Article Review
In her 2014 article entitled “What are health disparities and health equity? We need to be clear” for the bi-monthly, peer-reviewed journal Public Health Reports, Dr. Paula Brackman discusses the need for the healthcare sector to come to agreement on the meaning of health disparity and health equity. According to Brackman, a clear definition for both phrases is necessary for a number of reasons. First, clear definitions will facilitate a better development of healthcare objectives and targets, prioritizing and allocating resources, and evaluating progress in achieving healthcare goals. More specifically, clear definition of health disparity will allow healthcare officials and policy-makers a more effective means of measuring whether or not any progress has been made towards achieving health equity. Second, and perhaps more important, Brackman argues that clear definitions are needed because health disparity and health equity, at the most fundamental level is concerned “about social justice” or “justice with respect to the treatment of more advantaged versus less advantaged socioeconomic groups” (Brackman, 2014).
Under Brackman’s analysis, unclear or confusing definitions of health disparities and health equity has the potential to misdirect much needed healthcare resources, funds and personnel for those areas of society that are in most need of them but have the least ability to access them. As an illustration Brackman argues that, where a definition of a health disparity may simply focus of numbers in a community served by a hospital, socially and economically advantages members of the community, who are more than likely to occupy a smaller number of people in the community, could argue that they are subject to a health disparity and demand adjustment that would benefit them over poor members of the community with less means or ability to get quality health care. In other words, Brackman argues that unclear definition will most likely result in socially unjust treatment of the most vulnerable members of the community.
In order to resolve the confusion, Brackman provides her own definitions of health disparity and health equity which she believes take into consideration the value of a social just, ethical policy that also make use of a number of basic human rights principles. Indeed, Brackman’s combines health disparity and health equity into one term, namely health inequalities. She then defines health inequalities as “health differences that are avoidable, unnecessary and unjust” (Brackman, 2014). With such a definition, Brackman argues that it will be much easier for the healthcare sector to understand a health inequality when confronted by on and therefore develop better ways of eliminating them.
Question and Answers
1.) Justice in the article was discussed in terms of distributive justice or the equality and fairness in the allocation or access to healthcare services and products.
2.) Justice in the article is defined as the fair and equitable treatment of all persons, when it comes to health and healthcare, regardless of socioeconomically situation.
3.) If clear definitions are made indeed made and followed by the healthcare industry, the potential, as Brackman argues is a fairer allocations of healthcare resources and the elimination or decrease of health inequalities.
4.) As the article mentions, the key change is for the healthcare sector to come to agreement on the definition of health disparity and health equity. If that is accomplished, the first big obstacles to a more just healthcare system will have been breached.
References
Brackman, P. (2014). What are health disparities and health equity? We need to be clear. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3863701/
