YULE-DECISION

Public Health, Community Health, and Systems Issues #6: Social Determinants of Health and Nursing Interventions

Student name: Yulexis Moreda

Course: Decision Making-DBX-DL01

Instructor: Nora Hernandez Pupo

Institution: Florida National University

Date: March 19, 2026

Public Health, Community Health, and Systems Issues #6: Social Determinants of Health and Nursing Interventions

I. Introduction

A. Background The social determinants of health are important aspects in terms of patient outcomes and access to care, quality of life, and overall well-being. The factors contributing to the challenges nurses have to cope with in any practice setting are income, education, housing stability, and access to healthcare services. These states may result in the emergence of preventable illnesses and increased use of medical care (Johnson et al., 2022).

B. Statement of the Problem The persistence of constant health disparities as a result of the social determinants continues to affect the nursing practice and restrict the effectiveness of the clinical interventions in the treatment of patients, leading to the postponement of the unfavorable outcome. Nurses must take either clinical or non-clinical aspects into account to be able to offer holistic, fair, and compassionate care (Kuehnert et al., 2021).

C. Thesis Statement Addressing social determinants of health and implementing evidence-based strategies that would enable the nursing interventions and leadership solutions will enhance patient outcomes, strengthen the concept of equity, and support decision-making at all levels of nursing practice.

II. Literature Review/Background

A. Overview of Existing Research The existing literature centers on the severity of the interdependence between social determinants and health disparities, which leads to the necessity to employ the model of care that is integrated (Korn et al., 2023). Studies have found that chronic sickness, re-hospitalization, and provision of preventive care were more common among patients who had socioeconomic problems (Johnson et al., 2022). The role of the nurse in the identification and removal of these barriers through holistic care is evident.

B. Key Theories and Models The Health Belief Model provides insight into patient behavioral patterns regarding their decision-making when it comes to health-related issues, and it concentrates on the perceived risk and benefit (Kuehnert et al., 2021). The Social Ecological Model proceeds to discuss how individual, interpersonal, community, and societal factors affect health behaviors and outcomes (Tiase et al., 2022).

III. Main Body/Discussion

Topic Analysis or Context Point A

Social determinants are reported to include poverty, educational level, and housing instability, which have a direct influence on health outcomes (Korn et al., 2023).

The limited access to healthcare services also contributes to the late diagnosis of the disease and erroneous management (Colburn, 2022).

Point B

The nurses are the ones who are promptly in touch with the patient and can identify social obstacles affecting the care provided to the patients (Johnson et al., 2022).

Evaluating non-medical determinants of health can be realized with the assistance of a holistic evaluation of the nurse (Tiase et al., 2022).

Comparative Analysis Point A

Bedside, nurses are attentive to the acute needs of patients and the care coordination in any clinical situation (Kuehnert et al., 2021).

Advanced practice nurses provide a broader examination, including social and environmental aspects (Colburn, 2022).

Point B

The nurse leaders implement policies and programs that address the systemic barriers to care access (Kuehnert et al., 2021).

The leadership approaches are on teamwork, advocacy, and resource allocation to increase equity (Tiase et al., 2022).

Application and Implications Point A

It can be achieved with the help of installing screening instruments that can assist in identifying the social requirements that affect patient outcomes (Colburn, 2022).

Community partnership enhances access to other resources, such as nutrition support and housing (Johnson et al., 2022).

Point B

The positive outcomes are improved health outcomes, reduced readmissions, and an increased degree of patient satisfaction (Tiase et al., 2022).

The limitations comprise resource limits and the fact that the organizational support varies, which explains the necessity of the strategic planning (Korn et al., 2023).

IV. Conclusion

Point A

Social determinants of health are important variables that determine the outcome and the disparity in health care delivery among patients.

Evidence-based models of nursing interventions should work very well to address challenges in healthcare.

Point B

The collaboration and advocacy of policy formulation that is interdisciplinary should be considered in the future.

Good leadership in nursing will support viable solutions to improve the health outcomes of the population.

References

Colburn, D. A. (2022). Nursing Education and Social Determinants of Health: A Content Analysis. Journal of Nursing Education, 61(9), 516–523. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20220705-06

Johnson, C. B., Luther, B., Wallace, A. S., & Kulesa, M. G. (2022). Social determinants of health: What are they and how do we screen? Orthopaedic Nursing, 41(2), 88–100. https://doi.org/10.1097/nor.0000000000000829

Korn, A. R., Walsh‐Bailey, C., Correa‐Mendez, M., DelNero, P., Pilar, M., Sandler, B., Brownson, R. C., Emmons, K. M., & Oh, A. (2023). Social determinants of health and US cancer screening interventions: A systematic review. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 73(5), 461–479. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21801

Kuehnert, P., Fawcett, J., DePriest, K., Chinn, P., Cousin, L., Ervin, N., Flanagan, J., Fry-Bowers, E., Killion, C., Maliski, S., Maughan, E. D., Meade, C., Murray, T., Schenk, B., & Waite, R. (2021). Defining the social determinants of health for nursing action to achieve health equity: A consensus paper from the American Academy of Nursing. Nursing Outlook, 70(1), 10–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2021.08.003

Tiase, V., Crookston, C. D., Schoenbaum, A., & Valu, M. (2022). Nurses’ Role in Addressing Social Determinants of Health. Nursing, 52(4), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nurse.0000823284.16666.96