Health History and Screening of an Adolescent Essay

The population of the U.S. keeps increase to be a diversity nation. As they emerge to one nation, they share common concerns about life such as health and quality of life. Providing effective health care to diverse ethnic group, cultural minority group, need to have proper assessment tool for assessment for their cultural needs, beliefs, and their traditional health care practice. The Heritage Assessment Tool create effective assessment of background of people include age, gender, family structure, nationality, culture, religion, and social activity.Health History and Screening of an Adolescent Essay Paper

The detail information from this tool contribute to the ability to become culturally competent so that effective nursing care can be initiated, planned, implemented, and evaluated in individuals, families, and communities. The goal of The Heritage Assessment Tool is to enhance care for cultural minority group to encourage their quality of life and health promotion and prevent discrimination by a dominant group. It is necessary to understand cultural influences with health care practice to provide health promotion. Using The Heritage Assessment will assist nurses in providing information that benefit on minority group to get equal opportunities in health care. Mr. and Mrs. Choi who is Korean, middle age in their 40’s, have been living with their 17 years- old son and Mrs. Choi’s mother. They all live in low- income neighborhood area. Mr.Health History and Screening of an Adolescent Essay Paper

and Mrs. Choi are both high school educated and both worked full-time in Korean grocery store as a manager and casher. Mrs. Choi’s mother had stroke 2 years ago with left side weakness.

Their income is not enough to support insurance for acupuncture, massage therapy, and herb med to treat her mother. Their son is going to college next year. They don’t speak English fluently because they don’t educate here. That is why they are working in the Koran grocery market. When they are working during the weekday Mrs. Choi’s mother stay home alone taking care of herself with left side weakness.Health History and Screening of an Adolescent Essay Paper

She used to go to church to socialize with people, but her activity is limited since she had stroke. On weekends, Mrs. Choi bring her mother to oriental medicine doctor to receive the acupuncture and massage therapy, herb-meds as well, which is not covering by insurance. Mr. Choi is unsatisfied this situation asking for receiving western medicine which covered by insurance. There is conflict between Mr. Choi and Mrs. Choi’s mother. Mrs. Choi is depressed from living poverty and stress intergeneration relationships that she can’t support her mother to get the care she wants. She have guilty feeling that she can’t afford oriental medicine care. Asian folk medicine influence from Chinese principles of an imbalance in energy. Herb meds and acupunctures are their traditional healing treatment. Asian identify with their heritage (Tashiro, 2006). Of these, the best known is acupuncture (Andrew, 2008). In Asian culture, younger people have to respect and follow older people’s opinion whether it is right or not. As a nurse, Education about combine with western medicine and complementary and alternative medicine. Health History and Screening of an Adolescent Essay Paper

. Encourage the couple and Mrs. Choi’s mother to have open discussion. Accommodate with social worker and case manager for financial crisis. Intervention requires the cultural traditions, motivation level, health status to achieve positive outcome. As Arab American population getting increased, There are noticeable health care issues of Arab American such as high-risk for diabetes including hypertension, obesity, gender, low employment, and lack of education in women as well as mental health and adolescents smoking. Mr. Khan is 50 years old man is living with wife and 2 sons, age 12 and 16. Mr. Khan is a taxi driver who is the only one income source. His wife is housewife who is not educated high school so that she doesn’t speak English at all. Two sons are both high school students. The old son is a smoker that parent don’t know his smoking habit. Mr. Khan is obese and smoker. He also have high blood pressure. He had new onset of diabetes recently.Health History and Screening of an Adolescent Essay Paper

His meal habit is irregular and eating fast food because of job. He never do exercise or walking. His wife cook regular meal, and she has no idea about diabetic meals. Old son learned how to smoke from friends. Religion is major role of Arab society. They are male dominant and submissive women society so that women have low education. Approaching this case, health promotion education is essential for Mr. Khan’s family such as diabetic teaching, recipe of food in low calories, smoking quit teaching, and exercise program. Provide wife to community to learn and involve activity. Develop a plan for blood sugar monitoring and routine check doctor’s office on a regular basis. Support to wife to joining the religion community. Religious preventive program will be beneficial to protect them from addicting to bad habit. Latino/Hispanic population is tremendously increased as a largest ethnic group in Americs society. The major health issues of Latino/Hispanic Americans are lack of health insurance and less preventive care.Health History and Screening of an Adolescent Essay Paper

They have higher level of living poverty because of low income. With that poverty cause lack of insurance, they have reduced access to medical care bring delay diagnosis and treatment, and poor health outcome. Family and religion are emphasized to maintain the good health. When they meet health crisis, family member is the most important health supporter. They believe illness is from imbalance of hot and cold concept. Fever managed by cold drink. Cold person drinks warm fluid (chong, 2002). Their folk remedy influence of person’s well-being. Approaching nursing care for them, professional acre needs to combine with their folk remedies. These combinations will benefit to them to have positive results. In summery, It is great challenge using the Heritage Assessment to provide optimal care for people’s well-being and the quality of life. Awareness of people’s culture and value is important to achieve the goal of the health promotion. The Heritage Assessment tool influences in nursing to maximize the effectiveness of optimal nursing care and practice for all people from different culture and country.Health History and Screening of an Adolescent Essay Paper