Racial Disparities: Nursing

Community Health Nursing One of the most important aspects of healthcare today is prevention. Some of the many preventable diseases within the American population today include diabetes and kidney disease. Often, a key to such prevention is medical screening and education. One major challenge medical professionals today are facing is the growing incidence of kidney disease, not only in the general population, but especially among Hispanics. This population is one of the fastest-growing racial groups in the country (Banabe and Rios, 2004).

This group is also twice as likely to develop kidney failure as those who are non-Hispanic and white. For a community nurse, this is of particular concern, especially in terms of strategies to help this population prevent the prevalence of kidney failure and its causes. The disease is among this population is of particular interest, since the researcher has worked with this population for some time. Several questions might also be asked about the disease among this population.

The first, and likely most important, question would relate to the underlying reasons for the high prevalence of kidney disease among the Hispanic population. Second, one might ask what preventative measures might be implemented to mitigate this prevalence. Finally, a researcher might ask how treatment can be made more equitable for the Hispanic community as compared to those from other populations. According to Banabe and Rios (2004), there is a striking disparity in the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of kidney disease among the Hispanic population of the United States.

One of the underlying reasons for this is the increase of diabetes mellitus among the Hispanic population. Another major factor in the prevalence of kidney disease is the fact that the Hispanic population does not tend to receive an equitable level of care compared to their white counterparts. Hence, a lack of screening leads to a lack of early detection and possible prevention measures, which creates a higher probability of prevalence and mortality among this population.

In other words, the racial disparity in terms of quality of healthcare and insurance available to the Hispanic population plays a significant role in the current situation they face. One important preventative measure could be education. According to DaVita Healthcare (2014), diabetes creates a high risk factor for developing renal conditions. Since diabetes has been on the increase among Hispanics, it is important to educate this population regarding the link between the two conditions.

Especially in persons over 50 years of age, diabetes pose a significant risk and is found to be the number one cause of chronic kidney diseases among the Hispanic population. On the other hand, only one out of three among this population know that they have diabetes, which makes education and testing for each person highly important (DaVita Healthcare, 2014). As discussed, a major factor in the prevalence of the disease among the Hispanic population is unequitable access to healthcare.

One way in which to address this is by providing education regarding not only renal failure, but also about ways in which to prevent and/or mitigate diabetes. According to Banabe and Rios (2004), physicians and nurses working among this population should be highly trained in cultural sensitivity. In this way, such professionals can more effectively head and implement patient education programs to help the population make better decisions about their health and lifestyle. In conclusion, the Hispanic population faces.