The past few years have seen an increase in the precedence given to the social determinants of health (SDH). There is evidence illustrating the powerful role of social determinants in molding medical care across diverse settings, indicators and demographics. SDH denotes the additional factors to medical care that can be impacted by social policies to outline health in major ways. SDH was formerly affiliated with health-related aspects of neighborhoods, however research suggests that socioeconomic influences such as wealth, revenue and education trigger an array of health outcomes.
How Social Determinants of Health Contribute To the Development of Disease
An individual’s health is impacted by their behavior which is linked to socioeconomic status and corresponding environmental factors. It is well recognized that factors such as poverty impede access to safe surroundings and healthy neighborhoods making people more vulnerable to diseases. The lack of resources prompts undesirable circumstances whereby the affected are subjected to inequalities which lead to poor health outcomes (Braveman and Gottlieb, 2014). Moreover, education is affiliated with income, skills and opportunities that people have to lead healthy lives. Lack thereof impacts level of awareness of diseases hence failure to prevent themselves against the illness.
Steps a Nurse Can Take to Break the Link within the Communicable Disease Chain
Nurses are at the center of the fight against communicable infections which require multifocal approaches to avert and control. Firstly, nurses should uphold proper sanitizing and hand washing techniques in adherence to the center for disease control and prevention guidelines. This should nurture a culture of compliance, safety and quality in the facility. Additionally, nurse should follow evidence-based procedures for patient management. This should confirm the setting is safe and clean by decontaminating reusable medical equipment, cleaning the facility and ensuring food and water safety. Nonetheless, nurses can share performance gains. Practitioners seek precise evidence-based feedback on clinical performance. In so doing nurses will know infection control methods such as safe device selection and insertion and hygiene compliance.
