Respond to the 2 discussions with APA format references
Discussion 1
Basic human rights related to healthcare are fundamental principles that affirm the entitlement of individuals to receive adequate healthcare services and live a healthy life. Part of this includes access to healthcare; everyone should have access to timely, affordable, and quality healthcare without discrimination. With the rapid expansion of telehealth as a viable alternative to traditional in-person office visits, access to broadband internet has become a critical factor in enabling this shift. Sharma & Patten, 2022, state that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing healthcare disparities, particularly impacting communities of color, lower socioeconomic status, and residents of rural areas, leading to a further widening of existing healthcare inequities. According to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) National Broadband Map, a little over 7.2 million locations lack access to high-speed internet service as of November 2023. While this figure represents a decrease from the 8.3 million locations reported in May 2023, the digital divide remains substantial, yet there are signs of progress (Rosenworcel, 2023). Thus, I believe that digital inclusion or broadband access should be recognized as a crucial component of the Social Determinants of Health (SODH.) An essential SODH is access to quality healthcare services, and specific communities face challenges in accessing healthcare due to geographical barriers and other obstacles that significantly impact their ability to receive necessary medical care (Bauerly et al., 2019). By having broadband available in their area, individuals would have the opportunity to access healthcare services through telemedicine, which could lead to improved patient outcomes. Additionally, the investment required to enable individuals to access broadband is significantly lower than the costs associated with treating health conditions (Sieck et al., 2021). Again, this highlights the benefits of expanding access to valuable broadband resources and offering digital literacy skills to reduce disparities. Ensuring universal access to broadband internet is essential for upholding fundamental human rights related to healthcare in the context of the growing importance of telehealth services. Addressing the digital divide can improve healthcare access, quality, and patient outcomes.
Resources.
.Sharma, P., & Patten, C. A. (2022). A Need for Digitally Inclusive Health Care Service in the United States: Recommendations for Clinicians and Health Care Systems. The Permanente Journal, 26(3), 149–153. https://doi.org/10.7812/tpp/21.156
Rosenworcel, J. (2023, November 17). National broadband map 3.0: Thankful for continued improvements | federal communications commission. Www.fcc.gov. https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/notes/2023/11/17/national-broadband-map-30 thankful-continued-improvementsLinks to an external site.
Sieck, C. J., Sheon, A., Ancker, J. S., Castek, J., Callahan, B., & Siefer, A. (2021). Digital inclusion as a social determinant of health. NPJ Digital Medicine, 4(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-021-00413-Links to an external site.
Bauerly, B. C., McCord, R. F., Hulkower, R., & Pepin, D. (2019). Broadband Access as a Public Health Issue: The Role of Law in Expanding Broadband Access and Connecting Underserved Communities for Better Health Outcomes. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics?: A Journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 47(2_suppl), 39–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073110519857314
Discussion 2
.The social determinants of health (SDH) are non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, and age. They are non- medical factors such as safe housing, transportation, neighborhood/community, polluted air and water, access to nutritious food or balanced diet, and physical health/activity. The social determinants of health are classified under the following –Healthcare access and quality, Education access and quality, Social and Community Context, Economic Stability, and Neighborhood/environment.
Healthcare access involves access to primary healthcare, health insurance coverage, and health literacy. Education access and quality involves secondary, and higher education as well as language, literacy, and childhood development. Social and community context involves civic participation, discrimination, incarceration, and conditions within a workplace. Economic stability revolves around peoples’ finances and their health. Neighborhood/environment involves factors such as quality of housing, transportation, access to healthy foods, water quality, crime, and violence, etc.
The Healthy People 2030 campaign aims to improve the quality of healthcare access by impacting the social determinants of health.
The use and application of digital tools impacts the social determinants of health. Health tools such as electronic health records, mobile health, patient portals, Telehealth/Telemedicine, etc., can foster greater patient engagement and support outside the clinic visit, and improve patient outcomes (Akirov, A., et al., 2019).
Digital inclusion and mobile health technologies are highly recommended because they impact social determinants of health and increase patient outcomes. The Internet impacts all social determinants of health. Examples are seen in online applications for employment, housing, bills, etc., (Meisser, K., & Schartman, C. S., 2019). Access to the internet is cheaper than treating a health condition and therefore improves health.
Healthcare should adopt digital inclusion which allows internet access at the community level. This will improve communication and collaboration with healthcare services. Mobile technology can also be accessed easily with the internet allowing more coverage and patient access to healthcare without visiting the clinic. Lack of internet access is a limiting factor for patients to access patient portals. Incorporating the internet and other social determinants of health into electronic health records encourages more patient access and healthcare documentation (Zhang, X., et al., 2019).
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