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The Nurse’s Role in Managing Joint Pain and Reducing Health Disparities in Women
About this Course
This educational activity is for the healthcare professional who is involved in the care of patients who are at high risk for arthritis and comorbidities, such as obesity and depression. At-risk individuals include women and those of African American and Hispanic descent. This group demonstrates “health disparities”, which are preventable differences in health status. Health disparities frequently can be attributed to social disadvantages, poverty, inadequate access to care and educational inequality.
Cultural norms and beliefs, however, create situations where patients appear to be noncompliant regarding increasing physical activity, lazy, or disengaged from the healthcare provider’s point of view. Culture impacts the continuum of a person’s health from the types of illnesses they develop, to expressing their emotions about illness, and how they respond to therapeutic intervention. Thus, the clinician’s aim should be cultural sensitivity and competence, such that the delivery of care to these high-risk groups is effective with better outcomes.
Learning Objectives
- Discuss the relationship between obesity and musculoskeletal disorders, their U.S. burden, and their prevalence in minority women.
- List examples of gender and ethnic musculoskeletal health disparities.
- Define obesity and its relationship to osteoarthritis in African American and Hispanic women.
- Identify factors that may account for disparities in the prevalence of obesity in African American and Hispanic women and the challenges facing healthcare providers in treating minority obese woman with osteoarthritis in the practice setting.
- Delineate the educational role of the provider that results in culturally competent care, promoting healthy dietary and exercise habits for the obese patient, sensitivity to unconscious biases, and accountability for consideration of the patient’s wishes regarding care.
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