Undeniably, health is one of the greatest blessings, and its importance amplifies after it deteriorates. More than maintenance, its repair can be challenging once issues surface. It is because numerous barriers are present between patients and effective healthcare treatment.
Even if it is a minor issue, restoring it takes time and fortune. A portion of the population, even in developed countries, comes across the scarcity of resources and facilities. Similarly, patients also encounter challenges if health issues do not exhibit identifiable signs early on. Even if they experience symptoms, failing to approach a suitable and qualified healthcare practitioner is another obstacle.
It means treatment complications increase with the intensity and scope of such barriers. As a result, already under-served segments and underprivileged people suffer the most. That said, listed below are some obstacles between patients and effective healthcare treatment.
- Skyrocketing treatment costs
Generally, treatment cost runs linearly with advancements in the medical field. Money devaluation also contributes to the expenditure. That is why organizing resources and availing healthcare services are becoming challenging with each passing day. It means the road to recovery and treatment effectiveness depends upon the accessibility and availability of financial resources.
The expenditure also varies depending upon the nature of the disease and its severity. Some conditions may necessitate specialized and costly treatments alternatives. As such, the potential costs for rare illnesses like mesothelioma are bewildering for patients. The aggregate of diagnosis, consultation, medication, tests, and scans charges can exceed 40 thousand dollars. Afterward, clinical procedures, hospital stays, and follow-up checkups further drain patients. In essence, the treatment expenditure is as traumatizing as the disease itself.
- Lack of health care access
The scarcity of healthcare facilities and care providers greatly minimizes patients’ access to immediate and quality treatment. Growing health issues and population further expand the gap between the number of patients, physicians, and hospitals. As such, affluent countries like the USA have a roughly 1–1000 ratio between a care provider and patients. The gap in underdeveloped countries is even more dramatic.
Similarly, not all facilities and specialists can cater to every health issue. Healthcare units in towns and rural areas can only provide primary healthcare services. If patients suffer from complicated conditions, they have to look for other options. Experts predict the accessibility issue will further worsen in the coming years, given accelerating healthcare demands and a growing aging population. If the lack of access continues, non-affording patients could hardly avail themselves of the primary care services.
- Unawareness and deficiency of expertise
Lack of awareness from both the patients’ and healthcare practitioners’ side is another barrier to effective treatment. At present, healthcare knowledge is readily available, yet there is a lack of comprehension. As a result, people are more likely to compromise on health checkups than other life priorities. Many people ignore indications until their situation becomes unbearable.
Though the lack of affordability is one reason for their nonseriousness, delaying health issues cannot minimize their impact or cost. In cases, once they reach the hospital, non-proficiency from healthcare professionals further adds to their misery. In some places, staff lacks the skills to diagnose and use specialized equipment, particularly in primary care units. Lack of practical knowledge further hinders their capability to understand diagnosis results and prescribe appropriate drugs. Sometimes, even qualified physicians make blunders in prescribing drugs with several side effects. As a result, patients suffer even more.
- Non-adherence to treatment
Treatment can only produce positive outcomes if patients obey doctors’ guidelines. It means a cure is not possible without fulfilling the prerequisites of a treatment procedure. However, people are likely to make self-judgment when treatment prolongs. They are also more likely to pursue non-adherence if treatment does not bear immediate results. This practice complicates health issues and minimizes the effectiveness of the treatment. In the end, the situation complicates to a longer and costlier route to recovering.
If patients practice negligence in medications for tuberculosis, prescribed treatment becomes ineffective. Patients’ carelessness can contribute to pathogen resistance and increase healing duration. Thus patients should understand treatment takes time to show a positive impact. Just as the health issues surface over time, normalizing them is also time-consuming.
- Limited options for specialized care
Most of the time, healthcare requirements vary with patients’ demographic, geographic, cultural, economic, and even professional affiliations. As such, children require more attentive healthcare staff than adults. Likewise, the elderly has other specific requirements for the healthcare service. The complexity of their older age issues may require in-patient nursing services. Their feeble condition also requires behavioral sophistication in the healthcare staff. For instance, they would prefer opening up to the professionals who spend time gaining their trust. Since they can hardly walk, hospitals should facilitate them with basic amenities.
Similar conditions apply to patients fighting terminal diseases. More than the medications and clinical procedures, they rely on counseling. And that too frequently and personalized. If nearby facilities cannot accommodate them, accessing distant hospitals can aggravate their discomfort. It means health issues can vary over time and locations. So hospitals should also adopt the flexibility to address them accordingly.
- Lack of coordination among the healthcare staff
An organized approach of healthcare professionals can enhance treatment quality and patient safety. A coordinated team readily understands and attends to specific demands. It means patients’ worries can propagate throughout the interconnected segments of the hospital without facing intermittent or systematic delays. Such as approach readily takes onboard specialists, departments, and even hospital management.
However, since the hospitals attend to several patients, meeting individual patient requirements is challenging. In such cases, if professionals’ coordination and teamwork are lacking, stakes for patients can intensify considerably. Its gravity is prominent in emergencies. Thus the staff is more likely to make and contribute to blunders while attending to patients. Furthermore, if patients witness contrasts even in the guidelines from physicians and nurses, it can increase their doubts. They may either compromise on obedience to treatment or consider switching hospitals. Regardless, patients suffer in the end.
- Inability to respond to emerging health issues
Health issues tend to keep modifying over time. As such, climatic and environmental changes can foster their modifications or trigger novel pathogens. Regardless of the background, changes and complications of health issues are unavoidable. However, such changes can minimize the effectiveness of prevailing treatments. The healthcare system also fails to maintain robustness and respond categorically. It is why diseases emerge and become uncontrollable. It means unpreparedness expands the duration to discover a cure and provide relief.
Not only that, but patients with existing health problems also suffer from the emerging chaos. It is because hospitals shy away from accommodating massive burdens simultaneously. As a result, overcrowded care units increase challenges for patients. The ongoing pandemic is the demonstration of such a situation. It depicts how infectious and non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, hypertension, and cancer, are gaining momentum and alleviating hard-earned progress.
Conclusion
The present situation of the healthcare system depicts numerous barriers to effective treatment. The remedy requires a thorough knowledge of prevalent issues, their impact, and their scope. It means the healthcare system requires significant changes to reduce the effects of such barriers. Otherwise, the interconnectedness of challenges will continue to hamper treatment quality.
