The purpose is to describe the scenario of consultations of a particular patient who came to the doctor. The conversation should contain a detailed plan for the patient’s treatment and recommendations for monitoring health. There is a need to teach the patient some skills: symptoms’ recognition, first self-help skills, and buying suitable drugs without a doctor’s prescription. The patient will be offered two mobile applications to help her avoid repeating the described problems.
Patient Scenario
Dorothy is 18 years old and a college freshman; she is healthy and has no chronic diseases or predisposition to them. Her older sister (31 years old) is childless and suffers from endometriosis and small uterine fibroids. Dorothy has a relatively stable period, but there are failures twice or three times a year. The patient is sexually active and has admitted to being bisexual. In addition, she spoke about plans to leave for Italy in six months for an internship in her primary. Dorothy does not have a stable sexual partner, and she is not in a relationship at the moment. One of the critical details in her case was that the patient had an abortion about a week ago and now has a suspected infection; the hospital is currently awaiting the results of her tests. Dorothy is thrilled as she was unaware of the illness and felt fine; she said that her genitals looked completely normal.
Patient Education/Teaching Plan
The consultation has the primary responsibility in Dorothy’s case, as the apps will not be able to convey to her all the information about contraception and the right choice. Natural selection of the unique way to prevent pregnancy will take place only under a specialist’s guidance to complete the analyses (Torres-Pereda et al., 2019). The initial conversation with Dorothy was not about her sexual relationship but the regularity and profuseness of her periods. The nurse asked questions about pain during or before a discharge, as well as the length of the cycle. Dorothy is a young girl whose period will not fully form until a few years later, and therefore, asking such questions is essential. The health of the menstrual cycle is the foundation for a future healthy pregnancy and easy conception.
The second step in counseling is to warn against re-abortion, as the consequences can seriously affect family planning. Abortions are complicated for the female body; in no case should Dorothy treat them as another contraceptive, even though she may have heard that one of her friends had abortions several times (Diamond-Smith et al., 2018). Repeated pregnancy immediately after an abortion is undesirable, and it is better to refrain from sexual intercourse for about three months. If the tests confirm the presence of an infection, then the patient should protect herself from contact for the entire duration of treatment and for some time after the end of treatment.
The third and most crucial step in the scenario is a detailed consultation about the types of contraceptives. Based on Dorothy’s specific example, it is necessary to explain the importance of using contraceptives when she is with a woman. An excellent example of protection against STDs in such situations is using films for women. They can serve as a barrier contraceptive similar to a condom. The patient must be protected from hormonal contraceptives, as they will not protect her from STDs but only from pregnancy. These types of contraception are suitable for couples living together. However, Dorothy will have complete information about emergency contraceptive pills. Nevertheless, they should not be overdoing it since they unnecessarily burden a woman’s body with a hormonal background. It is essential to keep contraceptives, including emergency contraception, with her when traveling.
Dorothy explained that she felt good these days and did not see any changes in her genitals to suspect an infection. In this regard, the nurse can conduct a consultation about the asymptomatic STD. A person with an STD or HIV cannot be seen in a crowd, and the genitals of such patients usually look completely healthy: there is no suppuration or redness. That is why it is essential to constantly use barrier contraception, which can protect people from STDs. It is necessary to explain to Dorothy that if the partner refuses to use a condom (in ignorance of the presence of diseases), the most reasonable thing is to refuse sexual contact with them. Dorothy, like other women, has every right to insist on using condoms or other contraceptives.
Description of mHealth app
The Period Tracker Period Calendar is elementary and will help Dorothy track her period. It is a free application, a calendar that women can quickly fill anywhere (Abishkking Limited, 2022). The patient can install it on iOS and Android, and users already rate it 4.9 out of 5. This application has a birth control function; it can quickly remind the girl to take birth control pills.
Nurx will be an excellent app for Dorothy, which will help her choose a contraceptive and generally replenish her knowledge about it. It is the main application she needs to rely on now (Thirty Madison Company, 2014). Nurx allows women to access contraceptives quickly and easily through a paid consultation with a doctor (consultation costs $15). To fully use this application, the patient must complete a questionnaire where Dorothy will leave detailed information about her health. It will be necessary to leave an electronic consent to help Nurx and be sure to upload the patient’s insurance to the application. The app is free, but consultations with a doctor will always cost $15, and users are charged a one-time fee. The application is a large-scale telemedicine development for doctors and programmers and can be installed on both iOS and Android.
References
Abishkking Limited. (2022). Period tracker period calendar [Mobile app]. App Store. Web.
Diamond-Smith, N., Warnock, R., & Sudhinaraset, M. (2018). Interventions to improve the person-centered quality of family planning services: A narrative review.Reproductive Health, 15(1), p. 1-17. Web.
Thirty Madison Company. (2014). Nurx [Mobile app]. App Store. Web.
Torres-Pereda, P., Heredia-Pi, I. B., Ibáñez-Cuevas, M., & Ávila-Burgos, L. (2019). Quality of family planning services in Mexico: The perspective of demand.PLOS ONE, 14(1), p. 1-22. Web.