Introduction
In the selected case study, a 19-year-old girl comes into the office without complaints. The issue determined by the nurse is that she has not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Her family refuses the vaccine because they believe their faith will protect them from the infection. Thus, the advanced practice nurse must consider the patient information needed in the scenario to assess her health. Moreover, some considerations for responding to vaccine hesitancy are necessary.
Main Body
As the patient has come for a routine check, a general review of all systems is recommended. First, I would ask the patient if she experiences any problems or complaints that could be considered symptoms. Next, I would inquire about the young woman’s habits and behaviors, including smoking, alcohol consumption, nutrition, sports, occupation, and sexual behavior (Asmirajanti et al., 2019). I would also discuss mental health, such as stress, depression, anxiety, and sleep quality. The subjective assessment includes various systems, including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and skin.
The issue of vaccine hesitancy is the most apparent problem in the present scenario. While nurses should try to educate patients on health subjects, it is also vital to consider their preferences to maintain a trusting relationship (Handtke et al., 2019). The guidelines for culturally competent healthcare advise nurses to respect people’s religious beliefs (Garcia & Yap, 2021).
Nevertheless, as vaccines have been proven to affect individual and population health positively, I would try to recommend vaccination to the patient (Dror et al., 2020; Grochowska et al., 2021). For example, Berry et al. (2021) suggest using such facts as the support of vaccination by religious leaders and the connection between knowledge and resources provided by God (depending on the patient’s denomination). Following the guidelines, I would also ask the young woman about her personal beliefs, give some statistics about vaccination outcomes, and listen to her arguments. However, the final decision about vaccination comes from the patient, as care cannot be enforced.
Conclusion
To conclude, the case study presents a complex ethical issue for the advanced practice nurse. Vaccine hesitancy, in this case, is connected to religion, a set of personal beliefs that should be respected by the healthcare professional. I can collect data necessary for the assessment and discuss common misconceptions about vaccination, focusing on empathy and openness. Nevertheless, the patient must retain her authority over making vaccine-related choices.
References
Asmirajanti, M., Hamid, A. Y. S., Hariyati, R., & Sri, T. (2019). Nursing care activities are based on documentation. BMC Nursing, 18(1), 1-5. Web.
Berry, S. D., Johnson, K. S., Myles, L., Herndon, L., Montoya, A., Fashaw, S., & Gifford, D. (2021). Lessons learned from frontline skilled nursing facility staff regarding COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 69(5), 1140–1146. Web.
Dror, A. A., Eisenbach, N., Taiber, S., Morozov, N. G., Mizrachi, M., Zigron, A., Srouji, S., & Sela, E. (2020). Vaccine hesitancy: The next challenge in the fight against COVID-19. European Journal of Epidemiology, 35, 775-779. Web.
Garcia, L. L., & Yap, J. F. C. (2021). The role of religiosity in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Journal of Public Health, 43(3), e529-e530. Web.
Grochowska, M., Ratajczak, A., Zdunek, G., Adamiec, A., Waszkiewicz, P., & Feleszko, W. (2021). A comparison of the level of acceptance and hesitancy towards the influenza vaccine and the forthcoming COVID-19 vaccine in the medical community. Vaccines, 9(5), 475. Web.
Handtke, O., Schilgen, B., & Mösko, M. (2019). Culturally competent healthcare–A scoping review of strategies implemented in healthcare organizations and a model of culturally competent healthcare provision. PloS One, 14(7). Web.