Health Issues of Women in Rural Communities, Essay Example

Introduction

Women who reside in rural communities require specific types of treatment and attention that will provide them with greater management over their health and wellbeing. It is important to develop strategies that will provide support to this group of women and to enable them to be effective in addressing their own health concerns over time. A set of opportunities and strategies must be in place that will facilitate an effective response to this process and will demonstrate the importance of shaping the dynamics of patient care and treatment for women who live in rural communities, where typically, fewer resources are available than in heavily populated communities. It is imperative that the needs of women living in these areas are addressed as best as possible and demonstrate the importance of developing new perspectives to accommodate patients and provide them with plans of care that will support healthier outcomes throughout their lives. The following discussion will address these objectives in greater detail and will emphasize the importance of treating women who require specific forms of health assistance with the best possible resources that are available to them.

Body

Women’s health is a challenging process across all communities, as women possess specific needs and conditions which require their full attention and focus to improve their quality of life and overall ability to manage health at a high level. It is important to develop a framework whereby women are able to receive care and treatment in an organized manner and with expert knowledge and tools in place to care for this population as effectively as possible. Most importantly, women across all age groups must be provided with the resources that will support their health and that will encourage them to make positive and meaningful health decisions in their own lives that will have long-term preventive benefits. It is important for healthcare experts in rural clinics to be proactive in working with female patients and in supporting an environment whereby women are prepared to address their own health concerns in a timely manner without fear. Rural conditions require a specific level of attention to health and wellbeing, and this is further advanced through the continued growth and development of the practice model to accommodate patient care and related outcomes at a high level (Loue & Quill, 2013). Most importantly, patients must be able to exercise sound and reasonable judgment in recognizing when they have a health concern and are able to seek attention for this concern at the local level.

In a general context, women’s health is a complex phenomenon which requires an ongoing level of attention and focus that emphasizes adequate care and treatment for a variety of issues, from diet and nutrition to chronic disease (Dubowitz et.al, 2012). As a result, it is necessary for healthcare providers in rural areas to take the steps that are required to accomplish the intended objectives and to be effective in working with patients to meet their needs in a multi-dimensional manner to facilitate comprehensive care and treatment as needed (Dubowitz et.al, 2012). One area of consideration for this population is to address the use of technology in bridging some of the gaps that exist in regards to women’s health in this regard and to be proactive in working with clients by using technology to support care and treatment strategies (Wathen & Harris, 2013). This reflects a greater need to understand and acknowledge the needs of this client base and to recognize the value of technology in supporting healthcare needs, particularly in rural areas where these tools are often severely limited. For example, e-health services are likely to be limited in these areas, or they are less known and for budgetary reasons, and are not implemented for lack of finances and/or technical knowledge, in spite of their potential benefits (Wathen & Harris, 2013). These findings suggest that there must be a greater emphasis on the continued growth and expansion of healthcare technologies in rural areas to address the needs of local clients, including women, and to support long-term success in this arena (Wathen & Harris, 2013).

In many ways, women who live in rural areas possess their own set of limitations in regards to their perceptions of health, as these often play a role in limiting their ability to seek and/or obtain healthcare for specific needs, such as chronic disease (Weinert, Whitney, Hill, & Cudney, 2012). This reflects a responsibility of healthcare workers in rural areas to focus their attention on women in rural areas who have chronic diseases because it appears that their needs often go unmet due to a variety of conditions (Weinert et.al, 2012). This process requires a greater level of attention and focus on strategic development that will have a positive impact on these patients and on their long-term health, in addition to their ability to manage diseases with proven tools and resources to manage illness at a higher level (Weinert et.al, 2012). Patient perspectives are another critical component of this process and require the attention and focus of healthcare providers, as they demonstrate a need to be proactive in working with patients to modify or even reverse their perceptions of healthcare that may be a detriment to their overall health (Weinert et.al, 2012). It is important for healthcare providers to be proactive in working towards a set of solutions that will have a lasting impact on outcomes and the improved management of chronic diseases in females.

Women’s health is a critical factor in improving healthcare outcomes in the modern era, and this is best achieved through a framework that supports long-term health and wellbeing. However, new approaches to healthcare continue to be a factor in shaping the needs of this client base and in supporting a dynamic whereby healthcare is treated as a priority rather than a privilege. This approach is necessary because it is likely to frame how individuals respond to care and treatment and in supporting a dynamic where healthcare is a critical priority that cannot be ignored on any level. In particular, women’s health must become increasingly relevant in rural communities and in demonstrating the need to improve the wellbeing of this population (Alexander & Alexander, 2013). It is necessary to develop a strategic approach that will have a positive impact on patients and on the continued growth and expansion of programs to support women’s health within these communities, and this includes the recognition of new programs and methods to address these concerns (Alexander & Alexander, 2013).

Healthcare providers must be able to address health concerns on a larger scale and address the value of healthcare needs for women as part of their strategic approaches to managing health over the long term (Gulliford & Morgan, 2013). As a result, it is important for healthcare providers to examine their needs with respect to the treatment of female patients in rural communities and in supporting a dynamic that will have positive and lasting implications for this group (Gulliford & Morgan, 2013). Women in rural communities must be educated in order to promote preventive measures in a variety of areas, including but not limited to reproductive health that will promote improvements in quality of life over time (Chuang et.al, 2012). This process is instrumental in shaping how organizations respond to healthcare concerns and in addressing the value of knowledge and expertise in treating patients with the highest level of resources in place. Women’s health possesses its own set of challenges and expectations; however, it also requires a number of elements that require a long-term approach to improving quality of life and greater attention to women in rural communities.

Women require a high level of attention and focus in regards to their health, and this includes such areas as diet and nutrition, whereby patients must receive expert knowledge and gain access to necessary resources to improve their health over time (Wennberg, Lundqvist, Hogberg, Sandstrom, & Hamberg, 2013). There must be a greater emphasis on the continued growth and development of programs to accommodate women in rural areas so that their nutritional needs are met and they are able to receive education that will support their healthcare needs on a comprehensive basis (Wennberg et.al, 2013). It is important for female patients to receive the best possible resources to address their healthcare needs across all age groups and to be proactive in preventing health concerns throughout their lives. This is an important step in the discovery of new techniques and strategies to support women and to support an environment whereby patient care needs are a critical priority that will support long-term health and wellbeing for this group. Due to the limitations that exist within a rural population, it is important to understand how these limitations impact women and to be effective in working with these clients to maximize their health potential on a long-term basis.

Conclusion

Women’s health in rural communities is a complex phenomenon that requires ongoing attention and focus from healthcare providers within these areas. Therefore, knowledge and expertise must be place in these areas that will engage female patients and provide them with an additional level of insight and focus to meet their needs at a high level. The tools that are available must provide a high level of support and guidance for patients and enable them to be proactive in working with clients to meet their needs at the highest possible level. Allocation of resources must be increased as necessary and provide support to clients that will have a lasting impact on their long-term health and wellbeing. It is necessary to develop a renewed focus on this group and in supporting a dynamic where patient care outcomes are likely to be affected in a positive manner by the strategies that are set forth within these communities. Therefore, a greater emphasis on the needs of women must be addressed in rural areas in order to improve their overall health and quality of life over the long term.

References

Alexander, L. L., & Alexander, W. (2013). New dimensions in women’s health. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Chuang, C. H., Hwang, S. W., McCall?Hosenfeld, J. S., Rosenwasser, L., Hillemeier, M. M., & Weisman, C. S. (2012). Primary care physicians’ perceptions of barriers to preventive reproductive health care in rural communities. Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 44(2), 78-83.

Dubowitz, T., Ghosh?Dastidar, M., Eibner, C., Slaughter, M. E., Fernandes, M., Whitsel, E. A., … & Escarce, J. J. (2012). The Women’s Health Initiative: the food environment, neighborhood socioeconomic status, BMI, and blood pressure. Obesity, 20(4), 862-871.

Gulliford, M., & Morgan, M. (Eds.). (2013). Access to health care. Routledge Hage, E., Roo, J. P., van Offenbeek, M. A., & Boonstra, A. (2013). Implementation factors and their effect on e-Health service adoption in rural communities: a systematic literature review. BMC health services research,13(1), 19.

Loue, S., & Quill, B. E. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of rural health. Springer Science & Business Media.

Munro, S., Kornelsen, J., & Grzybowski, S. (2013). Models of maternity care in rural environments: Barriers and attributes of interprofessional collaboration with midwives. Midwifery, 29(6), 646-652.

Wathen, N. C., & Harris, R. (2013, October). Rural women’s health information needs: Are technology-based services the answer?. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference of CAIS/Actes du congrès annuel de l’ACSI.

Weinert, C., Whitney, A. L., Hill, W., & Cudney, S. (2012). Chronically ill rural women’s views of health care. Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care,5(2), 38-52.

Wennberg, A. L., Lundqvist, A., Högberg, U., Sandström, H., & Hamberg, K. (2013). Women’s experiences of dietary advice and dietary changes during pregnancy. Midwifery, 29(9), 1027-1034.