Improving Global Health Outcomes

Competencies

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competencies:

• Analyze the determinants of health in populations facing global health challenges
• Evaluate how systems and policies impact global health challenges
• Recommend socioculturally and politically relevant interventions and advocacy strategies to reduce the burden of global health challenges

Scenario

In an increasingly interconnected age, it is now more possible—and pressing—than ever to engage with global health issues. Healthcare professionals play critical roles in making the world a healthier and more equitable place. In this project, you have the opportunity to share your own perspectives on global health and diversity by researching and proposing a humanitarian aid trip.

Imagine that you volunteer for an interdisciplinary health team whose mission is to improve global health outcomes. The SNHU Humanitarian Aid Foundation has offered your team a grant of $100,000 for a humanitarian aid trip pending their approval.

Your task is to propose a humanitarian aid trip (approximately 2 weeks in length) addressing a particular health challenge for a targeted population.

First, select an option from the list below that you are most interested in researching. If you choose options 2, 3, or 4, you should focus your research on a specific country within the region mentioned:

• Option 1 is traveling to Zambia to address the health challenge of malaria within that country. Your attention was drawn to this health issue after reading the scholarly article, Modeling Malaria Reduction.
• Option 2 is traveling to West Africa to address the health challenge of Ebola. Your attention was drawn to this health issue after reading this Ebola outbreak report from the World Health Organization.
• Option 3 is traveling to a location in East Asia or the Pacific to address the health challenge of malnutrition among women, infants, children, and adolescents. Your attention was drawn to this health issue after reading the scholarly paper, Trip Trouble.
• Option 4 is traveling to a location in South America to establish an immunization clinic to provide local residents with COVID-19 vaccination. Your attention was drawn to this health issue after reading the scholarly paper, Public Health Matters, on the subject.

Based on your selection, you will investigate current, scholarly evidence to learn about the population and health issue. You must analyze their determinants of health, evaluate the broader social and political context, and recommend specific interventions for improving the population’s health outcomes. Ultimately, you will present your findings and recommendations in a research paper designed to persuade your sponsor to award you grant funding for your proposed trip.

Directions

Note that all the claims in your research paper should be evidence-based. Your citations should be from your independent research (not from the scenario or textbook) of credible sources and be current within the last five years. You are required to cite a minimum of ten sources overall. Refer to the Shapiro Library Guide: Nursing—Graduate located in the Start Here section of the course for additional support.

To complete your research paper, be sure to include the following elements:

1. Introduction: Begin by introducing your audience to the selected location and health challenge. Specifically, address the following:
   1. Overview: Provide a brief, evidence-based overview, including a description of the chosen country, its socioeconomic and demographic profile, and the prevalent health concerns within the population.
   1. Purpose and Value: Clearly state the goal of this trip, including a general identification of the intervention that will be proposed. Defend the proposed value of this venture by discussing the extent to which this humanitarian aid trip will promote health equity, human rights, and social justice.
2. Analysis: In this next section of your research paper, analyze the specific determinants of health that drive the population’s health outcomes. Specifically, address the following:
   1. Resource Availability: Evaluate the impact of resource availability (including water, sanitation, food, and air) as a determinant of health for the population. Provide specific evidence to support your claims.
   1. Access to Care and Quality of Health Services: Analyze the impacts of access to care and quality of health services on morbidity and mortality for the population. Provide specific evidence to support your claims.
   1. Cultural Context: Describe how the specific cultural context influences their perceptions of health and disease. How do these perceptions impact health issues and outcomes for the population? Provide specific evidence to support your claims.
   1. Other Determinants: Identify any other environmental, biological, or social determinants of health relevant for the population. Provide specific evidence to support your claims.
3. Evaluation: Building on your analysis, shift your focus to the larger systems and policy landscape. What are the organizational mechanisms that can be leveraged to address the determinants identified in your analysis section? Specifically, address the following:
   1. Policies: Assess the impact of relevant health and non-health policies on healthcare access, equity, and social justice. How are the existing policies contributing to negative health outcomes or disparities for the target population? Provide specific evidence to support your claims.
   1. Systems: Evaluate the impacts of the healthcare infrastructure and systems on healthcare access, equity, and social justice. How are the existing systems contributing to negative health outcomes or disparities for the target population? Provide specific evidence to support your claims.
4. Recommendations: Synthesize your analysis and evaluation to develop specific, feasible interventions that could be delivered in a humanitarian aid trip. At this stage, you should focus on your strategy and methods rather than your budget, but know that your funding source is limited. The budget details will be worked out at a later stage upon approval of the concept. Be sure to address the following:
   1. Intervention: Explain the nature and requirements of your intervention. What, specifically, do you propose to do and how would you implement your intervention within the context of a humanitarian aid trip? You do not need a line-item budget for the $100,000 grant, but you should include considerations of overall cost. Be sure to address the following aspects:
      1. How does your intervention address the environmental, biological, and sociocultural aspects discussed in your analysis section? Draw specific connections between your research and your proposed intervention.
      1. How does your intervention address the political and systemic aspects discussed in your evaluation section? Draw specific connections between your research and your proposed intervention.
   1. Social Justice: Defend your recommendation in terms of the extent to which your plan applies social justice and human rights principles. Provide specific evidence to support your claims.
   1. Strengthen Communities and Reduce Health Disparities: Defend your recommendation in terms of the extent to which your plan will strengthen communities and reduce health disparities for marginalized and vulnerable populations. Provide specific evidence to support your claims.
   1. Effectiveness and Sustainability: Defend your recommendation in terms of the evidence that supports the effectiveness and sustainability of your plan for the target population. Provide specific evidence to support your claims.

What to Submit

To complete this project, you must submit the following:

Your research paper should be an 8- to 10-page Word document, not including the title page and references. Use 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to APA style.