include racial ethnic minorities, homeless individuals, low income people, and individuals with chronic diseases. While access to care is the major problem to these populations, there are several ways in which DNP prepared nurse particularly family nurse practitioner (FNP) can increase access to care for medically underserved and at-risk populations in USA.

The first way in which DNP prepared Family Nurse Practitioner can increase access to care for medically underserved and at-risk populations in USA is by increasing the number of visits to the family members of these populations. When the underserved and at-risk populations are unable to access healthcare services, DNP prepared nurse can then take charge and visit them regularly to access their state of health. This is more understood by FNP who understand family settings and needs more than other specialties. This can be done using mobile hospital equipment that can be used to treat the ailing individuals. A study conducted by Odell et al. (2013) revealed that regular visits to the remote and underserved populations significantly improve patient outcome in cases of HIV and cancer in remote areas. According to the study, nurses regularly visited populations at risk and not only treated patients, but also offered education.

Another way through which DNP prepared nurses can increase access to care for medically underserved and at-risk populations in USA is utilization of telehealth. This is basically the use of technology to reach the underserved populations and respond to their needs based on the medical assessments. Some of the examples of telehealth include electronic transmission, mobile health apps, and remote patient monitoring (RPM) (Kaphingst et al., 2015). These devices can be used by FNP to assess and know the health status of the community based on the responses. While it is evident that some of the underserved and at risk populations may not have the ability to purchase the gadgets, FNPs can collaborate with hospitals, non-governmental organizations, other health professionals as well as health organizations to equip these populations with the gadgets in order assess their health conditions and provide care services whenever needed.

Additionally, DNP prepared nurses can increase access to care for medically underserved and at-risk populations in USA by advocating for ambulatory services in such areas. DNP prepared nurses especially FNPs have the ability to advocate for some changes within the hospital that are aimed at assisting the community and reducing the high mortality rates that these populations are experiencing since they have deeper understanding of community and family setups. (Kaphingst et al., 2015). Ambulatory services that are equipped with medical services as well as care providers stationed in these regions have the ability to take care of diseases of the individuals and transport those who experience severe illnesses to referral hospitals.

Lastly, DNP prepared nurses have the capability to change laws and policies of healthcare in the United states in favor of the underserved communities. It is important to note that DNP nurses are among the most educated care providers who have expertise and ability to write proposals through their representative in the legislative houses to change certain policies such as recruitment of more nurse and other care providers to be posted in underserved areas. According to Odell et al., (2013), one of the major factors that affects these populations is nurse shortage, which is a worldwide problem. As such, with enough number of care providers, underserved populations can be allocated adequate number of care providers that will increase their access to health services.

Roles of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurses

The doctor of nursing practice (DNP) is intended to concoct experts in nursing practice. It is the acme of practice-focused nursing degree that builds upon programs that provides educational foundations in equality improvements, evidenced-based practice and system leadership (Murphy et al., 2016). Based on their expertise, DNP nurses have the potential of positively impacting the future of nursing.

One of the most important way in which DNP nurses have the opportunity to shape the future of nursing is through ground breaking research. DNP graduates have been equipped with high level expertise and knowledge of clinical research (Murphy et al., 2016). The groundbreaking way in which nursing can be shaped is through research to understand the causes, emergence, and trends of infectious diseases that affect populations. With the knowledge they have, these healthcare providers can launch successful research about certain diseases, hence changing the future of nursing.

DNP nurses also have the ability to serve patients at higher level. Notably, going all the way to becoming a DNP nurse comes with unique experience and expertise. This experience, when applied during care, provides patient satisfaction that leads to positive patient outcome. According to Murphy et al. (2016), advanced practice nurse benefits from an unconventional level of autonomy during caring for patients as a result of their specified skills, experience, and academic preparations. These nurses are entitled to practice without doctors’ supervision in 23 states. Therefore, with knowledge and experience, they have the ability to provide batter care services that ultimately results in quality service, hence positive patient outcome.