Improving Health Care Delivery: Teenage Pregnancy

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Background Information
Resources Available to Pregnant Teenagers
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Nursing roles are designed to meet the needs of patients with diverse backgrounds and needs. RNs are skilled professionals who can collaborate to advocate for the health challenges associated with high-risk groups and underserved populations. In most cases, vulnerable citizens tend to receive poor quality, unsustainable, and uncoordinated care. A good example of such individuals is teenagers who become pregnant. Due to the absence of proper support, these young individuals lack timely prenatal care and skills to support their developing fetuses. RNs can rely on their massive numbers, leadership skills, and competencies to advocate for the medical needs of this high-risk group. This paper focuses on the demands of this population and how to improve their health outcomes.

Background Information

Teenage pregnancy is a common challenge that disorients the delivery and availability of health services in the country. Over the years, the rate of young women giving birth in their teen years has been declining. Current statistics reveal that around 16.7 per 1,000 births are attributed to females below the age of 19 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Individuals belonging to minority groups record higher percentages of teenage pregnancy, such as Hispanic females at 5.2 and non-Hispanic Black women at 1.9 percent (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). These trends explain why additional support for these women is recommendable.

While teen pregnancy is a problematic concern, the country has been recording declining cases in the past few years. This trend could be linked to the presence of timely educational programs and community programs. More teenagers now appreciate the importance of responsible sexual activities and abstinence (Ribas, 2021). The remaining percentage of underserved individuals will call for proper initiatives to meet their needs. The ultimate aim is to advocate for the changing needs of this high-risk population.

Healthcare Need: Prenatal Care

Irrespective of age, young girls who become pregnant should have access to timely, personalized, and high-quality prenatal care. This medical support will ensure that their fetuses grow to become healthy babies. Unfortunately, most young individuals will be unable to get much-needed healthcare due to various challenges, such as increasing stigma from members of the public (Young & Kroth, 2017). Sometimes the young female might realize that she is expectant when it is too late. These aspects could explain why some individuals might take long to access proper care.

Importance of Prenatal Care

During teenage pregnancy, most girls are usually at a higher of developing various problems. Ribas (2021) indicates that such young girls might record higher blood pressure and anemia. In some cases, teenage pregnancy could result in the birth of underweight or premature babies, a risk factor for additional medical complications. It becomes critical that RNs remain involved to focus on the needs of this population and ensure that they get adequate iron, folic acid, and calcium supplements.

Nutrition

Nutrition for pregnant teenagers has remained an ignored issue or topic in different societies. This problem exists due to the challenges associated with young children who become expectant due to various reasons. Nonetheless, these individuals need to receive around 400 micrograms of folic acid on a daily basis (Ledowsky et al., 2022). Iron and other minerals are needed to ensure that fetuses develop normally, thereby reducing the chances of premature birth. Some of the important sources of such nutrients include beans, leafy vegetables, and egg yolk (Ribas, 2021). The involved caregivers should ensure that teenagers who are expectant have balanced diets.

Resources Available to Pregnant Teenagers

Different resources are available to teenagers who become pregnant in the country. Local departments and health clinics provide timely medical support, prenatal care, and guidance to young women below the age of 19 (Young & Kroth, 2017). Adoption organizations, such as American Adoptions, are involved in the provision of counseling and empowerment. The agency is ready to adopt children who might b unable to receive the necessary care from their underage mothers. Planned Parenthood and National Parent Helpline are key institutions that collaborate to meet the needs of all women during pregnancy and children’s growth stages. Unfortunately, the issues associated with these high-risk groups could decrease their uptake of such resources.

Economic Priorities

The American federal government needs to liaise with local and state agencies to monitor and prioritize the economic needs of pregnant teenagers. The key areas needed to be considered include the need for additional hospitals, community centers, and opportunities for economic empowerment (Young & Kroth, 2017). The relevant stakeholders can hire more RNs and introduce new mechanisms for improving care delivery to these underserved individuals.

Challenges

Many pregnant teenagers encounter a wide range of challenges in their respective communities. Specifically, they tend to lack adequate support and empowerment from other members of society. They find it hard to receive timely medical care and support. The absence of proper mechanisms to provide financial support worsens their life outcomes (Fernandes & Medeiros, 2020). Some of them would be unable to pursue their educational goals. These predicaments are linked to increasing cases of poverty and the inability to record meaningful social mobility.

Key Issues

The complicated nature of teenage pregnancy presents numerous challenges in the manner in which professionals provide support to members of this high-risk population. Some of the key concerns to take into consideration include the possibility of legal concerns, such as rape and abuse in the domestic setting. A number of underage girls might choose to hide their pregnancies, thereby making it hard for practitioners to offer proper medical care (Fernandes & Medeiros, 2020). Some parents might remain uninvolved in the process of prenatal care and the provision of relevant support after birth.

Ethical Concerns

Experts in maternal care, such as policymakers, insurers, and medical experts, identify various ethical issues associated with teenage pregnancy. In some cases, some of the individuals who become expectant might be unable to meet the needs of their newborn babies (Mangeli et al., 2017). In specific scenarios, rape, and child abuse could be the cause of early pregnancies in most girls. When these people become pregnant, chances remain high that they will be unable to complete their education, thereby being unable to record meaningful social mobility.

Societal Issues

Being a societal concern, healthcare providers need to understand that teenage pregnancy triggers numerous challenges. When examined from an informed perspective, this problem will be linked to various attributes of the wider society, such as poverty, economic disparities, cases of racism, and reduced empowerment for persons with diverse backgrounds (Mangeli et al., 2017). The absence of proper resources and initiatives worsens the situation for most of the underage girls who eventually become pregnant.

Legal System-Level Issue

Healthcare providers and RNs need to understand the legal issues arising from teenage pregnancy. They should be aware of the best procedures to undertake when underage individuals are involved (Mangeli et al., 2017). They can monitor the recorded mental problems, cases of depression, and trauma that could arise when the pregnancy is a result of rape or domestic abuse. Providers should be keen to ensure that the available care is acceptable and in accordance with the established code of conduct.

Insurers and Public Policymakers

Public policymakers and insurers need to be aware of the possible ethical and legal issues that could arise due to teenage pregnancy. They will begin by identifying the age of the teenager, the nature of the pregnancy, and existing lawsuits (Young & Kroth, 2017). This information will guide them to provide relevant support, such as insurance coverage and care. Policymakers can focus on emerging ethical, societal, and legal issues to make better laws capable of meeting the needs of this underserved population.

Involved Organizations

A number of organizations should be involved when it comes to the issue of teenage pregnancy. With possible cases of ethical, legal, and societal concerns, it becomes necessary to have a proper understanding of every situation. This understanding will guide the involved leaders and professionals to offer the relevant support and guidelines (Mangeli et al., 2017). The ultimate aim is to meet the changing needs of more teenagers who become pregnant in the country.

Nursing Intervention

Nurses have a role to play and intervene in the area of teenage pregnancy. They can apply their skills to identify children who are at risk and educate them about numerous issues related to sexuality (Mangeli et al., 2017). For example, they could liaise with social workers to launch educational campaigns focusing on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and effective use of contraceptives. They will guide pregnant young women to identify available resources to transform the current situation.

Advocacy

Advocacy is a powerful strategy for introducing new ideas and mechanisms depending on the needs of underserved populations. Nurses need to rely on their numbers to support the formulation of additional laws that can support women who might be experiencing different forms of abuse. They will tackle the nature of disparities in the delivery of prenatal and postnatal services to most of these individuals. The advocacy initiative will help mitigate the challenges that make it impossible for some pregnant teenagers to achieve their maximum potential (Fernandes & Medeiros, 2020). Key areas to consider could include education attainment, improved health support, and community resources.

Improving Healthcare Delivery

The nursing practice could become the best procedure for improving the challenges associated with teenage pregnancy. RNs will need to collaborate and form multidisciplinary teams to provide personalized and timely medical care to these individuals (Fernandes & Medeiros, 2020). They can identify and guide more individuals to access various resources in their respective communities. They can offer additional support to individuals who might be at risk and create patient-centered care delivery approaches. This kind of support would be continued before and even after birth to ensure that positive results are recorded.

Nurses can go further to consider additional initiatives to transform the health experiences of pregnant teenagers. They will provide the relevant nutritional guidelines to ensure that the beneficiaries record positive outcomes. They will identify the necessary supplements and consider the importance of providing personalized support. The care process needs to be informed by the cultural attributes, economic challenges, and ethical concerns involved (Young & Kroth, 2017). They will link these individuals to most of the resources available in their respective societies. The combination of these efforts will reduce teenage pregnancy while ensuring that proper prenatal care is available to them.

Conclusion

Teenage pregnancy remains one of the common health issues affecting this country. Due to the challenges associated with this high-risk population, little progress has been observed in the areas of nutrition and prenatal care. Various ethical, legal, societal, and economic concerns are involved when dealing with teenage pregnancy. The consideration of all merging concerns, the provision of resources, and empowerment are evidence-based approaches to empowering pregnant teenagers. Nursing intervention remains a practical approach capable of transforming the health experiences and outcomes of most of these individuals.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). About teenage pregnancy. Web.

Fernandes, D., & Medeiros, M. (2020). Nursing scientific production on teenage pregnancy: An integrative review. Aquichan, 20(2), 1-14. Web.

Ledowsky, C., Mahimbo, A., Scarf, V., & Seel, A. (2022). Women taking a folic acid supplement in countries with mandatory food fortification programs may be exceeding the upper tolerable limit of folic acid: A systematic review.Nutrients, 14(13), 2715-2740. Web.

Mangeli, M., Rayyani, M., Cheraghi, M. A., & Tirgari, B. (2017). Exploring the challenges of adolescent mothers from their life experiences in the transition to motherhood: A qualitative study. Journal of Family and Reproductive Health, 11(3), 165-173. Web.

Ribas, C. R. (2021). Adolescent pregnancy, public policies, and targeted programs in Latin America and the Caribbean: A systematic review. Pan American Journal of Public Health, 45, 1-9. Web.

Young, K. M., & Kroth, P. J. (2017). Shultz and Young’s health care USA: Understanding its organization and delivery (9^th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.

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