Goal:

Analyze and evaluate a middle range theory.  You will select a middle range theory and identify application of nursing theories into clinical practice.

Content Requirements:

1. Components of the theory
   • Discuss the major concepts of the theory
   • Philosophical basis or worldview change, advancing health
2. Structural aspects of the theory
   • Discuss the framework of the theory.
3. Identify an area of your practice where this theory could be applicable
   • What question does the theory help to answer?
   • Describe the area of interest in relationship to the theory/theoretical model.
   • Is it appropriate for the practice setting and is it applicable?
   • Discuss the strength and weakness of the theory. If there is weakness, discuss what makes it difficult to be used in practice.
4. Use of theory in clinical practice.
   • Performing a literature review is essential to completing this section. If there is no literature available about the application of this theory in practice, address reason(s) why based on your findings.
5. Evaluation of theory
   • Is this theory used to understand and apply into practice?
   • What difficulties did you encounter or would anticipate encountering in using this theory?
   • What would make this theory more usable or applicable to practice?

Submission Instructions:

• The response is to be clear and concise and students will lose points for improper grammar, punctuation and misspelling.
• The response should be formatted per current APA and references should be current (published within last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions.)
• The response is to be 3 – 5 pages in length, NOT including the title, abstract and references page.
• Incorporate a minimum of 3 current (published within last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions) within your work. Journal articles and books should be referenced according to current APA style.

Reply it, no less than 200 words using 1 APA reference 

Advancing Health Equity: Policy Strategies to Address Health Disparities

Health disparities, or avoidable variations in health outcomes among different populations, are a big challenge for policymakers to tackle. Practical policies should be adopted to reduce these inequalities and promote health equity.

One of the critical policy solutions is providing better opportunities for people living in such communities to access quality health care. Such efforts may involve the expansion of insurance coverage to more people through programs like Medicaid, the increasing of community health center funding in areas with a shortage of health professionals, and the implementation of initiatives for the growth of the health workforce in medically underserved parts of a country (Orgera & Artiga, 2021). Policies that act to make healthcare less expensive and available to all in communities where resources are not evenly shared will improve health results.

Another critical policy direction is encouraging social determinants of health – the economic and social conditions that adversely affect health at the individual or societal levels. Policymakers can advance the issue of poverty by bolstering programs that increase access to quality education, stable housing, healthy food, clean transportation, and economic opportunities in less privileged communities (Artiga & Hinton, 2019). Measures may include increasing nursery schools, initiating permanent housing programs for people without homes, encouraging supermarkets to open in food deserts, and funding job training and placement services. 

Besides that, policies directed at health promotion and disease prevention in oppressed populations should be a priority. This might involve culturally tailored public health campaigns, expanded access to preventive services, screenings with no cost-sharing, partnerships with trusted community organizations for community mobilization, and investment in community-based participatory research to design and implement an effective intervention (Brown et al., 2019). Empowering and working directly with affected communities to participate in prevention efforts will improve health.

In conclusion, reducing health disparities is only probable when a multi-level policy plan focuses on improving healthcare access, tackling social health issues, and supporting a targeted preventive approach. Policymakers have to give a higher premium to health equity and exclude the systemic barriers that create these disparities. Equitable and sustained policymaking is the only way to cover health outcome disparities.

References

Artiga, S., & Hinton, E. (2019). Beyond health care: The role of social determinants in promoting health and health equity. Kaiser Family Foundation. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/beyond-health-care-the-role-of-social-determinants-in-promoting-health-and-health-equity/

Brown, A. F., Ma, G. X., Miranda, J., Eng, E., Castille, D., Brockie, T., Jones, P., Airhihenbuwa, C. O., Farhat, T., Zhu, L., & Trinh-Shevrin, C. (2019). Structural interventions to reduce and eliminate health disparities. American Journal of Public Health, 109(S1), S72-S78. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304844

Orgera, K., & Artiga, S. (2021). Disparities in health and health care: 5 key questions and answers. Kaiser Family Foundation. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/disparities-in-health-and-health-care-5-key-question-and-answers/

  Reply it, no less than 200 words using 1 APA reference 

Policy-based health disparity reduction demands a deep grasp of socioeconomic determinants of health. Populations of varying race, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and geographic location have different health outcomes and access to healthcare. Policymakers must develop policies to reduce inequities and promote health equality.
Community-based health programs that address particular demographic needs are successful policies. Local governments, healthcare providers, and community groups collaborate to develop socioeconomic determinants of health programs. Access to nutritional food, secure housing, and education may improve health in underprivileged populations. Policymakers can promote good health for everyone by addressing these core issues.
Expanding healthcare access via Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act is another important topic. Medicaid expansion improves health outcomes for low-income people by providing preventive, primary, and chronic illness management. The ACA's focus on uninsured people has also reduced health inequities. These programs reduce cost obstacles to healthcare by increasing health insurance coverage.
Policymakers may reduce health inequities by strengthening healthcare system cultural competency. Cultural competency is knowing and managing varied cultural elements that affect health behaviors and results. Cultural competency training improves patient-provider communication, patient satisfaction, and minority health outcomes. Policies that recruit and retain a diverse healthcare staff may also improve cultural competency by ensuring that healthcare professionals mirror their communities.
Policies that address systemic racism and prejudice are also needed to reduce health inequalities. This may require changing housing, employment, and criminal justice rules that disproportionately affect minorities. Fair housing policy and redlining elimination may lessen residential segregation and its health effects. Criminal justice changes that address mass imprisonment and police brutality may also benefit community health.

In conclusion, policy responses to health inequalities must involve community-based efforts, improving healthcare access, developing cultural competency, and addressing systematic racism and prejudice. Policymakers can establish a more equal healthcare system that gives everyone the best health results by following these measures.

References: 
Artiga & Hinton (2018). Beyond health care: social determinants promote health and equity. Kaiser Family Foundation. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/beyond-health-care-the-role-of-social-determinants-in-promoting-health-and-health-equity/

S. A. Mohammed and D. R. Williams (2013). Pathways and Science in Racism and Health. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(8), 1152–1173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213487340 

What examples of advocacy do you see in your own nursing practice? List and discuss 2 examples.

should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. 

1. Describe dermatitis, diagnostic criteria, and treatment modalities
2. Describe the drug therapy for Conjunctivitis and Otitis Media 
3. Discuss Herpes Virus infections, patient presentation, and treatment
4. Describe the most common primary bacterial skin infections and the treatment of choice. 

Submission Instructions:

• Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in the current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. 

1. Describe dermatitis, diagnostic criteria, and treatment modalities
2. Describe the drug therapy for Conjunctivitis and Otitis Media 
3. Discuss Herpes Virus infections, patient presentation, and treatment
4. Describe the most common primary bacterial skin infections and the treatment of choice. 

Submission Instructions:

• Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in the current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.