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4 postsRe: Topic 3 DQ 1

A vulnerable population is a group of people who need special considerations in regard to their health and overall welfare (Falkner, 2018).Vulnerable populations are individuals who are not able to advocate for themselves due to physical, cognitive or mental disability, emotionally unstable people, children and incarcerated individuals.These populations usually have several social determinants of health(SDOH) that contribute to their vulnerability.These SDOH can include poverty, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and no insurance or the underinsured.

 In the United States there are many vulnerable populations.One group that gets a significant amount of media coverage is the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/questioning (LGBTQ) population.The inequality and hardship this group often encounters within the medical community and the higher instance of medical conditions such as Hepatitis B, HIV and AIDS is what makes this population considered vulnerable (Falkner, 2018).In the US, it is estimated that 10 million adults identify as LGBTQ (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2018).Many individuals within the population have reported prejudice from medical providers, leading to reluctance to seek care or delay in treatment due to the bias experienced.The stigma in society, discrimination and failure to recognize the unique civil and human rights deters individual self-determination and access to care which causes negative health outcomes and overall increase in morbidity and mortality (ANA, 2018).All nurses, not just CHN need to understand their own preconceptions and bias when caring for this vulnerable population.Ethically, nurses have a responsibility to provide safe, competent care to all individuals regardless of age, sex, sexual preference, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.