Question

What are the most significant barriers to women’s health? Discuss the lack of information, lack of insurance, and health disparities.

Answer 1

There remain significant barriers to accessing contraception for many women in both developing and developed regions. These include legislative, administrative, cultural, religious and economic barriers in addition to those dealing with access to and quality of health services.

Lack of information :

Awareness of health information needs, sources of health information, and barriers to accessing health information among pregnant women is critical for the development of health interventions and provides high-quality prenatal care for them. Hence, the aim of this review study was to summarize evidence from studies evaluating health information needs, sources of information and barriers to accessing health information of women during pregnancy.

Due to the limited number of studies examining barriers to health information seeking among pregnant women, further research is warranted. Further qualitative research is also recommended to explore pregnant women's perceptions of, and satisfaction with the use of health information sources.

Lack of insurance :

Uninsured women generally receive less preventive care, such as pap smears and mammograms. Lack of insurance often leads to poorer health outcomes. Uninsured individuals are diagnosed at more advanced disease stages than the insured. The uninsured also have higher mortality rates.

Women are also more likely to have health insurance as a dependent than men, meaning they are at risk of losing that coverage if they become divorced or widowed.

The ACP(American college of physician) makes seven recommendations that aim to improve overall well-being throughout all stages of a woman’s life and to address public policy issues that may result in barriers to healthcare access.

Including female-specific and gynecological care elements in the training of all healthcare professionals and providing at least six weeks of paid family or medical leave are among the recommendations.

The ACP said it was “essential” for women to have access to affordable, comprehensive, nondiscriminatory public or private healthcare coverage that includes evidence-based care over the course of their lifespans.

Health disparities :

The ongoing process to identify and reduce health disparities has engaged numerous federal agencies as they monitor the nation's progress toward policy-driven and health-related objectives. Cardiovascular disease disproportionately affects minority groups and is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, and both groups receive suboptimal care for the disease. Disparities in the treatment of diabetes mellitus in African Americans, women, patients with less than a high school education, and the elderly have been found. Many minority groups continue to suffer disproportionately from cancer. Racial disparities also exist in cancer screening and treatment. Minorities are underrepresented in clinical trials for multiple reasons, many of which may be related to cultural beliefs. At all levels of coinsurance, the poor are less likely to seek preventive care. Adherence to national screening and treatment guidelines, clinical trial recruitment and participation, addressing language and geographic barriers, and increasing access to insurance are part of the coordinated efforts required to reduce health disparities. Because pharmacists influence patients' health status directly through pharmaceutical care and indirectly by engaging patients in their treatment, it is essential for pharmacists to be able to provide culturally competent care.

Despite significant efforts over the past several years, health disparities continue to exist, particularly among minority groups. Interventions aimed at eliminating these disparities should include ensuring cultural competence among health care providers and improving health literacy among patients