Vulnerable Population
Vulnerable Population in Current Events
Michele M Maiorano
NUR/440
February 11, 2013
Nita A. Magee-Cornelius, RN, MSN, PhD(c)
Vulnerable Population in Current Events
A way of defining a vulnerable population is addressing it as a group of people who are at risk for developing health problems (de Chesnay & Anderson, 2012, p. 5). It is not partial to age, gender, or nationality. In this case, it is the pediatric population. According to Allison Kempe, who was the lead in a recent research at the Children’s Hospital Colorado called Children’s Outcomes Research Program, reminders from the local and state health departments can lead to an increase in the immunizations among preschool children. National data suggest that 16% of providers remind parents of due or overdue immunizations. This number is low because of staff turnover and poor follow up. Data from the study suggest that parents and providers are in favor of this notification from the local health department. Parents who do not have a primary physician for his or her child are especially in favor of notification. Only 44.3% of children between the ages of 19 and 35 months were appropriately vaccinated in 2009 according to the study. The national goal is to increase this by 80% as outline in Healthy People 2020 (Kempe, 2013).
Within the facility that I am employed, a program to reach the families of young children who cannot come to clinic because of transportation issues is in process. It is called By Your Side. It is a team approach to well child-care and home safety teaching by a physician and a nurse. The General Pediatric Clinic is extending its hours within the main hospital along with the satellite clinics and a Spanish-speaking clinic is in the developmental process because of the high percentage of Hispanics within this community. Transportation, physician hours, and a language barrier appear to be the hindrances in well child-care follow-up. Facilitating these changes should assist in
Michele M Maiorano
NUR/440
February 11, 2013
Nita A. Magee-Cornelius, RN, MSN, PhD(c)
Vulnerable Population in Current Events
A way of defining a vulnerable population is addressing it as a group of people who are at risk for developing health problems (de Chesnay & Anderson, 2012, p. 5). It is not partial to age, gender, or nationality. In this case, it is the pediatric population. According to Allison Kempe, who was the lead in a recent research at the Children’s Hospital Colorado called Children’s Outcomes Research Program, reminders from the local and state health departments can lead to an increase in the immunizations among preschool children. National data suggest that 16% of providers remind parents of due or overdue immunizations. This number is low because of staff turnover and poor follow up. Data from the study suggest that parents and providers are in favor of this notification from the local health department. Parents who do not have a primary physician for his or her child are especially in favor of notification. Only 44.3% of children between the ages of 19 and 35 months were appropriately vaccinated in 2009 according to the study. The national goal is to increase this by 80% as outline in Healthy People 2020 (Kempe, 2013).
Within the facility that I am employed, a program to reach the families of young children who cannot come to clinic because of transportation issues is in process. It is called By Your Side. It is a team approach to well child-care and home safety teaching by a physician and a nurse. The General Pediatric Clinic is extending its hours within the main hospital along with the satellite clinics and a Spanish-speaking clinic is in the developmental process because of the high percentage of Hispanics within this community. Transportation, physician hours, and a language barrier appear to be the hindrances in well child-care follow-up. Facilitating these changes should assist in