Career Development in Nursing - Essay Example

? Women’s Health Introduction The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a group consisting of more than 130 nursing associations all aroundthe world. In its course to guarantee quality assured nursing facilities, ICN reported on various positions which are essential to be considered when deciding upon the maintenance of good health within the global community. ICN also emphasizes the deliverance of a vast knowledge about nursing and thereby ensuring community health. One of such position statements can be identified in relation to women’s health, where the association signifies the various types of recent challenges witnessed by female populaces globally. Simultaneously, the position statement intends to specify the responsibilities required to be performed by the nurses (International Council of Nurses, 2012). This paper hereby intends to report on a particular position statement forwarded by ICN, in relation to women’s health. The discussion will also aim at taking into account the significance of the position statement in the context of nursing functions by analyzing scholarly articles which are relevant to the issue in concern. It will also consider examining the various legal as well as ethical implications of the position. Additionally, the utilization of the position statement will be summarized to benefit the community. Overview of the Position Statement The position statement put forward by ICN regarding women’s health in the global arena reveals various difficulties faced by them all around the world. The report depicts that women populaces worldwide, are intensely affected by the ways they are treated and the position that is rendered to them within the society. The report depicts that there are various causing factors which intend to contribute to the women’s health problems in the global society. Some of the major causing factors can be identified as unequal power distribution in the social context on the basis of gender, poverty and limited access to nursing facilities among others. In its position paper, ICN describes its various initiatives in the form of holding international agendas to develop strategies for the betterment of women’s health in the global arena and thereby securing their rights to freedom as well as well-being (International Council of Nurses, 2012). Simultaneously, ICN also emphasizes encouraging researches and debates concerning women’s health related issues. ICN strongly believes that these strategies will bring a significant change in the women’s fundamental rights to health by creating awareness. Furthermore, ICN strictly discourages the trafficking and exploitation of women in their workplaces. In its position paper, ICN deciphers its concern about the health hazards witnessed by women populaces. To name a few, HIV syndrome, ill health or lack of nutrition during their pregnancy and inadequate awareness regarding health issues as well as their fundamental rights can be observed as the common challenges in case of women’s health. ICN also significantly focuses on the establishment and on the enforcement of effective legal steps to discourage the violence against women, which has been reported to increase at an alarming rate. ICN also urges governmental bodies and all other concerned parties emphasizing women’s health to generate awareness regarding human rights (International Council of Nurses, 2012). Importance of Women’s health Women population constitutes a significant proportion in the global demography. According to the position statement of ICN, it can be observed that the female populaces comprise 60% among every one billion Below Poverty Line (BPL) population in the global economies. Furthermore, it has been observed that every 960 million illiterate adults worldwide include two-third women. Again, every 130 million children who have been recorded to discontinue their education comprise 70% girls. Most of these women and girls are observed to belong from economically backward regions which illustrate a significant reason behind their health hazards and their limited access to fundamental rights (International Council of Nurses, 2012). As a matter of fact, the health of the entire society, including boys and girls, largely depends on women’s health. Therefore, it can be stated that management of women’s health is quite important to secure social growth and community prosperity. Literature Review Watts & Zimmerman (2002) address a few of the mostly observed violent practices over women in the form of sexual abuses by intimate and non-intimate partners, forced prostitution, trafficking and discrimination in workplaces among others. One of the fundamental reasons to witness such issues has been identified as poverty which restricts access to adequate healthcare facilities and legal as well as ethical rights of women. Stating precisely, it limits adequate access of the populaces to education and awareness concerning their legal rights to healthcare facilities, educational facilities as well as rights to individual respect and economic opportunities (Watts & Zimmerman, 2002). According to Lee et al. (2005), the social, physical, psychological, demographic and behavioral factors have a significant impact on the women’s health and their well-being. Making women aware about the chronic diseases and at the same time, generating awareness in the remote areas about their fundamental rights, social organizations can mitigate such issues by a large extent. Williams (2008) observed that researches are mostly concerned with the women’s health scenario in developing countries. However, women in developed countries are also observed to face certain challenges in their daily lives. For instance, in America, women belonging to the minority group are mostly observed to suffer from similar issues mentioned above. Therefore, it can be stated that issues concerning women’s health are not largely subjected to macroeconomic divergences; rather, such problems are caused due to limited awareness in the community (Williams, 2008). Legal and ethical implications International legal agendas, such as the United Nations Charter, the International Covenant on Economic, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Social and Cultural Rights and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women among others, emphasize largely the betterment of the women’s fundamental rights and healthcare. The legal implications concerning women’s health suggest that female populaces must be rendered with adequate healthcare assistance and equal human rights in compliance with the statuary system of the country. These fundamental rights also include women’s adequate education and employment opportunities (Hankivsky, 1999). Similar consideration can also be justified with reference to the ethical implications related with women’s health. It is worth mentioning in this context that in majority instances socio-economic constraints play a fundamental role to cause women’s health related hazards, mentioned in the above discussion. Hence, concerning the ethical implications, authoritative bodies must emphasize identifying and likewise eradicating such constraints to ensure the well-being and prosperity of women populaces (Dickens & Cook, 1999). Utilization of the position statement to improve the health of the population With reference to the information presented through the position statement of ICN, it can be stated that women should be made aware about their health and accordingly be informed regarding their legal as well as moral rights. The position statement of ICN can be used to identify the major difficulties faced by the women populaces and develop strategies to mitigate such issues from the global social context. Suggestions can also be considered with reference to the position statement of ICN when defining the role of nursing in the position. For instance, concerning the current day phenomenon of women’s health, the position statement suggested that women should undergo proper nutritious diet along with regular exercises to retain their health and stay physically as well as mentally fit over a longer period of time. Additionally, nurses can emphasize their specific roles with the guidance of the information presented through the position statement of ICN to ensure an enriched service to the population. Conclusion With reference to the above it can be observed that women, in the current day context, need to witness various challenges and suffer violent treatments from their surroundings which contribute towards deteriorating developments of the overall community. Contextually, there are various factors which tend to contribute to such issues. The most apparent reasons in relation to the declination of women’s health can be identified as poverty and lack of adequate awareness concerning their fundamental rights and health. It is worth mentioning in this regard that assuring women’s health must be considered with due significance as a means to ensure the prosperity of the entire community. The consequences of such limitations can be identified in terms of increasing mortality rates of infants and pregnant women, diseases caused due to malnutrition and the reduction of the overall life-expectancy rate within female populaces. It is in this context that in order to mitigate such issues, both authoritative bodies and healthcare service delivering groups must come forward to generate awareness among the worldwide population regarding women’s health and simultaneously mitigate the socio-economic restrictions which are found to contribute to such challenges. References Dickens, M. B. & Cook. J. R. (1999). Ethics, justice and women’s health. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 64, pp. 81-85. Hankivsky, O. (1999). The Legal System and its Impact on Women’s Health: A Largely Uninvestigated Terrain. Made to Measure: the Legal System and Its Impact on Women’s Health, pp. 5-25. International Council of Nurses. (2012). Women’s health. Retrieved from http://www.icn.ch/images/stories/documents/publications/position_statements/A19_Womens_Health.pdf Lee, C., Dobson, J. A. Brown, J. W. Bryson, L., Byles, J., Warner-Smith, P. & Young, A. (2005). Cohort Profile: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. International Journal of Epidemiology, pp. 987-991. Watts, C. & Zimmerman, C. (2002). Violence against women: global scope and magnitude. The Lancet, 359, pp. 1232-1237. Bibliography Weasiman, S. C. (1997). Changing Definition of Women: Implication For Healthcare Policy. Maternal and child Health Journal, 1(3), pp. 179-189. World Health Organization. (2009). Women And Health. Retrieved from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241563857_eng.pdf Read More