Social Determinants Of Health (SDOH)
Social Determinants Of Health (SDOH)
Topic 2 DQ 1 . BY 3/6
Social Determinants Of Health (SDOH) are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect the health, functioning and quality of life- outcomes (Healthy People, 2020). Five key areas of SDOH were developed by Healthy People 2020- such as economic stability, education, social and community contact, health, and health care; and neighborhood and the built environment.
Human beings are social creatures, deeply influenced by how we participate in society, and our social and physical surroundings. The SDOH includes mostly the conditions of the environment- social and physical in which we spend our lives that affect our health, functioning, and quality of life.
The external factors such as a person’s income and socio-economic status are directly affecting his/her health. Higher-income allows for basic material consumption that is important for health including nutrition, safe housing, recreation and access to medical care (White Paper, 2018).
The chain of infection model is used to understand the process of disease transmission. The spread of infection is described as a chain with six links. They are a pathogen, a reservoir, a port of exit, mode of transmission, a port of entry, and a host. A break in any link of the chain of infection can prevent the occurrence of a new infection. Following the standard rules of contact isolation, using the personal protective equipment the right way, following safe injection practices are some of the ways the nurse can break the infection chain.
Reference
Social Determinants of Health. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health?topicid=39
White Paper. (2018). Social Determinants of Health: The barriers between us and better health. Retrieved from https://www.ahip.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/social-determinants-of-health-2018.pdf
Social determinants of health refer to the factors in the environment that can significantly affect a person’s health. These factors include accessibility to healthcare, the natural environment, education and financial strength of the individual (Green, 2018).
The social determinants of health contribute to the development of diseases when the determinants are on the negative side. When the family has a poor income, it can lead to poor living conditions such as lack of education, poor living conditions such as overcrowding, poor ventilation and improper sanitation, poor nutrition, and little or no access to healthcare. Conditions such as asthma, obesity and diabetes are more prevalent among individuals who are most often affected by the social determinants of health. A family who is unable to provide proper nutrition for its members will be what they can afford and not necessarily what is nutritious/healthy and as a result ends up being obese or have diabetes.
The fundamental idea that the communicable disease chain model is designed to represent is the fact that all links of the chain is needed in order for a disease to be transmitted and once there is a missing link or break/disruption of a link then that will result in a break of transmission of the disease (GCU, 2011). The nurse is able to break the a link in the transmission by taking precautions when dealing with communicable diseases by wearing proper gears and using them as recommended, educate patient and family members about the transmission of diseases and how to prevent them such as covering mouth and nose when sneeze or cough and sanitize hands immediately, avoiding others who may be sick or have an infection, disposing of garbage properly, ensure meals are properly cooked and getting appropriate vaccines. Handwashing is a major factor in preventing the transmission of communicable diseases especially in the healthcare settings.
