Diverse Populations and Nursing Practice Report

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Diverse Populations and Nursing Practice Report

Strategies of managing health issues for a particular population depend on several factors that include healthcare needs of the population. As such, one strategy cannot be used across all populations since every populace has diverse requirements. This report, therefore, develops a nursing practice plan using the Registered Nurse Standards for strategies in managing health issues that impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. The plan looks at the social determinants of health, health inequalities and inequities, and health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. It also describes nursing considerations that healthcare providers should employ when caring for an individual who belongs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, also known as Indigenous peoples of Australia, are people with ancestral heritage to groups that lived in Australia before British colonization. These individuals are not one group but composed of several clusters with divergent set of languages, cultural traditions, and histories. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) projection, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people this year is approximately 860,000, which is 3.3 percent of the Australian population (Taylor et al., 2021). It is important to note that the majority of these people live in remote parts of Australia making them one of the minority groups in the country. However, according to ABS, the number is likely to increase to 1.1 million by the year 2031 if their welfares are considered by the government.

Social Determinants of Health

One of the major social determinants of health that affects these Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is access to quality education. It is important to note that individuals with higher education level are more likely to be healthier and live longer than people with no or little education. According to a study conducted by Chenhall et al. (2020), education and health are inherently linked since education is strappingly associated with morbidity, health behaviors, and life expectancy. Correspondingly, education plays a significant role by determining opportunities. However, it is important to note that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have no adequate education as compared to the rest of the citizens. According to the study conducted by Vallesi et al. (2018), in general, 15.1% of the Aboriginal were attending primary school, 10.0% of the population were in secondary institutions, and 4.6% at a tertiary level.

The next social determinant of health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is poverty. It is important to note that poverty and heath are connected that poverty has been declared by World Health Organization (WHO) as the single largest determinant of health. Notably, poverty denies individuals access to healthcare services, especially in countries or regions where such services are not free. Indicators of poverty reveal that indigenous individuals are three time worse off than non-indigenous people in Australia. These indicators show that a majority of indigenous live below poverty line, which prevents them from accessing healthcare services.

Access to healthcare is another social determinant of health that affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. While it is important to note that Australia is one of the countries that invest in healthcare, some facilities are still lacking in some parts of the countries, particularly in remote areas where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dwell. Access to these care services becomes quite difficult in the essence that a majority of these individuals live below poverty line hence the finance to reach these places are lacking. DeLacy et al. (2020) also add that in most countries, Australia being one of them, the quality of healthcare service depends on how much money one has.

The last social determinant of health that affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is environment and infrastructure. A majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reside in remote areas of the country, hence do not effectively enjoy government services. For example, the government has several programs such as education and creation of awareness on certain diseases; however, these services may not reach this population as a result of unbearable environment and lack of infrastructure.

Health Inequalities

One of the health inequalities that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is life expectancy. Life expectancy indicators and research reveals that aboriginal individuals die about 9 to 10 years earlier than their counterparts, non-aboriginal Australians. Averagely, males from the aboriginal origin live 71.6 years which is 9 years less than non-aboriginal peers while women live 72.5 years 8 years less than their counterparts. A study conducted by Bartleet et al. (2018) reveals that aboriginal life expectancy is very low as a result of aboriginal health standards in Australia. Importantly, most aboriginal individuals reside in remote areas where access to healthcare facilities is not easy which contributes to their low life expectancy.

Another health inequality that affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is burden or risk of diseases. It is important to note that aboriginal people of Australia are three times at risk of developing diseases than non-aboriginal people. These health risk factors increase the likelihood of a person developing a chronic disease, or interfere with the management of existing conditions. Studies reveal that some of the contributors of the high risk factors include the type of diet, lifestyles such as consumption of alcohol and smoking. For instance, a study conducted by Marmot (2017) reveals that the prevalence rate of smoking among aboriginal people is 46%, an issue that put their lives at risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and other cardiovascular illnesses.

Well-being is another inequality that affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Also known as wellness, it refers to what is essentially important relative to somebody. As a result of high risk of diseases, inability to access healthcare services in time and poor living environment, most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander have poor mental well-being.

Health Inequities

The first health inequity that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are facing is health education. It is important to note that Australia has put effective measures to educate and create awareness about some health issues in order to stop their spread. Examples include awareness about cardiovascular diseases and HIV. However, these programs only reach non-aboriginal since most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders live in remote areas where such services have not reached. On similar note, such educational programs are also aired on TVs and or via internet which most indigenous people do not have.

The second inequity is discrimination which presents fair distribution of resources across the populations. Racism is an adjustable and straight determinant of unhelpful health outcomes which contributes to population health disparities which includes the ones observed between non-Indigenous and Indigenous populations globally A study conducted by Fisher et al. (2019) reveals that a non-indigenous person is more likely to receive quality care than indigenous people as a result of discrimination.

Health Outcomes

The first key health issue that affects aboriginal people is respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The common types of cardiovascular diseases that this population experience are asthma, pneumonia, viral infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A study conducted by George et al. (2019), reveals that respiratory diseases are responsible for 12 percent of the total burden of diseases among the aboriginal people. Chronic lower respiratory diseases are the third leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people die from respiratory disease at a higher rate than non-Indigenous people, but the gap has closed over recent decades.

Another key health issue that affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is mental problem. According to the study conducted by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), 32 percent of indigenous individuals of over 15 years self-reported that they have mental issues. The study revealed that 34 percent are women while 25 percent are females. Notably, several studies reveal that high cases of mental problems among this group have been caused by their several issues that include lifestyle, poverty, and high prevalence of disease that subject individuals under distress which later culminates to anxiety, depression, and other health problems.

Lastly, injuries including suicide and self-inflicted injuries are another key issue that impacts aboriginal people. Suicide is the leading cause of premature mortality among the indigenous peoples of Australia, particularly the younger people. The report by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) reveals that in the year 2019, suicide as self-harm contributed for 6.8 of all deaths of aboriginal individuals while the comparable proportion for non-aboriginal was only 1.4 percent. The studies reveal that the majority of people who dies as a result of suicide are females, indicating that they have difficulty coping up with distress and other stressors that affect the group.

Nursing Care Considerations

One of the nursing care considerations that would be important in caring for an individual of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is patient education. It is important to note that one of the primary objectives of patient-centered care is effectively integrating patients as main partners or stakeholders of the care team. While it is important to acknowledge that accurate diagnosis of a condition and effective treatment are vital for the patient’s prognosis and quality of life, evidence has it that informing and educating the patient about her or his condition is significant during healing process (Balabanski et al., 2017). It also makes the patient to learn more about the disease and how to observe their own health. According to Wilson et al. (2017), most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders live in remote areas with little information about their health status and diseases, hence it is of great importance to use the opportunity to teach them about their condition and how she or he can take care of herself or himself in future if presented with a similar condition.

Standard 5 of Registered Nurse Standards states that care providers should develop a plan for nursing practice. Section two of the standard states that “collaboratively constructs nursing practice plans until contingencies, options priorities, goals, actions, outcomes and timeframes are agreed with the relevant persons (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016)” It, therefore, means that the plan of treatment is a collaborative action that requires the consent of several individuals in order to attain a positive patient outcome. One of the major partners during treatment process is the patient who should not only be informed but also educated about his or her condition and the necessary actions that are likely to be taken.

Another nursing care consideration that would be important in caring for an individual of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is respecting and showing value to their culture. One of the issues that affect aboriginal individuals is discrimination and the feeling that they are less important. Liberman (2017) reveals that in the event that most of them believe that they will not get proper medical services as a result of their origin, some opt to stay in their houses even when suffering from chronic diseases. This can be supported by the fact most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are more likely to die than their counterparts, non-aboriginal people. In that regard, it is important for care providers to value and respect not only the culture but also the origin of these individuals in order raise their self-confidence so that next time they can seek medical attention knowing that they are as important as any other individual around them. Actually, this will reduce the negative social determinants that prevent them from seeking quality care.

Notably, the first standard of Registered Nurse Standards which urges nurses to think critically and analyze nursing practice supports that healthcare professionals should respect people irrespective of their culture (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia,2016). Section three of the first standards state that “respects all cultures and experiences, which includes responding to the role of family and community that underpin the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people of other cultures”. Irrespective of one’s culture, origin or background, everyone deserves provision of quality care.

Another nursing care consideration that would be important in caring for an individual of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is good communication and consultation skills. It is important to note that the fact that most individuals from this minority group have faced historical injustices mainly discrimination, they have little belief on the important systems such as healthcare or hospitals of the country. In fact, most of them rely on their tradition which they believe is more superior to contemporary systems such as scientific medication (Bennett & Gates, 2019). On the same note, in the event that these services are not widespread in their remote areas make them to have little faith on modern and scientific treatments. It is in this context that the nurse must consider good communication and consultation skills in order to live in a mutual relationship with the patient. As stated by Peiris et al., (2019), good communication has got very positive impact during provision of care. Specifically, effective communication enhances the patient experience, reduces complaints, increases nurses' self-confidence, professional standing, and career prospects.

Standard two of Registered Nurse Standards requires nurses to engage in effective therapeutic and professional relationship. Section two of the standard states that registered nurses should communicate effectively, and is respectful of a person’s dignity, culture, values, beliefs and rights (Nursing & Council, 2016). This section of the Registered Nurse Standards recognizes the importance of effective communication and relationship with patient during treatment process.

Conclusion

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, also known as indigenous peoples of Australia are a diverse population in Australia. This population is impacted by several health factors that include social determinant of health, health inequalities, and health inequities. Some of the social health determinant that affects the population includes access to quality education, poverty, and access to health care. These factors have led to inequities and inequities such as discrimination, low life expectancy, and risk of diseases. Based on their experience, it is important for healthcare providers to consider important nursing care considerations such as patient education, value of their culture, and good communication skills when caring for an individual belonging to the group.