KD is a 72 y/o male farmer from a rural area in North Carolina who recently had a Femoral-Popliteal bypass 2 weeks ago. He was released home to his 71 y/o wife who suffers from chronic back pain
Assignment: Building a Health History with Cultural and Diversity Awareness Â
Include the following:
- Explain the specific socioeconomic, spiritual, lifestyle, and other cultural factors associated with your assigned patient. Be specific.
- Explain the issues you need to be sensitive to when interacting with the patient and why.
- Describe the communication techniques you would use with this patient. Include strategies to demonstrate sensitivity with this patient. Be specific and explain why you would use these techniques.
- Summarize the health history interview you would conduct with this patient. Please provide at least five (5) targeted questions you would ask the patient to build their health history and assess their health risks. Explain your reasoning for each question and how you frame each for this patient.
- Identify the risk assessment instrument you selected and justify why it would apply to your assigned patient. Be specific.
- Do not write a physical; this is not a physical but a recollection of the Social, cultural, and diversity awareness you must consider when collecting a history. Ensure your five questions are related to health and social history. Questions such as why you are here? or How are you feeling? have no relation to the case.
- Follow the rubric questions;Â we grade by the rubric
- Analyze the health risk this individual has according to the case
- Use APA literature peer review from Journals to justify your statements (minimum two peer Journals and a book)
Week 2: Cultural, Diversity and Functional Assessments in Health – KD is a 72 y/o male farmer from a rural area in North Carolina who recently had a Femoral-Popliteal bypass 2 weeks ago
Healthcare professionals are determined to provide comprehensive medical care to their patients to meet the patient population’s needs and better health outcomes. However, to achieve such outcomes, there is a need to go beyond the standard medical questions by actively exploring other factors that may influence the patient’s journey to full recovery. These factors include cultural beliefs, background and practices, which enable these healthcare providers to integrate cultural competency and sensitivity during care delivery, thus meeting the needs and satisfaction of the diverse patient population. For the discussion, the focus will be on Case Study 4, which concerns KD, a 72-year-old male from rural North Carolina who is a farmer.  Two weeks ago, KD underwent a Femoral-Popliteal bypass and was discharged under the care of his wife, 71 years old, who has chronic back pain. In that regard, the paper will assess the specific lifestyle, spiritual, socioeconomic, and other cultural components linked to the patient. Other areas of discussion will be sensitivity when interacting with the patient, communication techniques, health history interview summary and the risk assessment instrument. Lifestyle, Spiritual, Socioeconomic, and other Cultural Components Healthcare professionals need to identify potential barriers to positive health outcomes to transform healthcare delivery and reduce health disparities. Potential barriers such as lifestyle, spiritual, socioeconomic, and various cultural factors should be addressed to reduce healthcare costs and enhance healthcare outcomes (Wallis et al., 2021). When reflecting on KD’s case scenario, there are lifestyle factors that may influence his condition, including an unhealthy diet that may lead to blood vessel inflammation, which can cause femoropopliteal artery disease, which affects the Popliteal and Femoral arteries. Such a diet may include low-fiber, trans fats, simple sugars and saturated fats since they increase femoropopliteal artery disease risk. Also, spirituality and cultural factors may affect how KD perceives and understands his current condition, including his ability to adhere to the treatment plan. For instance, KD, being a farmer, has a higher chance of returning to his daily farm practices before he fully recovers to provide for his wife, who is also an older adult with chronic pain, since most cultures perceive men as providers (Wallis et al., 2021). Also, his spirituality may lead to a dilemma between adhering to the prescribed medication and seeking herbal interventions, which may undermine overall health outcomes. Economic-wise, KD may be struggling due to his old age since farming requires a lot of input to earn a higher income. Such a factor may affect KD upon discharge since financial constraints between managing his condition and that of his wife may overwhelm him, leading to the possible risk of failing to seek preventative care once discharged, which may deteriorate his condition. Sensitivity When Interacting with the Patient Healthcare provider’s sensitivity when interacting with KD will be necessary since it will help build an effective relationship. For instance, after the discharge, KD will rely on his wife for support despite her chronic back pain condition. In such a case, the healthcare provider must address the issue sensitively to avoid portraying KD’s wife as incapable of taking care of him. Also, considering that KD has been a farmer for most of his life, the healthcare provider must ensure that the patient understands what he needs to do to get back to his feet quickly (Davis &Musolino, 2024). Also, KD hails from a rural area, where most men believe in keeping their family lives private; thus, he may not open up about his wife due to fear of dishonoring himself and his wife, especially when discussing her illness. Hence, the attending provider must understand such factors when discussing the caregiving topic of how KD’s wife will impact his recovery. Other sensitive factors that may be crucial to discuss are financial concerns and in-home services since they will help with follow-up, comorbidities management and medication adherence (Davis & Musolino, 2024). In general, when discussing sensitive issues with KD, the healthcare provider must apply cultural sensitivity skills to equip the patient with a sense of belonging and create a better nurse-patient relationship. Communication Techniques Healthcare provider-patient communication is crucial even though, in most cases, it experiences challenges during the healthcare process. For instance, when addressing the KD case, healthcare providers must ensure that they portray the proper verbal and non-verbal communication to build trust and rapport and to engage the patient actively (Kwame & Petrucka, 2021). That way, it will be easy to understand KD’s needs and treatment preferences, thus making it possible to meet his needs. Also, the use of correct verbal and non-verbal cues prevents communication misinterpretation and increases patients’ sense of belonging since they can actively participate in the treatment plan. In such a case, the attending provider should take time to learn the patient’s non-verbal communication and subtle cues that show hesitation or discomfort when addressing sensitive topics. There will also be a need to use less medical jargon to increase KD’s comprehension of his condition and treatment recommendation adherence during patient education (Kwame & Petrucka, 2021). Therefore, the best way to enhance patient understanding will be to apply strategies such as teach-back or show me to ensure that KD understands what is expected of him, thus increasing his understanding and making patient education successful. Additionally, applying active listening and empathy is necessary since it will help the provider acknowledge the patient’s concerns and emotions to build rapport and trust while fostering a deeper understanding of the patient’s needs. Health History Interview Summary When conducting a health history interview with KD, the primary considerations include his cultural beliefs, lifestyle and background. Such considerations will promote harmony during the assessment and ensure that KD answers all questions accurately to identify the potential risks. In that case, the five-targeted questions for KD are as follows;- Before we start our conversation, which language do you prefer? Is there anybody else you would like involved in the treatment plan? The question will help set the pace and build rapport and trust with the patient to facilitate effective communication.
- Can you please share any spiritual or cultural beliefs that may affect how you view your current health condition? The question will help identify traditional practices or home remedies that the patient may prefer to the recommended clinical practices.
- What is your common daily diet, and what activities do you carry out most when on your farm? The question will help address issues that may contribute to the increased risks associated with PAD.
- Does your culture involve family members in health-related decisions? Additionally, who do you trust most to offer the needed assistance and support with healthcare issues? The question will help assess whether KD has other family members who can help with in-home care apart from the wife, who is also having a chronic back pain issue.
- Do you have any financial challenges that may affect the adherence to recommended medications and treatments? The question will help the healthcare provider assess the chances of treatment adherence and formulate effective ways to improve the patient’s overall health.