The Association Between Lack of Access to Healthcare for Elderly American and Demographics, Socioeconomics and Health Factors
Access to healthcare is one of the most international human rights that applies to all individuals. The United States has made significant strides in healthcare access and delivery. Throughout the years, health policies have been instituted across the States that favor all people and enhance access to quality services. Despite the significant strides made in health and related services, there are still numerous problems that emanate from different factors. For instance, the unpredictable environmental and change in geopolitical factors make the health system susceptible to certain unforeseen negative implications. Among the notably unforeseen challenges that greatly impacted the normal access and delivery of care is the recent coronavirus pandemic. At the start of the virus in China in late 2020, everything seemed normal until the virus spread to become a global pandemic. The world was unprepared for the pandemic, and so was the healthcare system. Resources and attention shifted to containing the virus and treating the already increasing number of infections. As a result, the previously recognized vulnerable populations like the elderly were secluded and ignored. First, the World Health Organization (2020) made it clear that older people were at a higher risk of contracting the virus. This meant that stringent policies had to be instituted to seclude older people and minimize the chances of infection and continued spread of the virus. This issue brings in the major problem addressed in this capstone project, the problem being lack of access to healthcare for elderly American population. In several regions in the United States and around the world, the pandemic brought about difficulties accessing healthcare resources for conditions that were not related to Covid-19 (Van Jaarsveld, 2020).
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It follows that the elderly population, being at higher risk of COVID-19 than the rest of the population, could no longer access care services that they were previously accustomed to before the pandemic. This is because their physical presence in healthcare facilities and any medical center put other patients and the society in general at risk of contracting the virus that the government was already struggling to control. Thus, they had to be secluded. The seclusion meant that there would be lack of access to healthcare with COVID-19 being a major health factor. Older people reporting denied and postponed healthcare rose by 25.3% during the pandemic (González-Touya et al., 2021). Other than the role of COVID-19 in contributing to lack of access to healthcare for elderly Americans, Demographics and socio-economics were also associated with lack of access to healthcare. These problems meant that there was a need for an immediate intervention to help the vulnerable elderly population. The proposed solution is the establishment of a virtual system where users will be able to operate autonomously from a centralized office. The users of the envisioned virtual system will be both the team of healthcare professionals and patients, who in this case will be majorly older people, as they are the targeted vulnerable population. Thus, this project details how a virtual system will be implemented to address the association between lack of access to healthcare for elderly Americans and demographics, socioeconomics, and health factors.
Problem Overview
Thus far, it has been established that demographics, socioeconomic factors, and health factors contribute to lack of access to healthcare for elderly Americans. Demographics entail the characteristics of populations and include areas like age, income level, geographic location, ethnicity, gender, employment, education, among other characteristics of a given population (Hayes, 2022). Demographics influence lack of access to healthcare because lack of education may translate to knowledge deficit in knowing when and how to respond to certain health conditions, how to make use of available healthcare technologies, among others. Also, demographic factors like lack of employment and low income levels may mean that such individuals do not have the monetary resources to finance their health treatment. Socioeconomic factors are a blend of social and economic factors and include areas like social support, income, employment, community safety, among others. Poor socioeconomic factors translate to difficulties in accessing healthcare services. Finally, a good example of a health factor that impedes access to care services is the COVID-19 pandemic as already mentioned in the preceding section. The problem, as it manifests from a combination of all three areas, is that Elderly Americans are exposed to various demographic, socioeconomic, and health factors that bring about a general lack of access to healthcare. As a solution to this problem, an intervention that takes into account all the three areas that impede access to healthcare will be implemented and evaluated. Aetna, a managed care organization serving at-risk populations with difficulties locating and accessing community resources, would be used (Aetna, 2023). Elderly Americans are considered part of at-risk populations, hence the need for implementing the intervention through the organization. The elderly are predisposed to various conditions that require good health financing and resources. There are various Aetna-related services that are covered under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; thus, this will be a major asset in the proposed virtual system.
Intervention
Evaluation of Needs and Feasibility of the Intervention
From the details given in the overview of the problem, it follows that the elderly cannot access healthcare services due to difficulties moving to the premises of the health facilities as they are old, financial constraints due to unemployment, limited mobility due to COVID-19 containment measures among others. As such, a virtual system can solve the problem because there will be no need to physically move to any health facility for services, part of the cost of treating various conditions and tests will be catered for in the proposed system, and there will be an opportunity to bring together a team of interprofessionals, integrate emerging technologies related to the virtual system, and address the needs of patients remotely. Part of the reason why this intervention is necessary is because the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the elderly in that they were among the populations that could not easily access the needed healthcare services that they had been accustomed to before the pandemic. Costs will be incurred in technology input, resources, personnel, and training. There will be donors, sponsors, and grants in place to finance these areas. Though it may be costly, the benefits outweigh the costs because part of medical services provided like patient monitoring, treatment coordination, and assessment will be done virtually, leaving more room in hospitals. Thus, the benefits are long-term and outweigh the costs. In addition, there were increased signs of mental illness as a result of social exclusion and solitude (Bafail, 2022). There was a great shift from physical provision of services to online exchanges. Given the sudden surge in and need for online services during the pandemic, telemedicine became widely renown and prevalent. Telehealth services are all about different strategies of leveraging information and communication technologies in the provision of medical services for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research and evaluation to improve patient outcomes, became more prevalent (Totten et al., 2016).
Since its popularization during the pandemic, telemedicine has proven to be a viable option for providing people with suitable care and treatment while also reducing the impacts of social isolation, particularly in older patients. This is the foundation of the proposed virtual system as it will be online-based but will minimize isolation since the elderly will still get the chance to interact with their healthcare service providers in a virtual system. Key nursing models relevant to the intervention plan include collaborative health management and chronic care models. The former advocates for teamwork among healthcare professionals while the latter is a framework for providing care services to chronically ill patients like the aging population, thus it is the most relevant model to the intervention plan. The chronic care model is more relevant because the proposed intervention plan aims to provide care to the elderly, who are prone to chronic illness due to their age. The chronic care model has six components that may be associated with the intervention plan’s major components. Among the components is the health system that advocates for the creation of a culture that promotes safety and quality during care (Baptista et al., 2016). This is the primary reason why the intervention plan is designed in a manner that meets high safety and quality standards. The clinical information system as a component of the chronic model may be integrated into the virtual intervention to help with information management for better service delivery. The virtual system will comprise self-management support, a component of the chronic model that helps with the patient’s self-care management. According to Baptista et al. (2016), the chronic model also entails a component based on community resources that advocate for mobilizing community resources to satisfy patients’ needs as will be addressed in detail in subsequent parts of this paper.
Quality Improvement of the System and Technology Plan
The virtual system will enhance the efficiency of medical service provision for the elderly. Not only will the individuals eligible for the services be able to access them remotely but they will also be able to get high quality services from a team of interprofessionals operating from various locations. The cost of hiring homecare service providers is high as the elderly are predisposed to a wide range of chronic illnesses and other conditions that come with age. Thus, the virtual healthcare system will be a great solution to this challenge through the introduction of more experienced care providers who are available at any time via a virtual means. Given the complexity of the proposed solution, a quality improvement method is necessary to ensure efficacy and smooth flow of services. Quality improvement methods will include telehealth innovations like interactive video or audio broadcasts, videophone technology, monitoring of the patient’s condition, and physiological data such as oxygen saturation, pulse, and breathing rate (Totten et al., 2016). There will be a provision for home telehealth visits which will majorly be in the form of virtual visits. These visits comprise the use of real-time audio-visual communication equipment seen through the application of videophones, personal computers or laptops, or television. This will be executed in various ways. For example, rather than the conventional physical appointments with therapists, social workers, or other caregivers, a virtual visit is organized for the examination of an individual’s condition, management of treatment procedures, explanation of relevant care processes to the elderly, and other medical needs that may arise during the virtual appointments. The virtual visit also be advantageous as they encourage effortless and engaging conversation between the caregiving team and the elderly individuals receiving care, which can help the patient and caregiver develop appropriate rapport and healthy relationship of trust (Husebø and Storm, 2014). Outcomes will be measured and monitored through a platform that allows feedback from patients, care providers, and any other system users. The feedback will be monitored to ascertain whether the system is meeting its purpose or whether change is necessary. Several studies have concluded that patients who receive virtual visits report feeling more secure and happy with healthcare knowledge offerings. Therefore, the intervention is consistent with previous research needs and fills the gaps by implementing a viable virtual system and evaluating the same for further improvements. However, there are still certain foreseeable challenges such as the complexity of technical communication equipment, technical issues with communication devices, and matching patients’ needs and treatment objectives which are addressed during this intervention phase (Mao et al., 2022). Also, in cases where the elderly patients have challenges like cognitive impairment, virtual visits can be difficult. To address this shortcoming, provisions will be made for the role of community social support where individuals from the community will also be trained on the use of the virtual system, and will be able to assist the elderly where necessary.
Available Resources, Training, and Alternatives to the Intervention
The intervention is possible because of limited State restrictions on virtual health systems and increased coverage of telehealth medication services, making it possible to implement the proposed intervention even with the current issues of resource constraints. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other private health insurance providers enable payment parity across in-person and virtual visits (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). The program is also possible because medicare increased telehealth coverage by doing away with the audio-visual criterion for specific telehealth services. There was an institution of reimbursement for virtual physiologic evaluation, and making it a policy for facilities to bill for services provided remotely by hospital-based physicians. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) also states that penalties for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) were waived when telehealth was delivered in good faith, allowing the usage of Facetime and other non-HIPAA-compliant platforms. Lastly, state licensing restrictions were relaxed, allowing out-of-state clinicians to operate in additional areas. All these provisions and friendly policies supported the rationale for the intervention given in this project. Unavailable resources that are not provided by state resources and national government coverage must be taken into account (Baptista et al., 2016). These will be provided for through a community-based campaign to raise awareness on the program and solicit voluntary funding from community members. Other than this, the elderly will be required to pay just a small fee for the virtual services provided through the help of their family, friends, or other personal means as the majority will already be catered for in the details of the virtual system.
Alternatives to the intervention include interprofessional problem-based education along with interprofessional simulation training (Geese & Schmitt, 2023). These approaches are meant to prepare future generations of medical professionals for the workplace. Moreover, Geese and Schmitt (2023) study states that healthcare practitioners, care organizations, and the institutions of a health system all contribute to the creation of a collaborative practice environment. Relating this to the virtual system, it follows that a team of interprofessionals will be required to work together from time to time to handle patient and system issues, hence the need for collaboration as the new virtual system will also be considered and treated like any other workplace environment. Healthcare systems and policies are also tasked with the creation of reimbursement options informed by all healthcare professionals, offering remuneration options for collaborative and coordinated care, and the provision of electronic patient documentation that both patients and the interprofessional medical team can access. In the same regard, healthcare professionals and organizations are responsible for developing and applying interprofessional care concepts and guidelines, educating and training health professionals, monitoring and reflecting on organizational structures and processes to promote standardization and transparency, and offering interprofessional networking and exchange options. These professional duties are replicated in the context of the virtual system where Aetna, being the professional organization at the center of the whole process, will be leveraged in training all health professionals that will be using the virtual system, contributing to evaluation of the virtual structure for feasibility of more complex technological enhancements, and providing a platform for interprofessional networking. Lastly, patient care, including self-management support, is also crucial to the approach.
Cultural Preferences, Language Barriers, and Cultural Competency
The intervention to address the problem through a virtual system is meant to benefit many elderly Americans from diverse backgrounds and cultures. In this regard, it is important to understand the cultural preferences of the elderly and how they prefer to receive healthcare. This implies that the aforementioned goals of the intervention plan ought to be flexible and take into account different cultural perspectives and preferences (Hart & Mareno, 2014). The U.S is a large country with diverse populations scattered across all the states. The elderly have unique cultures related to religious affiliations, traditional historical origins, cultural practices, and unique ways of life in general. The first step in ensuring cultural sensitivity and awareness in the proposed virtual system is the use of an interprofessional team that is culturally competent and respectful of the traditions and preferences of the targeted population. Given that the system will be used by many people, training on cultural sensitivity will be provided so that all users treat each other with respect, accommodation, and value. In addition, the virtual system will have provisions for different treatment options that uphold the cultural values of users. This way, each individual will feel respected and recognized. Language barrier will be eliminated by the inclusion of different language options in the system. This is achieved through investment in platforms that support multilingual user interfaces. The intervention is as summarized in the table below
| Plan | Activities | Duration (Days) |
| Evaluating needs and feasibility | ● Defining the demands that need to be fulfilled through a telehealth plan; the demands that the telehealth plan will fulfill include creating a platform for the provision of services remotely, making healthcare services like therapy and monitoring available virtually, and ensuring issues like demographics, health factors, and socioeconomic limitations do not hinder access to healthcare for the elderly
● Educating on effective programs and strategies; training users on how to navigate and use the virtual system to meet expectations ● Performing a needs/demand analysis for services by assessing the target population and the healthcare objectives that need to be met. ● Establishing an initial conservative forecast of the initiative’s extra expenses outside clinical provider duration (Edwards, 2018) |
30 |
| Developing a care services plan | ● Collaboration between clinical and administrative staff in creating objectives, targets, staff duties, and schedules (Edwards, 2018). | 7 |
| Developing a business plan | ● Cost and revenue projections to establish project milestones (Edwards, 2018) | 7 |
| Developing a technology plan | ● Engaging the services of a specialist to evaluate the features and performance expected of the equipment (Edwards, 2018). | 7 |
| Training personnel | ● Personnel training to prepare employees for the upcoming technology and its application with patients and providers (Edwards, 2018). | 14 |
| Pilot service | ● Pilot testing the care and technology strategies with a small group of patients and providers | 10 |
Implementation
Successful implementation of the intervention will involve the collaborative role of different stakeholders and the integration of specific policy considerations and regulations. The stakeholders, policy, and regulations are as below;
Stakeholders, Policy, and Regulations
The relevant stakeholders regarding the intervention plan involved health workers, health administrators, patients, technology experts, and donors or sponsors. The health workers and the patients are some of the stakeholders that will require training regarding the usage of telehealth technology (Schofield, 2021). The interests and perspectives of stakeholders is in ensuring a smooth care delivery process when using the virtual system, thus their major concern is on how to use and navigate the system. The training of personnel plan as a component of the intervention plan that was highlighted in the preceding section takes into account stakeholder requirements and needs. Health workers and health administrators are all concerned with the nursing and medical department. These stakeholders include a team of interprofessionals in different specialty areas related to healthcare. In this project, they comprise health social workers, registered nurses, therapists, counselors, and health administrators. All these personnel are part of the project because the elderly have many complications and health conditions which require the attention of different healthcare service providers. Patients are the targeted audience who will be using the system and are the reason for implementing the virtual system, hence are among the relevant stakeholders. Successful implementation of the virtual system requires technology experts as they will be key in handling technical issues related to putting the system together and ensuring that it is not only functional but also operates efficiently. Donors and sponsors are included as part of the stakeholder team as they provide additional funding to connect the system, training personnel, and ensure it is flexible and sustainable heading into the future. Their major concerns and needs are an assurance that the system will be worth their resources. For this reason, a system will be in place where the donors are regularly updated on the progress and how the virtual system is working at different times, to give them an assurance that their role is appreciated and contributes to good in society.
Healthcare Policy Considerations During Implementation
Healthcare policies such as social participation may impact the design of the major components of the intervention and subsequent implementation based on ensuring the inclusivity of all kinds of people regarding health care. The virtual system is not meant to benefit a single individual, but a wide variety of people of different backgrounds, cultures, and religious affiliations. As such, inclusivity and a policy that encourages and values diversity is important to ensure that the system being implemented has considered all people and is free from bias and prejudice. One of the specific policy considerations that is included to support implementation of the intervention plan include an increase in medical funding assistance for home based care. The virtual system is to be operated remotely and should thus, be considered home-based care. With this consideration, the funding should be made available to support the virtual system as a form of home-based care, as stipulated under section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act (Gonzalez-Smith et al., 2022). This will make it easy to manage the system from a financial angle as the elderly who have limited monetary capability will still be able to access the services. The government already has an active funding and coverage mechanism in place. Therefore, the extra resources will be solicited through an initiative by Aetna to engage the community and other well wishers of the program, who can then channel their funds through the organization. A different policy is introducing the place of community and family support for all users of the virtual system. Though training will be in place to ensure those that have access to the system can use it well, the elderly still need continuous support, help, and guidance on what to do at different times, hence the need for allowing family or community support groups to help the users as needed. Given that it will be home-based care, Schulz and Eden (2016) suggest that the role of family and relevant community members will easen usage of the virtual system for the elderly persons.
Management and Leadership During Implementation
The implementation, as discussed in preceding sections, will be all about creating a virtual system that will allow users, including patients and nurses, to operate independently from any remote location. Appropriate leadership and management practices will be key to ensuring efficiency of the system and achievement of better outcomes. A people-oriented leadership style is most relevant to successfully implementing the intervention plan. This leadership style guarantees inter-professional collaboration because its primary focus is on interpersonal relationships within a group or organization. This leadership approach is also important in the program because it improves relationships between people, thereby enhancing teamwork and a collaborative spirit of accomplishing tasks together as the team aims to fully achieve all set objectives and meet all needs (Indeed Editorial Team, 2022). It further encourages professional nursing practices such as increased collegiality. This has to do with good relations among nurses and better teamwork in the nursing practices. Considering that the new system is implemented virtually, the proposed leadership strategies will bring change to the care setting by influencing people to be ready to work together, share ideas, and help each other in a spirit of teamwork. In the same sense, specialization becomes easier as those with unique skills and knowledge can use and ideas can also be shared to enhance the quality of services rendered. This improves the quality of care because ideas are shared remotely and patients can access services in the form of counseling, monitoring and so on.
The experience of care will be safe for the elderly because not only will they be able to access care services remotely from their homes with stable internet connection, but they will also be free from potential harm that comes with leaving their homes and traveling long distances during old age. It is also determined that after implementation, extra costs incurred in physical care will be minimized because the implementation will bring about virtual telehealth services. Management strategy in play during implementation is one that fosters collaboration and trust among inter-professionals. This will impact the quality of care positively because personnel who are best suited for a particular task will be allowed to engage in those tasks and other than specialization, consultation from colleagues and sharing of ideas on the best approach to specific patient cases will make the system become more convenient. Experience of care will also be enhanced because a team of professionals will be readily available virtually to assist and the cost of care will be reduced by minimizing physical interaction and use of physical machines. The professional nursing practices will change the care setting by making it easy to seek assistance and work together, thereby reducing the cost of care, enhancing quality of care and providing better care experience.
Legal and Ethical Considerations During Implementation
The services provided like monitoring and evaluation of patients, therapeutic services, and others will be done virtually through the newly implemented telehealth system. Nonetheless, the ethical issues in nursing still hold ground despite the services being offered remotely. Thus, ethical issues like confidentiality of patient information will be adhered to in the system. Patient information will be secured using unique passwords and will be readily accessible whenever patients require them. Virtual systems are highly susceptible to cyber attack and when this happens, patient information, financial information, and all other data stored in cloud computing or in the telehealth system may be used against individual persons or the organization at large. As such, the precaution taken to ensure there is minimal chance for cyber attacks include implementing zero-trust model as this prevents both external and internal hacking, using HIPAA-compliant video communications, and other basic measures like using updated antivirus softwares and installing a virtual private network. Legal issues that are included in the implementation plan include the provision of both written and verbal consent regarding the provision of telehealth services. Informed consent of the telehealth services will involve a thorough discussion of the technology to be used and details of privacy and security considerations. This is an indication that the elderly patients are aware of the virtual services and their potential implications, and have agreed to receive healthcare services through the new system. Protection from liability and malpractice is another legal consideration in the implementation phase. The services offered virtually are similar to physical services but the process of service delivery remains different. As such, lack of an opportunity for physical patient monitoring may be a challenge as the patients can go about recommending medical interventions wrongly. In such a case, protection from liability is important as the healthcare service providers will not be held liable for damages that are a direct result of patient error. If the insurance company covering Aetna does not provide liability insurance, then there will be a need to purchase supplemental coverage.
Evaluation
Successful implementation of a program requires follow up with good monitoring and evaluation. In the implemented virtual system, it is important to ascertain that the system is functioning as was originally intended in the intervention and implementation plans. It must be able to meet objectives and all users involved with the system should be able to operate autonomously and remotely. The essence of evaluation of the implemented virtual system will further help to show the weak areas and reveal any errors that were unforeseen during implementation. There are certain weaknesses in a system that cannot be spotted when formulating a plan of intervention or proceeding with implementation. However, the weaknesses and errors can be seen when the system is put into practice and all envisioned users are actively involved in the system. The evaluation in this case involves cross-checking the ability of the elderly to comfortably navigate the virtual technological system and access the relevant healthcare services remotely. When the team of interprofessionals is able to work together with minimal errors, then the system will be deemed to have been successful and able to meet its intended goals. Thus, if the intervention plan is implemented, it will be evaluated by the level of success in usage of the virtual system by all people involved from the elderly patients to the caregivers.
There are numerous notable challenges after implementation of the telehealth system. One of the most significant challenges that the virtual system may present for the nursing and interprofessional team is breakdown in various forms. It is a technological system and as such, is prone to breakdown and stoppage of work. This is addressed by having a plan in place to constantly bring in technicians that maintain the system and ensure the possibility of breakdown or temporary glitches that make it impossible to render services remotely are solved. Loss of connectivity between the nursing team and patients may be a problem and periodic glitches in the system may hamper smooth delivery services. This is rectified by constant evaluation of more enhanced technologies to add to the system. For instance, emerging technologies like the integration of nanotechnology in the virtual system to enhance operating equipment and medication delivery may be a great step towards minimizing potential challenges and make it easy for the healthcare professionals to interact and coordinate care. The potential challenges and risks associated with implementing the virtual system include technological malfunctions, lack of knowledge navigating virtual systems, and others as discussed here. Mitigating these challenges will require alternative plans like shifting between physical and virtual sessions, and setting aside more resources for system maintenance. Other technologies like high quality 5G connectivity systems will boost communication and collaboration between the interprofessional team as well as patients. Interdisciplinary communications will be improved because there will no longer be a need to set up physical meetings to share ideas. Instead, the virtual system also includes a platform where interprofessionals can communicate simultaneously from different locations, thus improving communication and idea generation and sharing. The virtual system will enhance seamless collaboration and communication among healthcare professionals by improving the speed of interaction. The system will also make it possible to complement interprofessional services, thereby enhancing teamwork and collaboration.
I envision leveraging the emerging technologies to improve care by always making data available through cloud computing to make the care process easier. This will also enhance safety of the target population as their data is stored in cloud computing services and they will not need to be physically present during delivery of care services. The virtual system presents nursing and the interprofessional team with opportunities for learning and gaining more experience in remote service delivery. Telehealth is a new addition and very few healthcare professionals are knowledgeable in the area. Consistent use and interaction with the technology to solve patient problems through monitoring and evaluation of the elderly presents an opportunity for flexibility in service delivery and increased knowledge of operating through virtual systems. Part of the foundation to the problem that has been solved through the virtual health system was the COVID-19 pandemic which brought tremendous restrictions on people’s movement. The system provided in this project is an opportunity to practice in remote settings and to learn how flexibility is an important tool in the constantly changing nursing profession and today’s technological world as a whole.
Advocacy Plan to Enhance the Virtual System
Evaluation indicates that there are certain challenges after implementation of the system. Some of the challenges like minimum resources to maintain and ensure sustainability of the system are addressed through advocacy as successful advocacy will ensure that there is improved quality and experience of services delivered. Karaca and Durna (2019) mention that high quality of care leads to increased patient satisfaction and makes the care process faster and more efficient. However, this can only be guaranteed if the right resources are available and the right people are involved. The role of the nurse in leading change and driving improvements towards better quality of care also entails being an advocate. This can be achieved by liaising with senior authorities to avail more resources in the form of technology, human resources, financial resources, and all others that make the care process easier (Karaca & Durna, 2019). In this project, the nurse can help in enhancing the quality and experience of care for patients in the virtual system by working together to ensure all patient needs are addressed. The advocacy role here is vouching for collaborative practices among caregivers. Once the system is implemented, nurses in different fields of expertise take center stage in service delivery. As such, they understand the issues that emanate from the system and an evaluation of the same reveals that their roles in advocacy can go a long way in making the system stronger and more reliable.
Future Steps Based on the Evaluation
Continued evaluation and integration of emerging communication and assistive technologies into the virtual system ensures its flexibility and sustainability forging forward. Heading into the future, it will be important to create an even bigger virtual system that can incorporate more complex technologies that enhance access to healthcare. Demographic and socioeconomic factors like age, low level of education, and low income levels should not be a reason for lack of access to healthcare services. The project has made it clear that overreliance on conventional healthcare practices is subject to failure. As was noticed in the pandemic, physical healthcare services were greatly disrupted, prompting a shift to online services. It is now clear that flexibility and creativity is very important in key areas like the health sector. Provision of medical services cannot and should not stop with the onset of pandemics like the recent ones. Instead, there should be readiness to accept the finality of the situation and to shift to other means of providing the same services. On a personal level, the skills and knowledge gained make it possible to drive quality improvement by focusing on areas like using technology for better experience. For instance, in cases similar to the one described in the project where the pandemic has made it almost impossible to render care services in the normal way, technology can be used such that the same services are accessed remotely or in shifts.
Conclusion
Elderly Americans were victims of seclusion during the pandemic. The major factors leading to lack of access to healthcare include demographics, socioeconomic status, and health factors. The aging population are prone to various illnesses and chronic conditions and during the pandemic, they were more vulnerable as they could easily contract the virus. The implemented solution to address lack of access to healthcare is a virtual system that makes it possible for users to operate autonomously and with centralized management from Aetna. With the necessary training and availability of resources and personnel, setting up the system proved to be a valuable tool and solution to the problem. More studies and research is still needed on how to enhance virtual systems like the one implemented in this program to make it more sustainable and efficient in different situations, especially when the targeted population are the elderly who have difficulties doing things on their own. The virtual system will improve the experience of care while decreasing cost by making online service provision possible (Li et al., 2021). Population health will be improved because in situations like the pandemic, interactions will be minimized thereby reducing the chances for spread of infection. Professional life will also be easy through immediate provision of services remotely and in a timely manner.
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