5 Pages
1302 Words
The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Inequities
Section A: Literature Review
Health disparities highlight unfair and unavoidable differences in health results across people as well as various societal groups. These differences include things like lifespan, common medical problems, and ease of access to medical treatment (McCartney et al., 2019). COVID-19's effects on health disparities are the study's selected area of emphasis. The subject of health inequality has been picked because it has gained a high level of importance in the current times. Personal interest as well as substantially greater risks and worse results encouraged to shed light on more aspects associated with the subject matter. Those who are marginalised, racial and cultural minorities and those from low-income backgrounds have been brought to light and made worse by the epidemic. This choice is supported by data and research that demonstrate how the pandemic negatively affected the poor and revealed systemic inequalities in healthcare outcomes and accessibility. Understanding the wide-ranging effects of health disparity is essential if you want to promote more egalitarian health services.
1. COVID-19 and the Widening Gap in Health Inequity
According to Krouse (2020), the epidemic has brought society's persistent health disparities to light. There are differences in illness, stress, access to wellness, and results for those with vulnerabilities, including immigrants, local American populations, and Black and Hispanic societies. Black people continually had greater COVID-19 death rates, according to current information at the national as well as state levels. To enhance everyone's health within the US, this critical situation necessitates extensive changes to the political, financial, and social structures. Acknowledging the enormous health inequalities that were revealed through COVID-19 is crucial and helpful information. It is crucial because it emphasises how urgently healthcare and law systems need to be reformed. Understanding these differences helps to guide attempts to eliminate enduring injustices, fostering an extra fair as well as equitable community where everyone has equivalent opportunities for healthcare and achieves improved health results.
Krouse (2020) stated that severe inequality in health was caused by the pandemic, especially for disadvantaged populations. Its advantages include that it is topical and relevant, highlighting the requirement for systemic reforms by focusing on tackling enduring healthcare disparities. The paper does a good job of highlighting how crucial it is to comprehend socioeconomic factors that influence wellness and cultural prejudices within the healthcare sector. However, Krouse (2020) argued that other flaws exist, such as the absence of comprehensive data evaluation or precise policy suggestions. Although it highlights issues, it does not go into great detail on possible remedies or approaches to achieve equality in health care. Also, because an extra strict academic methodology is absent, the narrative style of the essay might be perceived as being rather subjective. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, it also needs to focus on specific appeals about tackling health disparities in the framework of the current epidemic.
2. Health Inequalities during COVID-19 and Their Effects on Morbidity and Mortality
As said by Mishra et al. (2021), an ongoing issue, health inequities can have terrible effects on well-being. These inequities have been forcibly revealed by the epidemic, which has particularly impacted poor individuals in towns and rural locations as well as Black and other disadvantaged ethnic backgrounds. The severity of social inequalities is highlighted in this analysis, especially in light of COVID-19. Additionally, it looks at the steps that must be taken to encourage fairness and equitable allocation of healthcare assets across underserved groups. The urgency of addressing gaps in healthcare availability and results is highlighted by this study article's emphasis on health inequities made worse by COVID-19. It is crucial because it demonstrates the way the global epidemic impacts most disadvantaged groups, giving lawmakers and healthcare professionals crucial information to create specific strategies and assure equal healthcare delivery, thereby preserving lives as well as enhancing the health of society.
This study on health disparities throughout the pandemic has some advantages. It provides a thorough study that takes into account all the variables that affect these discrepancies, such as ethnic background, social and economic location, and susceptibility. The reliability of the work is increased by the inclusion of substantial information and support. Additionally, the incorporation of useful policy proposals at all levels supports a comprehensive strategy for addressing health inequities. On a critical note, Mishra et al. (2021) said that the article's depth and intricacy may provide difficulties for certain clients, and a thorough examination of the difficulties in putting the suggested remedies into practice would be helpful. Also, making sure that information sources are consistently updated would improve the paper's validity and precision over time.
Conclusion
The study of health inequalities in the targeted region demonstrates that these differences in health results are complex and impacted by many variables, including ethnic background, age, socioeconomic standing, location, and risk. These disparities have been made worse by the COVID-19 epidemic, underscoring the necessity for focused treatments and legislative action to fix them. Additional studies should focus on the particular reasons that cause health inequalities inside all subgroups, including the interactions between environmental variables, social aspects of wellness, and institutional prejudices that in healthcare facilities generate uneven results. Research that follows susceptible groups over time and monitors the consequences of the pandemic over time would be very insightful. It is important to investigate how well community-centred initiatives and legislative changes work to reduce health disparities after an epidemic. The enhancement of fair healthcare may be guided by results and optimal procedures analysis. Targeted treatments are informed by research on psychological as well as social factors influencing the seeking of healthcare habits of disadvantaged populations.
Section B: Reflection
I started my investigation on health disparity by conducting an investigation on Google Scholar utilising the keyword “Health Inequality.” I read a lot of publications for assessing two strong research studies. Focus was placed on investigating how relevant they were to the current COVID-19 outbreak and focused on health inequities. I utilised the Google Scholar database as my main search tool for my literature reevaluation, concentrating on recent articles from the previous two years. To confirm the reliability and accuracy of the chosen studies, I also looked into recently released journals. Choosing a topic for my study was hard and interesting. It proved difficult since there are many other aspects of health inequity, and focusing on COVID-19-linked discrepancies took considerable thought. However, it also felt delightful since I thought the topic was really important and profound. My tutor’s input, which emphasised the significance of choosing study articles that not only tackle health inequity but also provide workable answers, assisted me in improving my strategy. My tutor’s feedback and suggestions helped me present suitable inferences related to the topic of health inequalities.
References
Books and Journals
McCartney, G., Popham, F., McMaster, R. and Cumbers, A., 2019. Defining health and health inequalities. Public health, 172, pp.22-30.
Krouse, H.J., 2020. COVID-19 and the widening gap in health inequity. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 163(1), pp.65-66.
Mishra, V., Seyedzenouzi, G., Almohtadi, A., Chowdhury, T., Khashkhusha, A., Axiaq, A., Wong, W.Y.E. and Harky, A., 2021. Health inequalities during COVID-19 and their effects on morbidity and mortality. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, pp.19-26.
