Rural Women and Cardiovascular disease INTRODUCTION Health disparities are many and affect a great part of our population. We must deal with these issues in order to assure proper medical treatment and care for our population as a whole. “A health disparity is defined as a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage” (Health People 2020). My focus of this paper will be on rural women and heart disease. My question is: How does living in a rural area affect women’s health related to cardiovascular disease? I will discuss explanations for the disparity. I will explore the APN role and how it improves
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Advanced practice nurses are in a perfect position to help work on the issue of cardiovascular disease in rural women. I see the need for more health care providers. I see the gap being filled by Nurse Practitioners, so it is important to research their role in women’s health and cardiovascular disease. “Nurses are the largest group of health care providers” (AWHONN Position Statement: Women's Cardiovascular Health, 2011). Nurses are often the first health professional a patient comes in contact with. An advanced practice nurse can identify women at risk for heart disease, provide screening, and provide preventative treatment options. The nurse may start with educating the patient about lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, and smoking cessation. An advanced practice nurse may be a part of the patient’s medication management as a primary care provider. “The million hearts is a 5-year initiative with the goal to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017” (Mazurek Melnyk, et al., 2016). Nurse practitioners have a role in the prevention and management of chronic disease. “Nurse Practitioners focus on health promotion, wellness, and disease prevention, which is necessary for preventing adverse outcomes associated with cardiovascular disease” (Mazurek Melnyk, et al., 2016). New nursing models are being implemented to improve cardiovascular outcomes. One resource is tele-health nursing. …show more content…
The main issue is that many rural areas lack the number of health care providers to care for their large populations. Providers are less likely to settle in these areas, leaving rural areas underserved. There are many geographic limitations, such as health care facilities being far away from where people live. There is the lack of public transportation and weather challenges with poor road conditions. There is often a longer response time of emergency personnel reaching a patient and transporting them to a hospital setting. There is also the problem with insurance. In the rural population health coverage is more of a challenge, due to cost and accessibility to coverage. CONCLUSION I agree that rural women still have challenges accessing health care, though I have seen advances in this area. The affordable care act was a positive approach to make sure more people were able to receive insurance coverage, which in turn gives them better access to care. Nurse practitioners are a major component in filling the need for more health care providers. This makes it necessary for us to support the expanded role of the Nurse Practitioner, so they can be equal partners in serving our
Advanced practice nurses are in a perfect position to help work on the issue of cardiovascular disease in rural women. I see the need for more health care providers. I see the gap being filled by Nurse Practitioners, so it is important to research their role in women’s health and cardiovascular disease. “Nurses are the largest group of health care providers” (AWHONN Position Statement: Women's Cardiovascular Health, 2011). Nurses are often the first health professional a patient comes in contact with. An advanced practice nurse can identify women at risk for heart disease, provide screening, and provide preventative treatment options. The nurse may start with educating the patient about lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, and smoking cessation. An advanced practice nurse may be a part of the patient’s medication management as a primary care provider. “The million hearts is a 5-year initiative with the goal to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017” (Mazurek Melnyk, et al., 2016). Nurse practitioners have a role in the prevention and management of chronic disease. “Nurse Practitioners focus on health promotion, wellness, and disease prevention, which is necessary for preventing adverse outcomes associated with cardiovascular disease” (Mazurek Melnyk, et al., 2016). New nursing models are being implemented to improve cardiovascular outcomes. One resource is tele-health nursing. …show more content…
The main issue is that many rural areas lack the number of health care providers to care for their large populations. Providers are less likely to settle in these areas, leaving rural areas underserved. There are many geographic limitations, such as health care facilities being far away from where people live. There is the lack of public transportation and weather challenges with poor road conditions. There is often a longer response time of emergency personnel reaching a patient and transporting them to a hospital setting. There is also the problem with insurance. In the rural population health coverage is more of a challenge, due to cost and accessibility to coverage. CONCLUSION I agree that rural women still have challenges accessing health care, though I have seen advances in this area. The affordable care act was a positive approach to make sure more people were able to receive insurance coverage, which in turn gives them better access to care. Nurse practitioners are a major component in filling the need for more health care providers. This makes it necessary for us to support the expanded role of the Nurse Practitioner, so they can be equal partners in serving our