Client Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX6616: Ethical and Legal Consideration in Care Coordination
Instructor’s Name
August 2024
Summary Report on Rural Healthcare and Affordable Solutions
The provision of clinical facilities to all the population is a basic necessity and fundamental right of people around the world (Binagwaho & Mathewos, 2023). The proper care coordination strategies can be implemented to ensure that urban areas and rural areas are receiving effective facilities for health and safety. As a coordination expert, the removal of barriers associated with the access and availability of basic health services for rural communities is one of the most important responsibilities (Gizaw et al., 2022).
An influential analysis of healthcare requirements of the specific rural community and then implementing advanced strategies need to be considered as the prior need of time as limited resources and lack of effective healthcare services can lead to a large number of health disparities and dangerous events. This assessment will be based on the analysis of critical healthcare situations of the rural community named Appalachia Region which is located in mountains and hills, having a lack of access to basic health facilities.
Older adults having diabetes of type 2 are the most vulnerable group in this community because of insufficient knowledge regarding their health condition, limited healthcare facilities, and isolated geographic location (Normilus et al., 2021). In this assessment, the health needs of the Appalachia Region will be identified along with the availability of resources and interprofessional team providers. The strategies for promoting healthcare with legal and ethical considerations will be discussed.
A Specific Population Need and Community
Appalachia region is a rural community located in the mountains having small towns and insufficient access to medical resources (Morrone et al., 2021). They face health challenges because of the isolated regional location, huge vulnerability to chronic diseases, financial barriers, and insufficient education. The healthcare services in this region are limited due to staff shortage, insufficient professional staff, and long transportation distance and time.
Older adults of type 2 diabetes are the most vulnerable groups in this community and they have insufficient resources to effectively monitor their health condition. They are more vulnerable because of the less healthcare resources, inability to understand their health conditions, and inappropriate medications and treatment (Samara et al., 2023). Their chronic disease prevalence is high including anxiety, stress, diabetes, heart disease, and mental disorders. The rate of mental illness is also high due to limited access to mental care professionals.
Care Coordinator Responsibilities to Address Cultural Diversity
The appropriate identification and understanding of the cultural beliefs, values, and norms of the patient are necessary to provide effective treatment through the use of culture-friendly healthcare services (Latif, 2020). The preferences of the patients regarding their religious beliefs should be considered while providing treatment. The educational background of the patients and the language barriers need to be involved in the strategic planning of providing better professional assistance to the people.
Moreover, interprofessional collaboration services and access to resources should be provided equally to all the people of the community. Planning, designing, and implementing healthcare strategies that are in alignment with the cultural norms of the people are more effective and sustainable.
Current Interprofessional Collaboration Team Providers and Resources
In the Appalachia region, the current collaboration providers include nursing staff, specialists, primary care providers, pharmacists, local and public healthcare departments, and mental healthcare providers (Morrone et al., 2021). They always try to provide effective treatment to the patients but the number of primary care providers is less which makes it difficult to handle a large volume of patients. They have limited resources due to which they are unable to provide adequate effective treatment and medications to the patients.
Patients suffering from serious health conditions often need specialists but due to the severity of their condition and lack of resources, they may refer to urban healthcare facilities which is time-consuming and costly, and this delay in care results in serious health issues. Nursing staff and health workers often provide education that is aligned with the culture and give little care to the available facilities which is not sufficient to deal with major health issues resulting in health disparities (Flaubert, 2021).
The pharmacist has an effective role in providing proper medications to reduce the rate of health issues and hospital readmissions. Mental care is essential to evaluate the effective treatment of any other chronic disease as worse mental conditions can overall disturb the health of the patients.
Available Current Resources
Many healthcare institutes and programs are working in the Appalachian region including the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) provides financial resources to the healthcare communities for improved patient treatments. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) make health available to all by providing the benefit of low healthcare fees so that everyone can be treated with great care. Moreover, the Diabetes Self-Management Education Program (DSMEP) provides training to patients to understand self-management and follow a diabetic diet plan to control their diabetes levels.
Addressing the Areas of Cultural Competency
The cultural values of Appalachian regio include loyalty between the community, the feeling of mistrust for people outside the community, and mostly they are self-dependent. The care coordinators need to address these cultural beliefs and values of the Appalachian community before particular healthcare treatment. Other issues including poverty, lack of education, limited transportation resources, and long-distance traveling should be resolved by providing remote services to the patients in the rural community and addressing their needs effectively through the use of advanced telehealth services.
The appropriate language facilities should be provided so that the villagers can easily understand their health conditions, the needed treatment, and the assistance provided to them for their satisfaction and well-being (AlShamsi et al., 2020). Provide effective dietary plans and counseling to the patients which will along with their cultural preferences so that they can efficiently follow the instructions and act on them. Cultural and religious beliefs are of great significance for healthcare providers therefore every healthcare organization should be responsible for considering the beliefs and norms of the rural community before implementing any healthcare strategies.
Recommendation for Technology-Based Outreach
In the rural community of the Appalachian region, the evidence-based technology intervention will be effective in providing health to the community along with ensuring the patient’s health and safety. For older adults with type 2 diabetes, it is difficult to travel to specialists often or pay hospital visits regularly due to the lack of transportation resources along with other healthcare services or financial barriers.
This problem can be effectively administered through the implementation of technology-based healthcare systems including telehealth services, electronic health records (EHR), remote monitoring, telemedicine, and so on (Zhang & Saltman, 2021). These technologies are more advanced and efficient in their services which will generate positive patient outcomes and be beneficial for healthcare organizations. Through the use of telehealth facilities and telemedicine, it will become easier for patients to consult their care providers before any deteriorating condition and get timely intervention and treatment that will prevent many health disparities and provide needed healthcare services efficiently and timely (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021).
These telehealth services reduce the cost of hospital visits and readmissions thus taking into consideration the economic barriers of the rural patients. Moreover, the EHR maintains and organizes the information of the patient regarding, medical, social, and psychological history effectively and securely so that the patient data can be provided with great accuracy to the interprofessional teams for their collaboration and effective decision-making process about the health condition of the patient.
Legal Issues with the Advance Technology
Healthcare information technology has great significance in today’s world, especially in healthcare facilities due to their monitoring of the patient’s health conditions and timely intervention however these healthcare facilities have some legal issues that need to be considered and addressed in compliance with the legal healthcare standards and the regulations (Popescu et al., 2022). Legal issues can often lead to severe penalties which can be damaging for many healthcare organizations and badly impact patients. A few legal issues are listed below;
- The security and confidentiality of patient information need to be administered and secured effectively with the use of efficient record-keeping systems.
- Data encryption strategies need to be implemented to prevent data breaches and secure patient information for only healthcare purposes.
- Healthcare providers should have a legal license to practice healthcare information technology systems in their clinical settings.
- Access to technology-based systems should be equitable for all the members of the rural community to improve patient satisfaction.
- Patients should be provided with complete information regarding the treatment and healthcare services provided to them so that they are aware of the outcomes and the effectiveness of the assistance provided to them.
Continuation of Ethical Care in Updated Technology-Based System
The significant consideration of ethical practices in the provision of telehealth services to patients is necessary (Solimini et al., 2021). The patient’s ethical rights are the fundamental concern of healthcare organizations and legal authorities. The assurance of providing complete information to the patient regarding the telehealth facility usage for their treatment is mandatory for the clear understanding of the patient and prevention of any healthcare disparities. The technology-based systems should be operated and implemented to avoid any kind of health disparities and provide the most effective healthcare facilities to the patients. Equal access to all the patients of the community should be provided so that no one feels mistreated or left out as it will create the impression of imbalance in the community and ultimately this will affect the cultural value of the Appalachian region.
Moreover, cultural diversity should be properly addressed and maintained while providing advanced healthcare services to the patients of the community, and patient data privacy should be considered a priority in dealing with health issues (Handtke et al., 2019). The outcomes and information provided to the patients should be transparent and accurate to prevent any kind of ambiguity that can lead to damaging health situations. The healthcare providers should be accountable for their roles and responsibilities so that they can generate positive patient outcomes along with the well-being and satisfaction of the patients.
NURS FPX 6616 Assessment 2 Conclusion
The healthcare challenges are massive in the rural community of the Appalachian region due to their isolated graphic location and lack of sufficient healthcare resources. The most vulnerable are diabetic type 2 older adults because of a lack of appropriate education regarding their disease, limited resources, and poverty. With the intervention of technology-based healthcare systems, it will be effective to provide healthcare facilities to people in need without discriminating against anyone (Morrone et al., 2021). Telehealth services along with electronic record maintenance systems can increase positive patient outcomes thus ensuring the availability of health to all the population of the community. Consideration of cultural diversity and beliefs of the community is important as it will decide the type of treatment that needs to be provided to the community people. Addressing the ethical and legal issues about the implementation of the healthcare formation technology is necessary to prevent the organization and patients from damaging health situations.
NURS FPX 6616 Assessment 2 References
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