Effective communication is vital to constructing an accurate and detailed patient history. A patient’s health or illness is influenced by many factors, including age, gender, ethnicity, and environmental setting. As an advanced practice nurse, you must be aware of these factors and tailor your communication techniques accordingly. Doing so will not only help you establish rapport with your patients, but it will also enable you to more effectively gather the information needed to assess your patients’ health risks.
For this Discussion, you will take on the role of a clinician who is building a health history for a particular patient assigned:
- you will consider how social determinants of health such as age, gender, ethnicity, and environmental situation impact the health and risk assessment of the patients you serve.
- You will also consider how social determinants of health influence your interview and communication techniques as you work in partnership with a patient to gather data to build an accurate health history.
- Identify any potential health-related risks based upon the patient’s age, gender, ethnicity, or environmental setting that should be taken into consideration.
ASSIGNMENT IS AS FOLLOW:
Post a summary of the interview and a description of the communication techniques you would use with your assigned patient (21 year old Filipino college student living in a dorm wanting to know what birth control is) Explain why you would use these techniques. Identify the risk assessment instrument you selected, and justify why it would be applicable to the selected patient. Provide at least five targeted questions you would ask the patient.
Please be sure to include at least 3-5 references that are no older than 3 years of publication
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
Effective communication is a crucial skill that healthcare providers need to have in order to gather necessary information and provide appropriate care to their patients. In this assignment, we will explore how social determinants of health such as age, gender, ethnicity, and environmental situation can impact the health and risk assessment of patients. We will also discuss communication techniques and interview strategies that can be used to gather accurate health history. Lastly, we will identify potential health-related risks based on the patient’s age, gender, ethnicity, or environmental setting and the risk assessment instrument that can be used in this scenario.
Answer:
In building a health history for a 21-year-old Filipino college student living in a dorm, it is important to consider how social determinants of health can impact their overall health and risk assessment. Since the patient is of Filipino ethnicity and living in a dorm, their cultural beliefs and environmental factors would play a role in their health. To gather an accurate health history, I would use different communication techniques such as active listening, empathy, and nonverbal cues. These techniques can help establish rapport and build trust with the patient, resulting in a more open and productive conversation.
Furthermore, I would use the Health Belief Model (HBM) as the risk assessment instrument for this patient. This model assesses a patient’s perception of susceptibility to a health condition, the severity of the condition, benefits and barriers of taking preventive measures, and cues to action. Applying this model can help determine the patient’s level of risk perception, which can lead to necessary interventions and appropriate preventive measures.
Some targeted questions that I would ask the patient include:
1. Have you ever used any form of birth control before?
2. What do you know about the different types of birth control methods available?
3. Are there any cultural or personal beliefs that might affect your decision to use birth control?
4. Have you ever experienced any side effects with birth control methods?
5. How important is it for you to prevent unintended pregnancies, and why?
In conclusion, effective communication skills and risk assessment instruments are key factors that healthcare providers need to consider when building a health history for their patients. Understanding social determinants of health, using appropriate communication techniques, and applying relevant risk assessment instruments can result in a more accurate health history and more effective preventive measures.
