I took care of a patient during my clinical rotation that faced some of the health disparities mentioned in class. I was happy we had gone over this because for this patient and the rest, I took into account their life situations and why they may be in the position they are. I also would catch other nurses making comments such as “they did this to themselves” or “why didn’t they do this” which made me think that they were not considering social determinants and disparities.

         The patient I took care of had a history of substance use disorder but decided to change her life around when she became a mother. She was a single mother without a support system. She did not have family that was still alive or kept in touch, making it harder for her as a single mother. In addition to the disparities, the patient ended up having a bad experience at the first hospital she was taken to. Unfortunately, the medical team and patient were not kept on the same page. I feel as though the healthcare system at that hospital could have prevented this. I also feel as though this is a great learning opportunity for them and should not occur again. I can understand how fast results come in and how the patient’s condition is constantly changing. With that being said, in order to provide the best care as doctors and nurses, everyone needs to be on the same page including the patient. This instance particularly, the patient was not in the loop and doctors would come in and discuss things that they thought the patient already knew but didn’t.

            In addition, I think for a single mother, it is important to make sure someone can care for the child. This will also take some pressure off the mother and allow her to care for herself to heal. The patient also lives far from the hospital and therefore is only worsening her stress as she is so far from her child. In addition, both her and her husband are unemployed and do not have an income. This was a worry of hers as she did not know how they would afford all the procedures and time in the hospital. The patient had only a few previous partners and shared that she always had them screened for STI’s and STD’s before being intimate. Some could have looked at her as a stereotypical drug user and assumed she was not careful with who she was intimate with and did not keep up with their health. This is all wrong for this patient and would be unfortunate for others to make these assumptions. Maybe the reason the patient was not able to keep up with her healthcare was due to not having a vehicle, income, or someone to watch her child. This is why healthcare providers need to fully understand the patient in order to provide the best care and not jump to assumptions and conclusions based on them.

I think the healthcare team could have provided better care and made the patient more comfortable by understanding who she was as a person outside the hospital. They could have provided her with information on healthcare aids or payment programs, made sure she was able to contact her son and comfort her. They could understand that although she used to use drugs, she has turned her life around when she became a mother. So instead of judging her and making her feel like she did it to herself, they could understand how strong she is for being in recovery for years now. The healthcare team at Maine Medical Center did a good job of understanding her experience with not being in the loop. By knowing this and taking it into consideration, they made sure everyone did an excellent job at speaking with one another but also with the patient so that nothing was a surprise.