I have worked with many patients of different cultures, social strata, and historical backgrounds during my nursing practice. Treatment of each patient required a good awareness of individual characteristics in the context of the position in society. This essay will give an overview of one of my practice cases as a nurse, covering patients’ final diagnosis, medical awareness, and identity in the privileged-disappointed continuum.
One of my recent patients is a black man at the age of fifty-two with a slight excess of body weight according to BMI and severe smoke addiction. The man complained of constant headaches and dizziness, increased anxiety, lack of sleep, and a general tendency to sleep disturbance. It followed from the patient’s testimony that he led a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, not subject to excessive stress levels. The man obviously complained of symptoms of high blood pressure, and further tests confirmed signs of primary hypertension.
The patient’s opinion about the causes of his elevated blood pressure was reduced to his age category. The suggestion was true since there is no high-quality evidence of a favorable ratio of harm and benefit of antihypertensive treatment among the elderly (Anker et al., 2018). It proves that the weakening of the body with age increases the risk of disease, which confirms the patient’s opinion. Nevertheless, the patient denied the influence of race on the possibility of high blood pressure. Black and non-black people have a range of biological differences, such as different renin levels or a higher probability of developing angioedema (Gopal et al., 2022). These aspects are still under study but should not be explicitly excluded from the possibility of risks. Moreover, he suggested that him living on the upper floors of a high-rise building may cause high blood pressure, but there is no clear correlation between the two phenomena in medical practice.
During the first complaint, the patient himself assumed the possibility of hypertension. It indicates that the man had some basic knowledge before the visit to the doctor so that he could make a correct assumption about his final diagnosis. Nevertheless, the patient’s general medical literacy level was poor. The patient did not follow a healthy diet and admitted that he had been suffering from tobacco addiction for the past ten years. The patient also did not know about the diseases of relatives and predecessors, which made it impossible to assume the influence of heredity on the development of hypertension. Obesity, heredity, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle could become key triggers in the development of the disease, along with age (Hamzah et al., 2019). Obvious non-compliance with the basic rules of healthy habits indicated a low interest of the patient in improving medical literacy.
According to Table 4, the patient’s identity in the privileged-disadvantaged continuum has elements of both sides (Lor et al., 2016). In the context of privileges, the patient is an adult heterosexual male of the congruent gender. At the same time, he is a black patient with historical trauma, and these characteristics belong to the category of disadvantaged factors. When performing the treatment, I had to consider this information to provide comfortable and trustworthy communication between the patient and me.
Having learned all the details about the life and personality of the patient, I took competent actions considering all cultural peculiarities. My main efforts were aimed at giving the black patient a sense of security and preventing possible prejudice from incompetent doctors. In a culturally competent manner, I discussed the patient’s mistakes in leading his lifestyle. All comments were presented in accessible and understandable language to ensure maximum benefit from our communication in the context of the nurse-patient relationship.
In conclusion, the patient demonstrated a good but insufficient level of medical awareness to prevent an exacerbation of the disease. It was necessary to consider the patient’s social background to provide high-quality services, which was successfully implemented during the treatment. A man has a great chance of rehabilitation and mitigation of symptoms if he listens to advise, follows a healthy lifestyle, and uses prescribed medications.
References
Anker, D., Santos-Eggimann, B., Santschi, V., Del Giovane, C., Wolfson, C., Streit, S., Rodondi, N. & Chiolero, A. (2018). Screening and treatment of hypertension in older adults: Less is more?Public Health Reviews, 39(1), 1-16. Web.
Gopal, D. P., Okoli, G. N., & Rao, M. (2022). Re-thinking the inclusion of race in British hypertension guidance.Journal of Human Hypertension, 36(3), 333-335. Web.
Hamzah, A., Khasanah, U., & Norviatin, D. (2019). The correlation of age, gender, heredity, smoking habit, obesity, and salt consumption with hypertension grade in Cirebon, Indonesia.GHMJ (Global Health Management Journal), 3(3), 138-145. Web.
Lor, M., Crooks, N., & Tluczek, A. (2016). A proposed model of person-, family-, and culture-centered nursing care.Nursing Outlook, 64(4), 352-366. Web.