Diversity and Health Assessment Essay Paper
Diversity and Health Assessment Essay Paper
This week we will learn to consider diversity when completing health assessments. Please read the directions of the assignment carefully before submitting your discussion post.
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.
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 pertinent information?
*Please use the case study below to write this Discussion Assignment.
*CASE STUDY:
*Shawn Billings, a 28-year-old African American patient comes into the clinic today. He has been deemed a “frequent flyer” by the staff at the clinic and was at the clinic last week and 4 days ago with a migraine, given a shot of Toradol and Ativan, and sent home. He is here today again for an extreme headache. He is very agitated today. He is here with his father and is worried that he will not get any medication.
*Discussion Assignment:
*Write 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.
*Resources:
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.
Chapter 1, “The History and Interviewing Process” (Previously read in Week 1)
This chapter highlights the history and interviewing processes. The authors explore a variety of communication techniques, professionalism, and functional assessment concepts when developing relationships with patients.
Chapter 2, “Cultural Competency”
This chapter highlights the importance of cultural awareness when conducting health assessments. The authors explore the impact of culture on health beliefs and practices.
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.
Credit Line: Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Diagnosis in Primary Care, 6th Edition by Dains, J.E., Baumann, L. C., & Scheibel, P. Copyright 2019 by Mosby. Reprinted by permission of Mosby via the Copyright Clearance Center. Diversity and Health Assessment Essay Paper
Chapter 2, “Evidenced-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines”
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:10.3109/02770903.2014.906605
Credit Line: Health literacy and asthma management among African-American adults: An interpretative phenomenological analysis by Melton, C., Graff, C., Holmes, G., Brown, L., & Bailey, J., in Journal of Asthma, Vol. 51/Issue 7. Copyright 2014 by Taylor & Francis, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Taylor & Francis, Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.
The authors of this study discuss the relationship between health literacy and health outcomes in African American patients with asthma.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, October 21). Cultural competence in health and human services. Retrieved from https://npin.cdc.gov/pages/cultural-competence
This website discusses cultural competence as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Understanding the difference between cultural competence, awareness, and sensitivity can be obtained on this website.
United States Department of Human & Health Services. Office of Minority Health. (n.d.). A physician’s practical guide to culturally competent care. Retrieved June 10, 2019, from https://cccm.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/
From the Office of Minority Health, this website offers CME and CEU credit and equips healthcare professionals with awareness, knowledge, and skills to better treat the increasingly diverse U.S. population they serve.
Coleman, D. E. (2019). Evidence based nursing practice: The challenges of health care and cultural diversity. Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 19(4), 330–338. https://doi.org/10.1080/15323269.2019.1661734
Young, S., & Guo, K. L. (2016). Cultural diversity training. The Health Care Manager, 35(2), 94–102. https://doi.org/10.1097/hcm.0000000000000100
*Rubrics:
Rubric Detail
Name: NURS_6512_Week_2_Discussion_Rubric
Excellent Good Fair Poor
Main Posting
45 (45%) – 50 (50%)
“Answers all parts of the Discussion question(s) with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. Supported by at least three current, credible sources. Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.
40 (40%) – 44 (44%)
“Responds to the Discussion question(s) and is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. At least 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three credible sources. Written clearly and concisely with one or no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.
35 (35%) – 39 (39%)
“Responds to some of the Discussion question(s). One or two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed. Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Post is cited with two credible sources. Written somewhat concisely; may contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Contains some APA formatting errors.
0 (0%) – 34 (34%)
“Does not respond to the Discussion question(s) adequately. Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria. Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Contains only one or no credible sources. Not written clearly or concisely. Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style. Diversity and Health Assessment Essay Paper
Main Post: Timeliness
10 (10%) – 10 (10%)
Posts main post by Day 3.
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
N/A
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
N/A
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not post main post by Day 3.
First Response
17 (17%) – 18 (18%)
“Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources. Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of Learning Objectives. Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.
15 (15%) – 16 (16%)
“Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.
13 (13%) – 14 (14%)
“Response is on topic and may have some depth. Responses posted in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.
0 (0%) – 12 (12%)
“Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited.
Second Response
16 (16%) – 17 (17%)
“Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources. Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of Learning Objectives. Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.
14 (14%) – 15 (15%)
“Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.
12 (12%) – 13 (13%)
“Response is on topic and may have some depth. Responses posted in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.
0 (0%) – 11 (11%)
“Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited.
Participation
5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Meets requirements for participation by posting on three different days.
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
N/A
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
N/A
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not meet requirements for participation by posting on three different days.
Diversity and Health Assessment
For an advanced practice nurse, performing a proper health assessment is critical in making the right treatment and nursing care decisions. It is particularly useful in the formulation of nursing diagnoses for the patient. However, patients come from diverse backgrounds and the way one is presenting is not the same way another does (Coleman, 2019). Diversity means that there is a multicultural component in the way that patients present to the provider. It is therefore very important that every advanced practice nurse possesses competencies in multiculturalism or displays cultural competence and sensitivity (Ball et al., 2019; McFarland & Wehbe-Alamah, 2019; Young & Guo, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to discuss how specific factors relate to a patient in a given case scenario within the context of health assessment and multiculturalism.
The Factors Associated with the Patient
There are a number of factors associated with the 28 year-old African American patient in the case study. Being African American means that he is from a minority marginalized community faced by a myriad of unfavorable social determinants of health or SDOH. Therefore the socioeconomic factors associated with him are that he has a low purchasing power due to low or inexistent income (Powell, 2016). This fact is confirmed by the fact that at 28 years old he is still being brought to the hospital by his father. The other is that he is probably socially maladjusted and that is why he is showing some dependence on the medications he is given. These are a NSAID in the form of Ketorolac (Toradol) and a benzodiazepine (a schedule IV controlled drug) in the form of lorazepam (Ativan).
The other factors associated with him are lifestyle factors and this is seen in the fact that he is still under the care of his father as an adult. He therefore probably is living a carefree life of drugs and potentially alcoholism making him irresponsible. This predisposes him to diseases such as sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS. Spiritual factors associated with him are in the fact that with the lifestyle he lives, he is probably not close to any church or spirituality. Lastly, culturally he is Black and this also has an effect in his health outlook. In Black culture a man is expected to be brave. Thus he may have a problem of addiction but be afraid to openly share it.
Issues to be Sensitive About and Five Questions
The issues to be sensitive about are first and foremost about multiculturalism. Being Black means that this patient is prone to being stereotyped. As the provider, the advanced practice nurse must avoid stereotyping the patient by assuming that he is already an addict and a criminal. The patient will be expecting to be stereotyped and will thus be on alert. The other thing to be sensitive about is the patient’s situation. He is still being dependent on his father and so the provider should at no time appear to be belittling him for his lack of means and apparent failure in life. He needs to feel respected, encouraged, and cared for.
The five questions I would ask him for his health assessment are:
- Dou you feel that you cannot go for a day without your medications?
- Do you smoke cigarettes?
- Do you take alcohol and if yes in what quantities?
- Are you married?
- What do you do for a living?
Conclusion
Health assessment is a vital skill that every advanced practice nurse must have. It however must be done with special cultural competencies. The nurse must be sensitive and tactful with the questions asked so as not to offend the patient. All patients are different in this regard.
References
Ball, J., Dains, J.E., Flynn, J.A., Solomon, B.S., & Stewart, R.W. (2019). Seidel’s guide to physical examination: An interprofessional approach, 9th ed. Elsevier.
Coleman, D.E. (2019). Evidence based nursing practice: The challenges of health care and cultural diversity. Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 19(4), 330–338. https://doi.org/10.1080/15323269.2019.1661734
McFarland, M.R. & Wehbe-Alamah, H.B. (2019). Leininger’s theory of culture care diversity and universality: An overview with a historical retrospective and a view toward the future. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 9(6), 1-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1043659619867134
Powell, D.L. (2016). Social determinants of health: Cultural competence is not enough. Creative Nursing, 24(1), 5-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1078-4535.22.1.5
Young, S., & Guo, K.L. (2016). Cultural diversity training. The Health Care Manager, 35(2), 94–102. https://doi.org/10.1097/hcm.0000000000000100
