The healthcare industry typically draws sufficient attention to patients’ education, especially when it comes to representatives of minority groups. That is why the article by McCurley et al. (2017) offers valuable information. The researchers demonstrate that Hispanic individuals deal with improved diabetes prevention when they participate in individual and group face-to-face sessions (McCurley et al., 2017). I believe that there is an apparent reason why such positive outcomes are achieved. It seems that face-to-face interventions are effective because patients have an opportunity to ask questions if they require explanations. Simultaneously, such educational sessions demonstrate that a patient is not unique with such a health issue. As a result, such interventions can improve people’s morale, which, in turn, will lead to increased motivation to take preventive measures and protect health.
This information allows for supposing that face-to-face interventions can be suitable to my practicum project that considers measures to improve access to care among African Americans with heart failure diseases. However, the focus on patients’ cultural backgrounds should not lead to ignoring a broader context. This statement refers to the findings by Cajiita et al. (2017), who stipulate that the use of mobile technology in healthcare (mHealth) can promote better knowledge. These scholars focused on 129 older adults, and almost 25% were African Americans, to analyze whether mHealth leads to improved care (Cajiita et al., 2017). The use of mobile technologies can be as effective as face-to-face interventions because modern people spend more time online. That is why it is reasonable to rely on mHealth opportunities to improve access to care among African Americans. Finally, it is possible to suggest that combining mobile technologies and face-to-face educational sessions can result in the best outcomes.
References
Cajiita, M. I., Hodgson, N. A., Budhathoki, C., & Han, H.-R. (2017). Intention to use mHealth in older adults with heart failure. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 32(6), E1-E7. Web.
McCurley, J., Gutierrez, A., & Gallo, L. (2017). Diabetes prevention in U.S. Hispanic adults: A systematic review of culturally tailored interventions.American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 52(4), 519-529.