The Disparities of Women in Terms of Health
The problem of women’s health disparities is determined by objective and subjective factors. For example, the socioeconomic factor is the subjective factor determined by current policies and overall position of women in society, whereas there are objective factors, such as specificities of women’s health. Women face some health issues that are unique for them. Today, the problem of the effective prevention of breast cancer among females is one of the major challenges to the national health care system. However, the effective prevention of breast cancer should start at the local level and the first step to the prevention of breast cancer is the close collaboration between nurses, health care professionals and individuals, who are in the risk group. Nurses working in hospitals should help patients from the risk group to undergo regular examinations to find out first signs and symptoms of breast cancer and to start the treatment as soon as possible, if the disease is diagnosed. Unfortunately, today, health care professionals fail to maintain the close and effective communication with client and local communities that leads to the emergence of cases of breast cancer, especially among women after 40.The Disparities of Women in Terms of Health
Breast cancer is a serious disease that affects the health and life of patients. At the same time, causes of breast cancer are not always clear, while some researchers (Rajaram & Rashidi, 1998) believe that inheritance plays an important part in the development of breast cancer. On the other hand, the development of breast cancer can be provoked by the lifestyle and environment of individuals. In this regard, women above the age of 40 are at a particularly high risk of the development of breast cancer. Therefore, they have to undergo regular examinations to examine their conditions and to diagnose breast cancer at the early stage of its development because the earlier the disease is diagnosed the easier the treatment will be.
Today, breast cancer is one of the most dangerous diseases with the high mortality rate. However, the contemporary equipment and methods of treatment allow health care professionals to treat patients with breast cancer successfully, but the key condition of the successful treatment of breast cancer is the early diagnosis of the disease. Hence, the intervention program should be the priority because it helps to educate the target population and expand their knowledge not only of breast cancer but also of effective ways of its prevention. In addition, the prevention program encourages the target population to regular examinations, especially for women after 40, who are in the greatest risk of the development of breast cancer. Thus, the intervention program will help to prevent the development of breast cancer, to encourage regular examinations and, therefore, early diagnosis of breast cancer that will increase chances of the successful treatment of the disease substantially.
Intervention programs are very effective in terms of survival in breast cancer patients. One of the studies has revealed the fact that participants of the intervention program, which taught strategies to reduce stress, improve mood and alter health behaviors, also reduced the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 45 percent (Andersen, 2008). Patients participating in an intervention program reduced their risk of dying of breast cancer by 56 percent after an average of 11 years (Andersen, 2008).The Disparities of Women in Terms of Health
Studies conducted by many researchers (Smith, et al, 2003) have revealed the fact that the survival rate of patients with breast cancer increases, if the disease is diagnosed at the early stage
The intervention program aims at educating the target population, providing them with expertise knowledge of prevention of breast cancer, its symptoms signs and treatment. Moreover, the intervention program will encourage patients to conduct regular examinations and will support the target population in need to get access to examination and treatment of breast cancer.
The intervention program that addresses the problem of breast cancer as the distinct feature of women’s health, should be implemented at three levels: community, nursing care and health care. The women’s health intervention program should focus on the prevention of breast cancer in the local community and promote the threat of the risk cancer at the community level. Community members, mainly females above 40 are at the high risk of the development of breast cancer. In such a way, the rise of awareness of the target population about the risk of the development of breast cancer is the first and major step to the prevention of the health problem because, if women are aware of the problem, they are more likely to undergo regular examinations to detect the disease at the early stage of its development, in contrast to unaware women, who fail to have regular examinations.
The involvement of nurses into the intervention program is particularly important because they spend more time with patients than other health care professionals. Nurses should communicate the importance of regular examinations to community members and attract women to hospitals, where they can undergo examination to diagnose breast cancer. Nurses spend more time with patients than any other health care professionals. They communicate with physicians and they should become mediators between patients, who have the risk of the development of breast cancer and physicians.Physicians, in their turn, should provide patients with examination and diagnosis of breast cancer. Regular examinations of women after their 40 is the major condition of the effective prevention of the progress of breast cancer and lethal outcomes in patients. The early diagnosis helps to detect the disease and allows patients to recover fast and successfully. Physicians should maintain close communication with nurses to help them to complete the intervention and to improve the public health through promotion of regular examinations and prevention of breast cancer. As health care professionals provide information and conduct examination of the target female population, they reduce the risk of the progress of breast cancer and minimize its negative effects in the population affected by the disease. The Disparities of Women in Terms of Health
Thus, the intervention program is essential for the successful prevention and treatment of breast cancer. The intervention program involves education of the target population (women at all ages, especially women at the age of 40 and above) of the risk of breast cancer, ways of its prevention, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. The program will encourage the target population to conduct regular examination to diagnose breast cancer at the early stage
The early diagnosis of breast cancer will increase the effectiveness of treatment of the disease and, thus, improve the public health in the community. Moreover, the effective prevention of breast cancer and the enhancement of intervention programs can help to eliminate women’s health disparities concerning the higher risk of the development of breast cancer which affects predominantly female population.The Disparities of Women in Terms of Health