The notion of quality nursing care encompasses a variety of behavioral and social concepts that are to be regarded when planning any intervention. Such a responsibility, in its turn, requires sensitivity for various social layers, including generally accepted “vulnerable” groups. Vulnerable populations may be defined as social groups that have lower expectancy rates and poorer access to health care caused by disparities in their physical or socio-economic opportunities. In the US, vulnerable populations generally encompass homeless people, people with disabilities, the elderly, ethnic minorities, people living with HIV/AIDS, the uninsured, and low-income populations (Joszt, 2018). For some regions in the US, especially when it comes to metropolitan areas, homelessness remains a significant social issue. According to the statistics, seventeen people out of ten thousand Americans experienced homelessness on a given night in 2019 (“State of homelessness,” 2020). For this reason, it is important for nurses to realize the scope of the issue in order to create a framework for addressing this population’s health.
People struggling with homelessness are at higher risk of obtaining various chronic health conditions because they do not have the ability to be socially secure from the health risks related to poor nutrition and the absence of housing (Stevenson & Purpuro, 2018). As a result, such a lack of protection makes these people labeled as vulnerable. Moreover, homeless people are generally rejected in society, which makes people with no housing feel rather insecure about health professionals’ intention to help, as they believe that they are not welcomed in society and, therefore, do not deserve help.
According to the statistics, the vast majority of homeless people in the US are white men who experience various reasons for having no permanent housing, including substance addiction, severe financial problems, and suffer from financial fraud (“State of homelessness,” 2020). Stevenson & Purpuro (2018) that one of the ways to improve the current situation is to provide nursing students with enough knowledge on the specifics of the homeless population’s health. In such a way, they will be more prepared to come up with quality personalized approaches to health care for this vulnerable population’s representatives.
References
Joszt, L. (2018). Five vulnerable populations in health care.Web.
State of homelessness. (2020). National Alliance to End Homelessness. Web.
Stevenson, E., & Purpuro, T. (2018). Homeless people: Nursing care with dignity. Nursing, 48(6), 58-62.