This essay explores the key strategies in primary health care addressing national health priority issues in Australia. It discusses determinants of health, epidemiological factors, and the significance to nursing practice.
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Running head: PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT Primary Health Care in a Global Context Name of the student: Name of the university: Author note:
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1 PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT Table of Contents Introduction:..............................................................................................................................2 Chosen key strategy in Primary Health Care:............................................................................2 Determinants of health such as equity and social justice:.........................................................3 Epidemiological factors and its impact:....................................................................................4 Significance to Nursing Practice:..............................................................................................4 Conclusion:................................................................................................................................5 References:................................................................................................................................6
2 PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT Introduction: Primary care can be considered as one of the greatest elements associated with public health care delivery and along with that, the providing primary health care can be considered as one of the most fundamental needs of the population. Primary health care is the first point of contact for the patients and hence, it is very important for a nation to have a detailed primary health care strategies to address the different primary health care needs or issues that the community or region is facing (Neutens, 2015). Australia is a nation that has set an admirable example for others by developing detailed and extensive primary health care strategy with priority areas focused on the particular public health priorities of the nation. This essay will attempt to explore and evaluate one of the key current strategies in the primary health care context addressing one particular national health priority issues in the nation Chosen key strategy in Primary Health Care: One of the greatest challenge or need facing the primary health care network of the Australian demographics had been the ensuring equal accessibility of health care services for all of the individuals across the socio-economic or cultural status. As mentioned by authors, there have been a variety of different determinants of heath that play a fundamental role in facilitating an array of disparities or inequities in the health care accessibility and quality based on the socio- economic status, racial or cultural identity, ethnicity and even sexual orientation. Hence, the second key current strategy for the primary health care framework by Australian government had been “Improve access and reduce inequity” (aihw.gov.au, 2018). The primary aim of this strategic area is to provide primary health care delivery via an integrated service system
3 PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT delivered care across the country with high quality and addressing the service gaps that have been left behind. Determinants of health such as equity and social justice: The health status of a particular individual or a community depends heavily on the impact of different social determinants of health; these determinants of health includes race, ethnicity, social exclusion, culture, employment, equity, early life, socioeconomic position, social justice and housing. It has to be mentioned that despite the commendable improvement in the Australian health care sector, there still are population groups that do not get the opportunity to access quality primary care. Hence, the determinants of equity and justice has a massive role in the delivery and status of the primary health care in the chosen community (Dilworth-Anderson, Pierre & Hilliard, 2012). Exploring further health equity refers to the equal accessibility and quality of care provided with no evidence of disparities present in the controllable aspects of health allowing each and every member of the society to gain equal treatment. On the other hand, the concept of social justice with respect to health is associated with fair treatment made available to all members of the society. Social justice extends to education, wealth, opportunities, and access. It has to be mentioned that the impact of the social position, socio-economic status, racial or cultural background, ethnicity and even sexual orientation has a significant impact on the social justice, altering the educational and financial position which in turn controls the accessibility to social privileges. This key strategic action attempts to improve the impact of this lack of equity and social justice in the health care access and build model health frameworks that improves health literacy across different populations and enhance equal access for all members of the community (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014).
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4 PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT Epidemiological factors and its impact: There are a number of different epidemiological factors associated with the chosen primary health care area. First and foremost, the most of the inaccessibility and inequity to primary care services have been identified in the rural and remote regions of the nation. Hence the geographical barrier is one considerable epidemiological factor; this primary care strategy attempts to enhance the availability of the GP practices and encourage the long term relationship between the consumer and the GP to ensure equal and timely care provided. Economic background or financial stability across different social settings is another key epidemiological variable which has a huge impact on accessibility (healthypeople.gov, 2018). The primary care strategy has helped in improving the afterhours care ratio and enhancing the scope of practice if the GPs along with strengthening the funding system so that all members can access at least the first point of care equally. Lastly, the impact of racial and cultural discrimination has to be discussed as a key epidemiological influence. The aboriginals or other ethnic minority groups have faced severe discrimination and lack of basic social privilege such as education, wealth, employment opportunities and most importantly health. The priority actions also include training and skill development of the primary health are staff especially the GPs to enhance the cultural safety and appropriateness of the care provided so enhance easy accessibility and help-seeking behavior across all sectors of the society including the minorities (health.gov.au, 2018). Significance to Nursing Practice: According to the key principles of primary health care by WHO, universal access to care coverage is one of the most fundamental one. Similarly according to the second principles of care, equity is a significant component associated with the development of the health care
5 PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT services oriented with social justice (who.int, 2018). Hence, it is crucial for the health care sectors of the nation to have an extensivestrategy to address the lackof equalityand accessibility. The importance of this is extreme to nursing practice as primary health care is also intricately associated with the nursing care. The nursing professionals will therefore need to modifytheirpracticescopeandapproachaswelltoincorporateenhancedequityand accessibility of primary care. Along with that, the roles and responsibilities of the nursing workforce extends to advocating the accessibility and equity needs of the patients across different socio-cultural groups. Conclusion: On a concluding note, primary health care is the first point of contact with the health sector with the patients and for the health status of the nation to improve across populations, it is imperative for the national primary health care strategies to focus on enhancing the accessibility of the services and reducing the prevalence of inequity. This paper had been successful in determining the impact of equity, social justice and epidemiological factors on the present state and how the strategy attempts to bridge the service gaps with respect to key principles of primary health care.
6 PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT References: AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare.(2018).Australia'shealth2016,Chapter4 Determinants of health - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. [online] Available at:https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/australias-health-2016/contents/ determinants [Accessed 12 Aug. 2018]. Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2014). The social determinants of health: it's time to consider the causes of the causes.Public health reports,129(1_suppl2), 19-31. DepartmentofHealth|Primarycare.(2018).Retrievedfrom http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/primarycare Department of Health | Strategic Outcome 2: Improve access and reduce inequity. (2018). Retrievedfromhttp://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/ NPHC-Strategic-Framework~strategicoutcome2 DeterminantsofHealth|HealthyPeople2020.(2018).Retrievedfrom https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/Determinants-of- Health Dilworth-Anderson, P., Pierre, G., & Hilliard, T. S. (2012). Social justice, health disparities, and culture in the care of the elderly.
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7 PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT Neutens, T. (2015). Accessibility, equity and health care: review and research directions for transport geographers.Journal of Transport Geography,43, 14-27. WHO|Chapter7:HealthSystems:principledintegratedcare.(2018).Retrievedfrom http://www.who.int/whr/2003/chapter7/en/index1.html WHO|Healthandsocialjustice.(2018).Retrievedfrom http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/89/1/10-082388/en/