Social media use in healthcare
Reflection is one of the most effective approaches that helps professionals in identifying their own shortcomings in their skills and knowledge and thereby try their best to develop them through proper action plans and settings of goals (Schon, 2017). It makes individuals identify their knowledge gap and helps them to take initiatives to bridge the gap and become experts in their domain (Redmond, 2017). This assignment will mainly reflect on the blogs that had been written in the 9 weeks. This reflection had helped me to understand the gap that existed in me regarding my knowledge in various important subjects. It also helped me to develop myself in ways by which I can overcome the gap and emerge out as the best healthcare professionals.
One of the themes that had emerged out by closely analyzing my blog is the social media (week 1) use. Individuals in every cohort starting from adolescents to that of older citizens remain hooked on different social media platforms. People often are seen to state that it keeps them hooked, helps them to be socially connected and gather information (Dawson et al., 2015). However, I have realized that negative impacts of such social media are that one cannot determine whether the information is fake or real. Therefore, I believe that it is one of most negative outcome of being socially active.
Another important realization that I had developed in week 5 is the concept of body image and how it affects one’s thought procedures and behaviors. I have realized that many social media users mainly the teenagers seem to be highly concerned about their body image on the social media. I could successfully relate it with myself where I realized that how much it concerned to me to be considered not fit but good-looking and attractive. However, it helped me to gain an entirely new understanding that I did not know before. It helped me to understand that such psychology might become disastrous in many situations where teenagers can go into depression, suicide and even harm when they cannot gain the look they want.
Another important theme that emerged out from the weeks were the vulnerable populations. Initially, I did not have any idea about the difficulties that are faced by the asylum seekers, prisoners, homeless people and many others. Actually, I never had considered thinking about them in critical ways that might have been a reason of placing them in the same position with ordinary human beings. The week helped me realize that they lead very difficult lives physically, emotionally and socially which affect their health and well-being. Therefore, healthcare professionals, policy makers and governmental sectors should come together and develop policies and services to ensure their safety and security and well-being.
Body image and its impact on mental health
Another of such vulnerable population studied in another week is the LGBTQ community (Ronald et al., 2016). Initially, I was a bit biased about my thinking procedures and my biased nature used to keep me away from making friends with such individuals. However, the discussion continued in week 7 helped me to change my mind completely where I realized the level of discrimination they face I different parts of the world and how poor quality emotional and mental life they lead. This discussion had helped me develop broader outlook towards them and the ways the abolition of code 377 in India had given them the rights to pursue their own wishes and feelings in life making homosexuality legal (Maier & Aiken, 2016).
Another important theme that had also emerged out in another week is the extent of mental illness in the nation. I was also the followers of prejudices regarding mental health harbored by the society. I have never considered mental health as a form of serious disorder and this might be because the promotion of importance of mental health was not as wide in the nation of India as in Australia. However, the latter also practices several discriminatory attitudes. Going through the statistics I came to know that high rates of mental disorders is rated in the nation with huge proportion of depression, anxiety and suicides. The association of social taboo with it prevents affected individuals from reporting them and this makes the situation worse for them (Hunt et al., 2015).
Even the old aged population in the nation, as discussed in the week 8 also shocked me when I went through this statistics and the data that showed me the level of chronic disorder and domestic violence and neglect faced by the old aged cohort.
The indigenous people studied in another week face similar levels of disadvantages. The health gap between the native and non-natives had indeed shocked me. Disabled people are the most vulnerable people facing domestic abuses sexual harassment and many other ill treatments. All these need to be taken care. Week 9 spoke about different sexual assaults and domestic violence faced by the disabled individuals in the nation and the various ways, their numbers are increasing. It had indeed become one of the most important concerns of the nation.
As healthcare professional, one of my duties would be to provide respectful service to all my clients irrespective of their backgrounds, socioeconomic class, culture, race, ethnicity and many others. The knowledge about the various kinds of disadvantaged that any of the vulnerable population face would help me to be extra careful and ensure that my service do not affect their morale in any way (Stanton et al., 2015). My duty would be to provide them holistic care that would not only cover their physical ailments but also care and manage for their social and psychological determinants of health. Therefore, the discussions of the 9 weeks had provided me valuable information about the different types of the care strategies that I can take while caring for the patients. Moreover, this refection had helped me to realize that I have biased feelings towards many of the vulnerable populations and do not have proper knowledge entirely about the different types of issues they face while accessing the healthcare services. Therefore, I realized that I have to develop cultural competency, cultural sensitivity and culturally unbiased feelings towards all my clients so that I can care for them whole-heartedly. Moreover, some of the aspects like my beliefs of my body image, gender diversity, feminism, disability and many others might create different types of barriers in front of me in different paths of my career. Therefore, as a healthcare professional provided with the responsibility and mentally and physically fit nation, I have to accept broad viewpoints and study the effects of these aspects on my practices. Accordingly, I need to modify my behaviors and thought processes ensuring that any negative thought cannot handle my services. I will need to develop emotional intelligent by which I can self regulate my feelings and thoughts and provide care that ensures patient satisfaction. Reflective practice helps in identifying the negative points and taking of actions that polished the skills and ensure enhancement of knowledge (Zannettino et al., 2015). It also ensures in strengthening of the already positive aspects of individuals help them to achieve success. Therefore, this reflection had helped me gain an in-depth knowledge about the different vulnerable patients whom I might need to care and accordingly provide compassionate and empathetic care to all.
Conclusion:
This reflection had helped me identify the various vulnerable populations in the nation. It had also helped me to develop knowledge about the important aspects that affecting the present day citizens in the nation. Reflection on the topics of each week had helped me to gather important viewpoints about each topic and helped me to understand the action plans that I need to take to tackle each of the aspects effectively. Such practice had helped me identify my weakness and knowledge gap and given me scope to emerge out as a more successful and expert professional in future.
References:
Dawson, A. J., Nkowane, A. M., & Whelan, A. (2015). Approaches to improving the contribution of the nursing and midwifery workforce to increasing universal access to primary health care for vulnerable populations: a systematic review. Human resources for health, 13(1), 97.
Hunt, L., Ramjan, L., McDonald, G., Koch, J., Baird, D., & Salamonson, Y. (2015). Nursing students’ perspectives of the health and healthcare issues of Australian indigenous people. Nurse education today, 35(3), 461-467.
Maier, C. B., & Aiken, L. H. (2016). Expanding clinical roles for nurses to realign the global health workforce with population needs: a commentary. Israel journal of health policy research, 5(1), 21.
Redmond, B. (2017). Reflection in action: Developing reflective practice in health and social services. Routledge.
Ronald, L. A., McGregor, M. J., Harrington, C., Pollock, A., & Lexchin, J. (2016). Observational evidence of for-profit delivery and inferior nursing home care: when is there enough evidence for policy change?. PLoS medicine, 13(4), e1001995.
Schön, D. A. (2017). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Routledge.
Stanton, R., Happell, B., & Reaburn, P. (2015). Investigating the exercise?prescription practices of nurses working in inpatient mental health settings. International journal of mental health nursing, 24(2), 112-120.
Zannettino, L., Bagshaw, D., Wendt, S., & Adams, V. (2015). The role of emotional vulnerability and abuse in the financial exploitation of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia. Journal of elder abuse & neglect, 27(1), 74-89.
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