Explain the issues that you would need to be sensitive to when interacting with the patient
May 2012, Alice Randall wrote an article for The New York Times on the cultural factors that encouraged black women to maintain a weight above what is considered healthy. Randall explained—from her observations and her personal experience as a black woman—that many African-American communities and cultures consider women who are overweight to be more beautiful and desirable than women at a healthier weight. As she put it, “Many black women are fat because we want to be” (Randall, 2012).
Randall’s statements sparked a great deal of controversy and debate; however, they emphasize an underlying reality in the healthcare field: different populations, cultures, and groups have diverse beliefs and practices that impact their health. Nurses and healthcare professionals should be aware of this reality and adapt their health assessment techniques and recommendations to accommodate diversity.
In this Discussion, you will consider different socioeconomic, spiritual, lifestyle, and other cultural factors that should be taken into considerations when building a health history for patients with diverse backgrounds. Your Instructor will assign a case study to you for this Discussion.
To prepare:
- Reflect on your experiences as a nurse and on the information provided in this week’s Learning Resources on diversity issues in health assessments.
- By Day 1 of this week, you will be assigned a case study by your Instructor. Note: Please see the “Course Announcements” section of the classroom for your case study assignment.
- Reflect on the specific socioeconomic, spiritual, lifestyle, and other cultural factors related to the health of the patient assigned to you.
- Consider how you would build a health history for the patient. What questions would you ask, and how would you frame them to be sensitive to the patient’s background, lifestyle, and culture? Develop five targeted questions you would ask the patient to build his or her health history and to assess his or her health risks.
- Think about the challenges associated with communicating with patients from a variety of specific populations. What strategies can you as a nurse employ to be sensitive to different cultural factors while gathering the pertinent information?
Case study assignment:
By Day 3 of Week 2
Post an explanation of the specific socioeconomic, spiritual, lifestyle, and other cultural factors associated with the patient you were assigned. Explain the issues that you would need to be sensitive to when interacting with the patient, and why. Provide at least five targeted questions you would ask the patient to build his or her health history and to assess his or her health risks.
Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the “Post to Discussion Question” link, and then select “Create Thread” to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6 of Week 2
Respond on or before Day 6 on 2 different days to at least two of your colleagues who were assigned a different patient than you. Critique your colleague’s targeted questions, and explain how the patient might interpret these questions. Explain whether any of the questions would apply to your patient, and why.
Expert Answer and Explanation
Diversity and Health Assessments
Factors Associated with Assigned Patient
The first factor associated with the assigned patient is the economic factor. The patient is dependent on his daughter, who does not have the financial muscle to properly care for him. This factor may hinder the patient’s ability to access quality care. The second factor is the social factor (Ball, Dains, Flynn, Solomon & Stewart, 2019). The patient has only one family member, his daughter, who can care for him. However, the daughter is often busy and does not have time to care for her father. The patient is also a single mother struggling with her issues. Another factor is age. The patient is old and cannot perform several ADLs and is also unable to exercise. He need help to perform some physical activities.
Issues to Consider
First, healthcare professionals should be sensitive to is communication. For the patient to trust the caregiver, they must be able to communicate effectively. Dains, Baumann, and Scheibel (2019) note that the language barrier can hinder communication between a nurse and the patient. Second, when interacting with the assigned patient, a care provider should be sensitive to his traditions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). The caregiver should be able to understand whether the patient trust western medicine or Asian traditional medications. Lastly, the nurse should be sensitive about the patient’s health literacy level (Melton, Graff, Holmes, Brown & Bailey, 2014). The healthcare professional should determine whether the patient understands his current treatment protocols and their benefits to his general health.
Targeted Questions
- Have you ever taken any Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) or non-prescription medications?
- What is your alcohol, smoking, and illicit drug use history?
- When your daughter is busy at work, which helps you with your prescribed medications?
- Can you visit the nearby grocery store or a pharmacy by yourself when nobody is at home?
- Does your daughter often help you take a walk around the neighborhood, or do you do it alone?
References
Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2019). Seidel\’s guide to physical examination: An interprofessional approach (9th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Cultural competence. Retrieved from https://npin.cdc.gov/pages/cultural-competence
Dains, J. E., Baumann, L. C., & Scheibel, P. (2019). Advanced health assessment and clinical diagnosis in primary care (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Melton, C., Graff, C., Holmes, G., Brown, L., & Bailey, J. (2014). Health literacy and asthma management among African-American adults: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Asthma, 51(7), 703–713. Doi:10.3109/02770903.2014.906605The authors of this study discuss the relationship between health literacy and health outcomes in African American patients with asthma. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gretchen_Norling_Holmes2/publication/261030464_Health_literacy_and_asthma_management_among_African-American_adults_An_interpretative_phenomenological_analysis/links/56375d8e08aed65d3c42a45c/Health-literacy-and-asthma-management-among-African-American-adults-An-interpretative-phenomenological-analysis.pdf
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