Comparative Analysis of U.S. Healthcare System and Other Developed Countries

Comparative Analysis Purpose: Although there isn't a single reason, comparison allows us to identify the areas for improvement in our own system. As you have learned in the module, resources available for healthcare— human and monetary—are limited, so spending on the areas that stand to produce the most impact is critical to reducing spending, improving outcomes, and long-term sustainability. Similar to the way your unit, office, or organization may benchmark its outcomes against national outcomes or those of comparable institutions to determine future courses of action, country-to-country comparisons allow us to do the same for several key indicators of our healthcare system. The staff nurse is the hub of the interprofessional unit that cares for a client; the DNP graduate is the hub of the intersection between practice, research, and policy and should be prepared to critically analyze the major drivers of policy (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2006). Instructions: Use the factors in the steps below to compare and contrast the U.S. healthcare system to those of other developed (high income) countries. You can compare the U.S. to one or multiple other countries as needed to complete the assignment. Clear statements of compare/contrast, analysis, or insight gained from your research should be included throughout, as should the relevant statistical and numerical data to illustrate your findings. Step 1: Access and Affordability of Care: (a) population of uninsured citizens (b) rate of physicians per 1000 people (c) average number of doctor visits annually (d) out-of-pocket healthcare costs (e) rate of missed physician consultations due to cost Step 2: Population Health: (a) chronic disease prevalence (b) hospital-related/patient safety outcomes (c) mortality rates (d) life expectancy at birth Step 3: National and State Economics: (a) percent of national gross domestic product spent on healthcare (b) national healthcare expenditure per capita (c) national price regulation efforts and results Additional Notes: • The paper should be approximately 7 pages in length (excluding title and reference pages). • This is a formal paper and should include and introduction and a conclusion and avoid the use of first person. • The paper should be organized with APA-formatted headings that are consistent with rubric order. • Peer-reviewed references, evidence (results of formal inquiry published in the literature), and current data (last 5 years) are your primary types of support and are necessary to develop posts as expected. There should be a minimum of 10 references included as support for your work. Submission Instructions: The paper should be submitted as either a Word document or a PDF to the designated space. Your work will automatically be submitted to Turnitin upon submission to the course. Step 4: Current Issues and Global Health. Choose and address the prompts for ONE (1) of the following: A. Health Disparities: Review the concept of health disparity as defined in Healthy People 2030 (para. 6). Choose a group of people identified in the definition and discuss the causes of health disparities in that population, and explain how they lead to poorer outcomes. Discuss an example of legislative policy designed to address the chosen population’s health and its impact thus far. Research and recommend evidence-based strategies to be considered in future legislative policy regarding this population (In your discussion, you must explain the data that supports the effectiveness or impact of your recommendation). B. Immigrant Health: Contrast how health insurance coverage and healthcare utilization rates differ among U.S. residents based on immigration status (eg, undocumented, lawfully present, naturalized). What barriers to insurance and care do immigrants face, and what are the consequences of those barriers? How do healthcare expenditure rates differ between immigrants and U.S.-born citizens? Provide an evidence-supported discussion of the ethical and economic implications of health status and insurance access among immigrants (Consider examining a state that has a high immigrant population—California, Texas, New York—when preparing your answer). C. Health and Climate Change: Explain why policies that address maternal and child health are relevant to any country’s future public health and economic standing. Provide a detailed and supported discussion of the relationship between climate change and maternal and newborn health outcomes. How might these issues be exacerbated in low-income communities? What roles can the healthcare community assume in addressing the effects of climate change on health? Additional Notes: • The paper should be approximately 7 pages in length (excluding title and reference pages). • This is a formal paper and should include and introduction and a conclusion and avoid the use of first person. • The paper should be organized with APA-formatted headings that are consistent with rubric order. • Peer-reviewed references, evidence (results of formal inquiry published in the literature), and current data (last 5 years) are your primary types of support and are necessary to develop posts as expected. There should be a minimum of 10 references included as support for your work. Submission Instructions: The paper should be submitted as either a Word document or a PDF to the designated space. Your work will automatically be submitted to Turnitin upon submission to the course.