There can be many obstacles for vulnerable individuals for them to get adequate healthcare. Individual obstacles that can impede proper health of vulnerable individuals could be if the person is at risk for a certain disease. If the patient comes in and they are obese they are more prone to having diabetes and hypertension. If the patient is not taking good care of their health, then that is individual factor that can already affect their health. Another individual factor could be the patient’s race. For example, African Americans are more prone to hypertension, so race is an individual factor that is unchangeable but can affect a person’s health. Environmental factors that can affect a vulnerable individuals health could be toxic fumes or contaminated water. This can also be dependent on where the patient lives because if they live in a place where there is contaminated water, and they drink that water then that will cause health problems. If the patient lives near a factor that is constantly releasing fumes into the air, then that will also have long term effects on a patient. Social factors that can influence a vulnerable individuals health could be work and education. If a patient cannot make it to a doctor’s appointment because they can’t miss work, so that could lead to the patient not getting proper treatment or medication that they need. Another factor could be education which can lead to health illiteracy and patient’s not wanting to seek help because they don’t understand what is going on. In today’s world healthcare has become very political because everyone wants to think they know what they are talking about when it comes to healthcare. I think because healthcare has become so political it has affected the social and cultural aspects. Historically healthcare was very simple and easier and more affordable for people to access. Also, money plays a huge factor in whether people want to seek healthcare. Prices of medications, hospital visits, and outpatient care have increased tremendously. I think with healthcare being political and financial people are not as willing to seek healthcare. If a vulnerable patient were to get injured, then they may not even come to the hospital because of how expensive it would be. Obviously, that is a problem and no person who needs medical attention should be afraid to seek help.

The first step in resolving health disparities would be to educate those vulnerable individuals. The way to do that would be to go into those communities and provide clinics, classes, and personal sessions for those individuals. I think we need to meet those patients where they are at. For some of these patients coming to a hospital may be intimidating and as a healthcare system we need to provide a safe space for those individuals. I think providing education would be the first step. It is also important to follow-up with patients after they have received medical care. This could mean calling them or visiting them at their home. I think it would be important to maintain that relationship so that the patient feels that they have someone they can relay on and reach out to. The final step could be to set up payment programs and provide support for those patients who maybe can’t afford healthcare. The patient should know that they can still receive healthcare even if they need help paying for it. I think that it is important to know where a patient is coming from and the obstacles that they face in on the daily. I think it is important to keep in mind that these vulnerable individuals may not know a lot about healthcare or maybe never seeked healthcare before. As a nurse we must close that gap for the patient and make them feel safe and help them to understand the care that they will receive. I think that learning about the patient first will help to guide the plan of care to make sure that the patient receives everything that they need.