Inquiry question: What are some of the most critical health

concerns we face in the 21st century and why?

Jas Kawahara Word count: 397

The medical industry is directly influenced by our changing world. The twenty-first century

has the most enhanced medical advances of any previous century, but it also has significant

problems that necessitate adaptation in healthcare. Hospitals and clinics are working hard to
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meet the changing needs of the medical community, from labor shortage to improvements in

medical systems statistics!

Mental illness's pervasiveness and understanding have a direct impact on current medical

trends. What does a growth in the population of mentally ill patients appear to suggest for

healthcare? On a global scale, millions of people are killed as a result of mental illness. A

variety of factors, including lifestyle choices and medication side effects, add value to people

with severe mental illness having poor physical health (SMI). There is also substantial evidence

that unequal access to healthcare contributes to this disparity. Disparities in healthcare quality

appeared to explain a large portion of the subsequent excess mortality in some cases.

(Druss et al., 2001a). Furthermore, mental health stigmas held by both providers and patients

impede proper diagnosis and treatment. Hospitals and health leaders must come together to

identify new ways to provide relief for mentally ill patients and researchers. There are

numerous options for increasing assistance and treatment for people suffering from mental

illnesses. (Western Governors Univ. 2019, March 5).

The geographic, managerial, and resource separation of physical and mental healthcare

facilities, a lack of clarity about who is responsible for the physical health of SMI patients,

fragmentation of care across providers, a lack of integration between medicine and psychiatry,

a lack of continuity of care, and under-resourcing of mental healthcare all contribute to

systemic issues. (Druss, 2007).

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Telepsychiatry in an emergency department, for example, can reduce wait times for psychiatric

consults, lower healthcare costs, and improve access to outpatient mental health services.

Other options for addressing mental illness include, among other things, a health leadership

education, a self-help plan, peer support, and actions to end the "opioid epidemic." (The term

"opioid crisis" refers to the increasing number of Opioid-related deaths and hospitalizations,

which include both prescription and illicit drugs.) Patients will be able to find assistance when

they are most in need if health leaders work to find cures, make space for mental health

patients, and open up dialogue about the issues. A health leadership education can prepare all

of us to help solve these 21st-century medical issues.

References
Western Governors University. (2019, March 5). 21st Century Healthcare Challenges: Medical Trends.

Western Governors University; Western Governors University https://www.wgu.edu/blog/21-century-healthcare-

challenges-medical-trends1903.html#close

Briggs, A. M., Shiffman, J., Shawar, Y. R., Åkesson, K., Ali, N., & Woolf, A. D. (2020). Global health policy in the

21st century: Challenges and opportunities to arrest the global disability burden from musculoskeletal health

conditions. Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology, 34(5), 101549.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.berh.2020.101549
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The Opioid Epidemic. (2021, December 16). Addiction Center.

https://www.addictioncenter.com/opiates/opioid-epidemic/

Lawrence, D., & Kisely, S. (2010). Review: Inequalities in healthcare provision for people with severe mental

illness. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 24(4_suppl), 61–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359786810382058