Question

When I reflect upon a specific situation where a social determinant of health constrained my nursing practice, what did I think? What did I believe? How did I act? How might the individual, family or group I was working with have experienced that situation?

Answer 1

Social determinants of health, defined as the circumstances in which people live and work, have a strong effect on an individual's health outcomes. ... Through their interaction and advocacy for patients, nurses contribute to patient outcomes and population health management results.
“Public health nursing leads the way in building healthy communities, achieving health equity and social justice and improving quality of life for all communities.” Public Health Nursing Section strategic priorities include: • Ensuring social justice and eliminating health disparities.
Upstream determinants are those that occur at the macro level and include global forces and government policies. Midstream determinants are intermediate factors such as health behaviours while downstream determinants occur at the micro level and include one's genetics.
Social determinants of health such as poverty, unequal access to health care, lack of education, stigma, and racism are underlying, contributing factors of health inequities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is committed to achieving improvements in people's lives by reducing health inequities.
Five Ways to Make Health Equity a Core Strategy
Make health equity a leader-driven priority.
Develop structures and processes that support equity.
Take specific actions that address the social determinants of health.
Confront institutional racism within the organization.
Partner with community organizations.