HEALTHCARE ARTICLES COMPARISON AND CONTRAST 2

Healthcare Articles Comparison and Contrast

There are multiple factors that affect health outcomes of individuals. Some of these
factors can be controlled by the individuals themselves but others are beyond their control
(Artiga & Hinton, 2019). To effectively address health needs of a given society and individuals,
it is important to understand all these factors.

In the articles “Importance of Social Determinants of Health and Cultural Awareness in
the Delivery of Reproductive Healthcare” by ACOG Committee and “Health Determinants,
Measurements, and Trends” by Skolnik, the authors stress the importance of knowing and
addressing the various determinants of health. Both articles emphasize that individual-level and
biological factors are just among the many factors that determine an individual’s health (ACOG,
2018; Skolnik, 2012). Other factors such as their income level, education level, and the
environment that they stay in also affect one’s health.

While both articles emphasize the need to examine and address the multiple determinants
of health in order to provide effective patient-centred care, they differ in their target audience.
The differences in their target audiences can be seen in their respective titles, levels of use of
technical language, and recommendations (Bonk, 2015). ACOG Committee’s article targets
obstetricians, gynaecologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in providing
reproductive healthcare as it can be seen in its title, article content, and recommendations
provided. Unlike ACOG Committee’s article, Skolnik’s article targets a more general audience. It
targets all types of healthcare providers, healthcare policy makers, students, and academics. In
general, while ACOG’s article seeks to influence policymaking at the healthcare facility level,
Skolnik’s article seeks to influence policymaking at national or state level.

HEALTHCARE ARTICLES COMPARISON AND CONTRAST 3
In conclusion, the focus of both articles is to explain the need to address various
determinants of health in order to have the best health outcomes. They differ in their target
audiences. ACOG Committee’s article targets reproductive healthcare providers while Skolnik’s
article is addressed to a more general audience.

HEALTHCARE ARTICLES COMPARISON AND CONTRAST 4

References

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee [ ACOG], 2018). Importance
of social determinants of health and cultural awareness in the delivery of reproductive
health care. Obstetrics & Gynecology; 131 (1), e42-e47.

Artiga, S., & Hinton, E. (2019). Beyond health care: the role of social determinants in promoting
health and health equity. Health, 20, 10.

Bonk, R.J. (2015). Writing for today’s healthcare audiences. Tonawanda, NY: Broadview Press.

Skolnik, R. (2012). Health determinants, measurements, and trends. In Global health 101, (2nd
ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.