Nursing Challenges in Poverty Stricken Areas
Nursing is a challenging job at the best of times. Caring for any ill person is emotionally, physically and mentally draining. In a poverty stricken area, all the problems faced by a nurse escalate, and a few new ones rear their ugly head.
It should be noted that not all areas that are poverty stricken are rife with crime, nor are all its residents necessarily less educated, less mobile, or more violent than those who reside in more affluent areas, but certain challenges are more prevalent in poorer communities. This is evident. It is not necessarily a sole reflection of the people in that community - often it speaks as loudly of governmental influence and infrastructure. Some of the issues or challenges that nurses face in poverty stricken areas include:
Limited Services
In any poverty stricken area, the availability of services is less than affluent areas. It is, quite simply, a world of the 'Haves' and 'Have-Nots'. This extends through the entire infrastructure of a society. As a nurse in these areas you face the challenge of a dealing with a huge workload bought about by a lack of services and service providers due to decreased government funding After care programs, and government initiatives are often reduced in areas stricken by poverty, resulting in decreased chance of full recovery and a greater chance of repeat patient visits, again placing more pressure on the health care system and staff within it
Reduced Hygiene
In areas where the sewage and water systems are substandard, due to less infrastructure, you will come across hygiene issues. This increases the number of water borne and other transmittable disease cases seen by medical staff. The prevalence of what are usually considered easily preventable diseases places strain on the health care service provision.
Reduced Patient Mobility
Without the benefit of an efficient transport system, all people in poorer communities find it more difficult to get around. This results in a reluctance to seek medical advice at the appropriate time. This then leads to more severe presentations of what may have been preventable illnesses. Again, this only serves to increase the workload on a nurse working in such a community.
Increased Infection Rates
Malnutrition due to poverty leads to a higher risk of infection. It also results in a slower wound healing process, due to both environmental hygiene and the nutrition issue at hand. The longer treatment times result in more work and stretched resources.
Alcoholic and Drug Related Injuries
Safety issues of poorer neighborhoods decreases the desirability of the job, resulting in staffing issues, which then translates to overworked staff and higher stress levels. Nurses are one of the most likely professionals to experience assault in the course of their job - this is an overall statistic and irrespective of their location, but the risk is even greater in areas of low socio-economic standing and high crime.
Mistrust of the Health Care System
Mistrust of a system that constantly lets them down results in a reluctance to fully disclose all health issues for patients in poverty stricken areas, delaying treatment, and possibly resulting in more advanced disease processes. The psychological burden of poverty may require the development of more trust before commencing treatment - it may take more time for a nurse to develop a rapport.
Third World Nursing
In deeply poverty stricken areas - areas that would be considered third world - nursing becomes a whole new challenge again. Political agenda cannot be ignored - in many places it impedes care, and often exacerbates (and even causes) health problems. The recurrent problem of non-existent supplies, violent uprisings, detrimental standards of hygiene and epidemic disease all serve to stand in the way of effective nursing care.Medecins Sans Frontiers- Doctors Without Borders - is one organization that works hard to provide care where it is needed, regardless of the political situation.
It takes a committed nurse to overcome the obstacles. Choosing to nurse those most in need may just bring you the job satisfaction you hope for, but true reward can come from making a real difference to your patients; those who have so often been let down by the system in the past.
Nursing in a poverty stricken environment or nursing those living in poverty is an extreme challenge, but whether a patient is under financial strain or living in sub standard conditions, they have a right to health care.
