Introduction
Social determinants of health are widely recognized as settings familiar to a person and that influence one daily. Furthermore, it may severely harm or, on the contrary, enhance an individual’s well-being and quality of life, which play a pivotal role in a person sustaining a healthy lifestyle. However, not only environmental or political aspects can serve as determinants of health; disparity and inequity are also crucial concepts to consider when estimating individual health conditions.
Social and Economic Inequities’ Influence on Health in Society
To begin with, nowadays, people mostly seem to suffer from economic inequities, which is the most apparent regarding healthy nutrition and health care. In other words, impoverished families cannot afford to purchase high-quality products, which may eventually harm their bodies and lead to food poisoning or stomachache. However, malnutrition also affects other body parts and, therefore, increases the risks of contracting “heart disease, diabetes, and obesity — and even lowers life expectancy relative to people who do have access to healthy foods” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2021, para. 2). Economic inequity among people also impacts the opportunities of receiving high-quality healthcare, considering that low-income individuals are less likely to afford exceptional treatment without any side effects.
Poor individuals may experience a prejudiced attitude from the physicians as doctors are not interested in treating patients appropriately due to their low incomes. In contrast, affluent individuals are viewed as a source of funds, and; therefore, doctors are more motivated to provide them with high-quality, though expensive, treatment and medicaments (National Academies of Sciences et al., 2017). By and whole, impoverished individuals do not have access to high-quality food, medicaments, and especially care, which makes them vulnerable, elevating the risk of poor health.
Nevertheless, social disparity in the form of cultural, ethnic, and racial discrimination tends to influence individuals severely as well. Nowadays, people may be shamed for their race and background even at healthcare institutions, severely impacting the whole treatment process. However, the National Academies of Sciences et al. (2017) state that behavioral elements of cultural competence assist in establishing favorable relationships between doctors and patients, leading to exceptional health outcomes. Moreover, ethnic minority groups might have poor health because of underdeveloped medicine in their neighborhoods or the lack of pharmacies (National Academies of Sciences et al., 2017; De Chesnay & Anderson, 2016). Overall, ethnic disparity affects communities, considering that they may be genetically predisposed to contracting severe diseases, and the underdeveloped healthcare sector does not give them a chance at high-quality treatment.
Racial disparity impacts ethnic minority groups in terms of poor care and treatment methods. Undoubtedly, white people are more likely to receive necessary health care and be provided with better medicaments for curing their illnesses (Husted et al., 2015). In their study, the National Academies of Sciences et al. (2017) conclude that minority individuals do not receive appropriate treatment and, therefore, suffer from mental issues, such as depression and anxiety. Consequently, underdeveloped culturally competent health care is an issue in the modern world since minority patients are discriminated against in the matter of high-quality treatment due to cultural norms.
Ethical Concepts’ Influence on the Health Care Quality
The quality of health care can be considerably diminished if the doctors are not adequately educated on the concept of ethical competence. To ensure high-quality health care, four ethical principles, “autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice,” were introduced worldwide to support physicians and navigate them during their medical experience (Drysdale, 2021, para. 1). Obviously, every concept is based on its objective and the positive impact it brings to health care on the whole (Varkey, 2020). For instance, autonomy provides the patient with one’s own choice when it comes to choosing treatment or a way of action (Drysdale, 2021). However, social and economic inequity does not give freedom of choice to every individual as some may not afford the most helpful treatment, and others may not be appropriately educated on their diagnosis and necessary health care by doctors due to ethical incompetence provoked by prejudiced attitudes to minority patients.
As for the concept of beneficence, some physicians may not be particularly interested in providing high-quality care to low-income or minority patients and, therefore, neglect to fulfill their crucial responsibilities. Similarly, neglecting to follow the principle of non-maleficence may be based on the doctor’s biased opinion of the patient because of stereotypes or unrealistic social norms (Varkey, 2020; Chron, 2020). Finally, justice may not be apparent at healthcare institutions towards minority patients as they may not be treated with respect (Chron, 2020). In addition, a department’s staff might neglect to inform people about their rights within the institution on purpose to be able to cross the limits during the treatment procedure and discriminate against an individual in different ways.
Conclusion
To sum up, economic and social disparity yield numerous drawbacks to low-income and minority patients in the matter of their being provided with appropriate health care. In addition, some physicians may discriminate against patients because of their prejudiced attitudes or racial and ethnic stereotypes. Unfortunately, the health condition of such patients may also be severely impacted by the doctors’ ethical incompetence, which results in poor health care and treatment.
References
De Chesnay, M., & Anderson, B. A. (2016). Caring for the vulnerable: Perspectives in nursing theory, practice, and research (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Drysdale, N. (2021). How the 4 principles of health care ethics improve patient care. Clipboard Health. Web.
Husted, J. H., Husted, J. H., Scotto, C. J., & Wolf, K. M. (2015). Bioethical decision making in nursing. Springer Publishing.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States, Baciu, A., Negussie, Y., Geller, A., & Weinstein, J. N. (2017). Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity (Illustrated ed.). National Academies Press.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021). Social Determinants of Health. Healthy People 2030. Web.
Varkey, B. (2020). Principles of clinical ethics and their application to practice. Medical Principles and Practice. 30(1), 17–28. Web.
What is the importance of good ethical standards in health organizations? (2020). Chron. Web.