How Health and Social Care Services and Systems Support Individual with Specific Needs
Special need is a common phrase used to define persons who require assistance due to prevailing health, mental, or psychological disabilities. Although people with special needs (PWSN)have needs similar to, they tend to have additional needs that are specific to their conditions. Changes in medical disorders and population demographic have increased the number of people with special needs. Statistics show that hospitals cannot adequately accommodate the rising number of chronically ill patients in the inpatient setting (Heller, Oros, and Durney-Crowley, 2010).
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This has made the community the most convenient setting for caring for people with special needs. In line with this, care coordination strategies have been put in place in the efforts to improve healthcare provision to vulnerable populations, especially those not in hospitals. These efforts are Specialized Care Coordination Interventions and Structural Organization of Health Care Services. The leading approach to care coordination is managed care but other practices, such as engaging case managers; establishment of a medical homes and implementation of home care strategies are also included.
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The improvement of Health and Social Care Services and Systems has had notable improvement on coordinated care and a significant impact on how people with special needs obtain care. While some changes involve care coordination directly, others reflect on general elements of care coordination such as, healthcare access, satisfactionand impact on family of the patient.
Providing care specifically focused on the needs on PWSN
Over the resent past, more states have increasingly enrolled persons with special needs into managed care. This has demanded the development of advanced approaches, which will ensure that both psychosocial and homoeopathic needs of these populations met effectively. For example, Oregon and Washington states obligate managed care organizations to foster services that help identify health and social needs of PWSN and ensure that those needs are met(Rosenbach and Young, 2000). Furthermore, some states, California and Michigan, now have managed care treaties that clearly lay out health plan requirements with respect to PWSN(Jee, 2014). Identifying PWSN as an exclusive population in contracts helps raise awareness of their specific care requirements and also ensures that healthcare systems pay more attention to their needs.
Easy navigation through the healthcare system
Care coordination provides services such as negotiating for social and medical support, assisting PWSN and their families with transportation and other services that ensure that patients stay healthy and at home. This has made it easier for individuals with special needs, particularly patients with chronic illnesses, to navigate the complex managed care systems (Rosenbach and Young, 2000). Consequently, accessing special care is now easier, convenient and people with special needs have greater care satisfaction.
Provision of quality healthcare services
Health care professionals entrusted with provision of special care are given special training and provided with special equipment to ensure that they carry out their duties effectively. This ensures that PWSN get care from competent professionals who fully understand their needs and have the skills to provide specialized medical care and therapies, individual and family emotional support, and other special care related services. Furthermore, these professionals work closely with the families of their patients and other stakeholders in developing and implementing a healthcare plan that suits each patient. This raises the quality of care given to individuals with special needs.
Although there is a significant improvement on caring for people with special needs, there are areas that need to be improved. The current strategies should be assessed to determine their impact, challenges, as well as identify and exploit any missed opportunities in relation to strategies for healthcare provision to people with special needs.
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