How does the United States compare in health rankings with other developed nations? How does the United States compare in health rankings with developing nations? In your research, what were the two major differences between the healthcare system in a developing nation and the U.S. healthcare system?
Global Perspective on Health Care
Measurements Used By the WHO to Determine Health Rankings
The WHO employs the health index score to determine health rankings. Some of them include health outcome indicators like life expectancy, infant and adult mortality rates, and disability-adjusted life years, otherwise known as DALYs, which give a broader picture of population health and the effectiveness of health care (Cueto, 2023).
The WHO evaluates a country’s healthcare infrastructure and services. This assessment is carried out in a variety of aspects, including the standard of healthcare services, the ease of access to the population, and the availability of vital assets in health care (Cueto, 2023). It informs people about the effectiveness of healthcare delivery in a country.
Mortality rates assessment examines healthcare systems’ effectiveness in preventing deaths, encompassing indicators like maternal and child mortality rates and mortality from non-communicable diseases (Cueto, 2023). These metrics guide healthcare policy enhancements and contribute to better population health outcomes.
Comparison of the United States in Health Rankings with Other Developed Nations
The American healthcare system frequently performs lower than that of other developed nations and results in lower health outcomes (Schneider et al., 2021). This is because it has infant mortality, shortened life expectancy, and disparities in healthcare access that cost the country more money per person on healthcare.
Comparison of the United States in Health Rankings with Other Developing Nations
Usually, as opposed to underdeveloped countries, the United States has a more established health system and availability of medical equipment for their populations (Schneider et al., 2021). Developing countries usually struggle with deficient healthcare infrastructure, lack of quality care provision, and increased occurrence of infectious diseases.
Differences between the Healthcare System in a Developing Nation and the U.S.
One major difference is infrastructure. Unlike many developing countries, America has a well-developed infrastructure with no shortages of healthcare services (Schneider et al., 2021). The United States has highly advanced healthcare facilities, state-of-the-art technologies, and experts. Another difference lies in healthcare costs. The United States is an expensive place for health care. Nevertheless, most of the developing countries can afford cheap health care. However, Shi & Singh (2022) note that the capability to provide quality care is hampered due to limited resources.
References
Cueto, M. (2023). The World Health Organization. In Global Health Essentials (pp. 421-424). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-33851-9_63
Schneider, E. C., Shah, A., Doty, M. M., Tikkanen, R., Fields, K., Williams, R., & II, M. M. (2021). Reflecting poorly: Health care in the US compared to other high-income countries. New York: The Commonwealth Fund. https://search.issuelab.org/resources/38740/38740.pdf
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2022). Essentials of the US health care system. Jones & Bartlett Learning.