The Impact of the Determinants of Health on the Development of the Disease

The Impact of the Determinants of Health on the Development of the Disease

Determinants of health are the area of concern that is directly connected with the prevalence of HIV in the American population. In the article by Santos et al. (2018), the high significance of social support as the leading instrument that could positively contribute to the prevention of HIV infection is discussed. Accordingly, social determinants of health, which are defined by the authors as “a set of social, economic, cultural, psychological, ethnic/racial and behavioral factors that influence health,” should be primarily considered by the public health sector when planning the prevention strategies (Santos et al., 2018, p. 626). However, physical determinants of health are also significant since they include such factors as personal hygiene, sexual behavior, and substance abuse. Therefore, they could easily contribute to the spreading of the disease as modes of transmission or as portals of exit (in communicable disease chain terminology).

The Disease and the Epidemiological Triangle

Due to the previously identified high epidemiological potential of the disease, it is essential to investigate it from the perspective of the epidemiological triangle (ET) framework and also to compare it with the discussion of the communicable disease chain (CDC) framework. ET could be considered to be one of the most common and efficient approaches to identifying the epidemiological potential of the particular disorder. The ET framework is based on categorizing risks into three principal groups, which agent, host, and environmental factors. Regarding the topic of this paper, the agent in this framework is the human immunodeficiency virus, and the host is the human body in which the disease is developed. The category of environmental appears to be the most important in this particular case since it was previously identified that numerous social determinants of health (which largely contribute to the development of a particular social environment) are considered important in the context of HIV infection.

Additionally, it is highly significant to discuss the CDC framework because this method for estimating the epidemiological potential and possible outcomes of a communicable disease’s spreading is very applicable and widely recognized. The communicable disease chain consists of the infectious agent, susceptible host and reservoirs (human, animal, plants), portals of exit and re-entry, and means of transmission. It could be noted that the CDC framework represents a more diversified and complex version of the epidemiological triangle since it includes more aspects relates to the disease’s spreading.

The Contribution of the Community Health Nurse

It could hardly be doubted that community health nurses contribute to the prevention and treatment of HIV infection to a significantly large extent. Nursing professionals should clearly understand their roles and responsibilities regarding the overall public health sector’s efforts to minimize the negative effects of HIV spreading. Bradley-Springer, Stevens, and Webb (2010) argue in their article that community health nurses are one of the most important agents in this sector who are responsible for such actions as case finding, reporting, data collecting, data analysis, and follow-up. As it was previously mentioned, case finding and reporting are difficult due to the complexity of the ethical aspect of the issue. Therefore, the community health nurse should be very responsible while performing these actions since the patient’s confidentiality is of high significance. Another reason for the importance of case finding and reporting is that HIV is considerably easier to treat when it is diagnosed at the early stages of development. Thus, nurses are responsible for spreading awareness about the disease’s symptoms in order to facilitate access to proper treatment.

Data collecting and analysis are directly connected to two previous aspects of the community health nurse’s work. Collecting statistical data about the disease is of high importance because it provides the public health sector with relevant and actual information about such aspects as morbidity, mortality, prevalence, and incidence of HIV. When statistical data is analyzed, it is easier to predict the tendencies of the disease’s development and to acquire a profound understanding of the factors that contribute the most to the prevalence of the condition under discussion. Moreover, the aspect of follow-up could be considered as one of the most important responsibilities of community health nurses since they can effectively and positively impact the patients’ quality of life.