populations are considered
Vulnerable populations are considered “people who require special attention related to well-being and safety, including persons who cannot advocate for their own needs such as children, prisoners, and cognitively impaired” (Falkner, 2018). Vulnerable population include children, prisoners, and the cognitively, emotionally, and physically impaired. Usually the population that falls under the vulnerable category often have SDOH that contribute to vulnerability such as poverty, ethnic minorities, sexual preference, and insurance status (Waisel, 2013). When discussing the vulnerable population we must always remember that there are different reasons that makes them “vulnerable” for instance, children are vulnerable because they lack the intelligence and ability to access healthcare on their own, they do not have the cognitive ability to make decisions on their own. Many ethical issues arise and must be considered when dealing with the vulnerable populations, such as learning barriers, cultural barriers, or anything that may hinder the quality of care provided to the patient; for instance when dealing with a person from a minority group such as the Hispanic population, we must always remember that in the Hispanic culture if the nurse is a male, the elderly female patient will more than likely request to have a female nurse as it is against their culture to be seen by another male. As nurses, we must advocate for these patients greatly because at the end of the day, we strive to deliver the best care possible to any patient no matter where they are from or what age they are.
Reference:
Grand Canyon University (ED).(2018). Community & Public health: The future of health care. Retrieved from https://Ic.gcumedia.com/nrs427vn/community-and-public-health-the-future-of-health-care/v1.1/
Waisel, D. (2013). Vulnerable populations in healthcare. Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 26(2), 186-192. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0b013e32835e8c17
Vulnerable populations are those at risk of receiving a disparity in medical care on the basis of financial circumstances or social characteristics such as age, race, gender, sexual orientation, spirituality, disability, socio-economic status and insurance status.( Society of Hospital Medicine, 2006). Examples include LGBTQ, impoverished population, uninsured and under insured among others.
