Posted: September 7th, 2024

Psychosocial Factors in Health

Psychosocial Factors in Health
Brief Summary
Psychosocial factors affect the health condition of people. Some of the examples of the psychosocial factors include poor housing conditions that do not guarantee clean, adequate, and safe drinking water. Poor housing exposes people to diverse health issues relating to cold weather or insects that bite or spread diseases (Truman et al., 2011). According to the World Health Organization, individuals can suffer from various health issues as a result of poor housing. Another major factor that affects health is income inequality among diverse racial groups. Research suggests that income inequalities undermine access to healthcare services and can increase the risk of heart conditions (Oppenheimer, 2010). The premature mortality rate is high among populations with low income. The studies show that preventable deaths occur due to the psychosocial factors that undermine the health status of the affected populations. Addressing healthcare issues can provide solutions to negative health outcomes.
Strategies to Address Psychosocial Factors
Studies show that over 29 percent of the global population of over 2 billion people do not have access to clean water. The people who live in poor housing conditions face challenges such as access to quality and safe drinking water. The challenges can lead to diseases that result in chronic pain (Phillips & Goodman, 2004). The government has put in measures to address the healthcare issue across the states. One of the approaches is to collaborate with the states to identify and mitigate healthcare issues (James et al., 2017). The approaches include increasing funding to the housing programs that improve the quality of houses people live in (James et al., 2017). Other measures include creating jobs that empower the jobless people in society. Healthcare organizations such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and WHO have been developing funds to create awareness about health issues. The measures are effective since they educate the vulnerable population and advocate for a better life. Advocacy is essential in eliminating chronic pain in society (Elliott et al., 1999). Nurses have been at the forefront of advocating for better health outcomes. The nurses take the lead in identifying the health issues and educating the patients about the risks.
Role of a Nurse
Nurse practitioners have a role to assess and screen health inequalities to develop treatment plans. The nurse should ensure patients have a supportive environment since it can improve health outcomes (Oruche & Zapolski, 2020). The role of the nurse is to customize treatment plans to fit the diverse needs of patients. For example, self-efficacy and optimism are crucial in boosting health outcomes. Customization is effective to address the various health inequalities. Nurses have the responsibilities to be conscious of the health disparities such as access to healthcare and knowledge about healthcare (Oruche & Zapolski, 2020). The nurses will use the available literature and evidence-based practice to make decisions about the health provider to the patients. All the interventions should evidence-based to ensure the implementation of measures to boost the health of the patients.
A nurse should be an advocate of the healthcare issues patients face. The role of an advocate involves assessing health issues and researching the possible solution (Oruche & Zapolski, 2020). The assessment and development of the problems should comprise engaging various stakeholders. The process should involve identifying the barriers and possible solutions. For example, lack of knowledge or income disparities can be a challenge to quality health outcomes. The role of the nurse is important in ensuring quality healthcare outcomes among diverse populations (Oruche & Zapolski, 2020). Nurses have a pivotal role in minimizing the negative health outcomes by educating the patients and creating awareness about the health risks.

References
Elliott, A. M., Smith, B. H., Penny, K. I., Smith, W. C., & Chambers, W. A. (1999). The epidemiology of chronic pain in the community. The Lancet, 354(9186), 1248-1252.
James, C. V., Moonesinghe, R., Wilson-Frederick, S. M., Hall, J. E., Penman-Aguilar, A., & Bouye, K. (2017). Racial/ethnic health disparities among rural adults—United States, 2012–2015. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(23), 1.
Oppenheimer, G. M. (2010). Framingham Heart Study: the first 20 years. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 53(1), 55-61.
Oruche, U. M., & Zapolski, T. C. (2020). The Role of Nurses in Eliminating Health Disparities and Achieving Health Equity. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58(12), 2-4.
Phillips, C. V., & Goodman, K. J. (2004). The missed lessons of sir Austin Bradford Hill. Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innovations, 1(1), 3.
Truman, B. I., Smith, K. C., Roy, K., Chen, Z., Moonesinghe, R., Zhu, J., … & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2011). Rationale for regular reporting on health disparities and inequalities-United States. MMWR Surveill Summ, 60(Suppl 01), 3-10.

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