Role of health care in the society
Application of the say that goes prevention is better than cure is critical in the healthcare sector. Much of funds allocated to the health care system are used in support of treating conditions and their complications compared to primary health care. Even with the low funding of services aimed at supporting wellness and prevention of diseases among individuals, the rare services available are not exploited by people due to various reasons among them ignorance. Most of the conditions burdening the healthcare sector that have raised the number of deaths in the country are lifestyle-oriented (Wager Lee & Glaser, 2017). These conditions can be better prevented than treated hence need for the healthcare sector to focus on informing people on how to maintain health by living responsibly and often checkups.
The benefits of prioritizing prevention of disease occurrence rather than focusing on treatment of illnesses and their complications cannot be overemphasized. This will be closely followed by early detection of illness and treatment in case of occurrence which has always produced better results. Nursing has a better part to play regarding this. Nursing as a profession not only focuses on treating an individual who presents sick but goes a long way to finding out the root cause in the family and community through follow up care(Smolowitz, 2015). Public health nursing in partnership with communities works to inform and equip people with tools that will ensure prolonged state of health. This is achieved through advocating for easily accessible and affordable healthy practices which include; healthy food consumption, regular physical exercising, and avoidance of smoking and substance use (Piepoli, 2016). On top of educating the public on healthy living, nursing practitioners together with local authorities get engaged in community-based programs and facilities offering preventive services including immunization and cancer screening among unprivileged populations.
Increasing awareness among individuals on the preventive measures available is the major step towards changing the focus of the healthcare system to wellness and prevention. In the course of delivering their services, health care providers are entitled to share health care messages where nurses are better positioned as they spend longer time with patients. This will ensure efficient utilization of preventive health care services available and general good health among individuals.
References.
Piepoli, M. F., Hoes, A. W., Brotons, C., Hobbs, R. F., Corra, U., & Task Force for the 2016
guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice. (2018). Main
messages for primary care from the 2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular
disease prevention in clinical practice. European Journal of General
Practice, 24(1), 51-56.
Smolowitz, J., Speakman, E., Wojnar, D., Whelan, E. M., Ulrich, S., Hayes, C., & Wood, L.
(2015). Role of the registered nurse in primary health care: meeting health care needs in
the 21st century. Nursing Outlook, 63(2), 130-136.
Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., & Glaser, J. P. (2017). Healthcare information systems: a practical
approach for healthcare management. John Wiley & Sons.
