Doctor of Nursing Practice Issues and Concerns Term Paper

Doctor of Nursing Practice: Advanced Nursing Practice Within Global Health Systems-Social Justice, Equity, and Ethics in Health Care

Topic 1:

Underdeveloped and developing nations have a range of health concerns to keep under consideration and that deserve attention from middle and wealthy nations for help and nurturing. Many of these nations don’t have proper sanitation or clean water, and this creates much of their illness and suffering. However, this paper will focus on the HIV/AIDS crisis in underdeveloped nations. This epidemic has been controlled in middle and high income nations, it is still widespread in underdeveloped countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa. “The Worldwatch Institute has reported that in as many as 20 developing countries—nearly all in sub-Saharan Africa—more than 15 percent of the total military force is thought to be HIV-positive. And nearly 74 million workers worldwide could die from AIDS-related causes by 2015” (worldwatch.org, 2017). Actually, by the end of 2015 there were over 36 million individuals infected with HIV all over the world. Sub-Saharan Africa was one of the most prevalent areas with 1 person infected for every 25 people (gc.ca). In nations in this part of the world, females tend to be 80% of all HIV infections and are twice as likely to be infected than their male counterparts (gc.ca).

The DNP can play an instrumental role in eradicating this issue. So much of reigning in the spread of HIV/AIDS revolves around prevention and education. Organizing rigorous campaigns in these affected parts of the world to show what people can do to stop the spread of this disease would be very useful. Distributing things like condoms and drilling into the minds of the people there that the use of condoms is a necessity and an obligation in order to stop the spread of this epidemic, could be useful. The DNP could act as a health and disease prevention ambassador in this regard, and have a powerful impact on minimizing the spread of this disease.

Topic- 2:

The DNP has a potentially very powerful role in helping to shape the social determinants of health. According to the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO), “The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries” (2018). The DNP can work with local non-governmental organizations and local sectors of powerful organizations like the Red Cross to ensure that her patients have access to the supplies and health resources that are available. Health and medical supplies are sent to the developing world, but the people need to know about them and access them. The DNP can act as a human bridge between the larger chapters of health organizations that are stationed in developing countries, and the communities served. The DNP can also act as someone who can provide current intelligence about the needs of a particular community and communicate that to organizations like the Red Cross or Doctors without Borders. For example, if a community is in need of medication for urinary tract infections or has high rates of anemia, the DNP can act as someone who as “on the ground” intelligence and can convey the needs of a community to the organizations who can provide supplies and medicine. The DNP can also work with these greater organizations and discuss ways that social changes can be implemented in order to address the greater good so that these communities are more inclusive, balanced and healthier, with greater gender equity.

Topic- 3:

The official ANA position regarding human rights is inspiring as it can help to make societies and communities around the world more equitable and peaceful places. The ANA definition puts a spotlight on the necessity of individual dignity, worth and human rights as a definitive guiding principle. “Nurses establish relationships of trust and provide nursing services according to need, setting aside any bias or prejudice (ANA, 2015, p. 1). This statement on ethics and human rights provides the foundation and context for all other position statements related to the practice of nursing. The protection and promotion of human rights in health and health care are fundamental functions of the American Nurses Association” (ANA, 2016). According to this definition, this means that it is up to the nurse not just to promote health, but to engage in one’s due diligence to promote the elements of society that impact health and justice, such as dignity.

Hence, the job of the DNP is to stay educated and current on the host of social issues that can often be intertwined with health concerns within the developing world. It’s not enough for a DNP to simply treat conditions, hand out vitamins and antibiotics, and call it a day. The nurse needs to be the one who is willing to take a long hard look at how communities are run from the inside, and be able to pinpoint the social issues and mentalities that are contributing to an imbalanced way of life. For example, in some African communities, it is permissible for a village elder to be wed into marriage with an infant. For most people in the world, this is an egregious human rights abuse. In…