Health & Social Care

by admin | Mar 20, 2023 | Uncategorized

The Importance of Wearing Masks Essay
Wearing face masks became common during the coronavirus pandemic to reduce the spread of the virus. Before the pandemic, masks were majorly worn by medical personnel and patients in the hospital vicinity. Due to debates surrounding the significance of masks, several studies have been conducted to determine their effectiveness of masks. Findings of most of the studies conducted indicate masks play a significant role in curbing the spread of coronavirus and other airborne infections. This paper analyzes the importance of wearing masks based on the findings of medical studies.

Firstly, the appropriate wearing of masks reduces viral transmission significantly. According to a study, masks are essential in reducing the spread of a virus by 70%. However, this effect depends on how the mask is worn (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). When the mask covers both the mouth and the nose, it traps the droplets containing the virus and prevents them from contacting the nose or the mouth. Airborne infectious germs are often released in the environment when the infected person sneezes, coughs or talks. These droplets are then suspended in the atmosphere and are likely to be inhaled through air. Wearing masks act like a sieve that filters air and blocks droplets from penetrating the respiratory system.

Various types of masks filter the air at different degrees. The various masks include cloth masks, surgical masks, KN95 masks, and N95 masks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Cloth masks are the least effective masks, but they play a significant role in trapping large respiratory droplets suspended in the air. The surgical masks protect the wearer from large droplets and toxic sprays. Surgical masks are more effective than cloths masks. On the other hand, KN95 masks efficiently protect the wearer from inhaling small and large droplets. The KN95 is the most recommended mask that meets international standards, and they are more protective than surgical masks. Lastly, the N95 masks are the most effective of all masks, and they can filter both large and the tiniest particles, thus protecting the wearer from inhaling germs or infectious droplets.

Secondly, masks are essential in preventing one from spreading an airborne infection to others. As they trap the incoming droplets, masks also prevent outgoing droplets from leaking into the atmosphere. Droplets may be deposited in the air when the infected person sneezes or coughs. However, the infectious droplets are trapped when the infected person wears a mask. According to medical researchers, this is an effective way of controlling a highly contiguous infection from rapidly spreading from one person to another (Howard et al., 2020). Preventing the leakage of airborne infectious droplets is vital in ensuring the safety of others who are yet to be infected. This is because the air is maintained clean and safe for inhaling. According to the CDC, most of the initial deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic would have been prevented if people had worn masks. The COVID-19 virus was mainly spread unsuspectingly (Howard et al., 2020). An infected person without a mask would release the droplets in the air through talking or sneezing, thus infecting several others who inhaled the air. Therefore, masks also enable one to protect themselves and those around them.

Thirdly, wearing face masks is essential because it allows faster control of a contagious infection. Airborne infections are often contagious and maybe take little time to spread within the community. This makes facemask an effective mechanism to control such a quick spread. There are various mechanisms for controlling the spread of airborne infection, including quarantine and isolation (MacIntyre & Chughtai, 2020). However, these mechanisms may not be effective in a populated environment, and the infection has already spread within the community. In this case, the infection rate is likely to be rapid, thus overwhelming the healthcare system. There is, therefore, the need for a mechanism that will prevent the spread of an infection before the other solutions are implemented. Wearing facemasks is a solution that can significantly reduce the amount of infection communally. This preventive mechanism allows the control of the airborne infection without largely interrupting the everyday life of the members of the affected area.

Fourthly, masks are important because they are hygienic. Aside from protecting the wearer from viral and airborne infections, face marks promote hygiene by preventing the passage of other forms of germs from the nose and mouth of the wearer to the environment. This is common in a healthcare setting (Scarano et al., 2021). It is often necessary for surgeons and other medical professionals to wear masks to prevent the spread of germs to patients. It is essential to wear a mask, especially when dealing with a patient with an open wound. According to researchers, the caregivers can transfer germs from their mouths or noses to the patients, thus affecting their recovery rate or introducing a new infection (Scarano et al., 2021). During operations, the transfer of germs from the surgeon to the patient’s open wound is likely to cause an even bigger problem that may pose a significant threat to the healing of the wound. It is, therefore, recommendable for medical professionals to wear masks to prevent such incidents.

Other circumstances make wearing masks unhealthy. Firstly, wearing a mask may be harmful when the wearer suffers from either physical or mental illness that may be worsened by wearing masks. This may include people suffering from chronic pulmonary diseases (Geiss, 2021). Secondly, people with neurodevelopmental conditions may suffer from increased anxiety caused by wearing masks. Thirdly, it is unhealthy for children below two years to wear a mask. These children have developing respiration systems and may suffer suffocation if they fail to get enough oxygen. Lastly, it is unhealthy for a mask wearer to wear masks for a long time (Geiss, 2021). Healthcare workers who wear masks for the whole day have often reported severe headaches believed to have been caused by a lack of enough oxygen.

In conclusion, facemasks are essential in reducing the spread of airborne infection in various ways. Firstly, they reduce viral transmission by preventing the wearer from inhaling the infectious droplets by trapping them. Secondly, they prevent the patient from releasing the infectious droplets into the environment, thus protecting those around them from being infected. Thirdly, facemasks effectively control the spread of an infection within a populated area without majorly interfering with the everyday lives of the residents. Fourthly, facemasks are hygienic by preventing the spread of germs from the medical professional to the patient. Lastly, masks boost people’s confidence with high anxiety levels caused by increased self-consciousness. However, there are circumstances where masks are not recommendable, including when the wearer has a mental and physical illness, children under the age of 2 years, and the people wearing the masks for a long time.

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Considerations for wearing masks.

Geiss, O. (2021). Effect of wearing face masks on the carbon dioxide concentration in the breathing zone. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 21(2), 200403.

Howard, J., Huang, A., Li, Z., Tufekci, Z., Zdimal, V., van der Westhuizen, H. M.,… & Rimoin, A. W. (2020). Face masks against COVID-19: An evidence review.

MacIntyre, C. R., & Chughtai, A. A. (2020). A rapid systematic review of the efficacy of face masks and respirators against coronaviruses and other respiratory transmissible viruses for the community, healthcare workers and sick patients. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 108, 103629.

Peeples, L. (2020). What the data say about wearing face masks. Nature, 586(7826), 186-189.

Psychology Essay

by admin | Mar 20, 2023 | Uncategorized

Stress Among Secondary and Tertiary Students Essay (Article Review)
In today’s world, the tendency is that students to face a lot of challenges to succeed in their education. Stress becomes an integral part of the learning process since they are often pressed to receive high marks, having concerns about their future job opportunities and potential failures. Pascoe et al. (2020) conducted a study to assess stress levels among secondary and tertiary students. The authors initiated a narrative review to explore the influence of stress on participants’ academic performance, as well as psychological and overall well-being. The snowball strategy allowed the authors to find relevant scholarly articles to collect the necessary information.

The review includes the articles with various designs and countries as specific goals were not identified. The impact of stress was the main focus of this study that integrated such variables as sleep, substance use, mental health, physical activity, and dropout rates.

The results of the study by Pascoe et al. (2020) demonstrate that the majority of students report high levels of stress and negative effects on their mental and physical health. Depression and anxiety symptoms are noted as the factors that reduce academic achievement, which is especially relevant to male students, who are more likely to undertake higher education. Educational stress increases the risks of substance use as a coping strategy, which means that students need proper perceived social support to overcome this challenge. Several reviewed studies also indicate that sleep disorders and physical health deterioration are two more adverse outcomes of academic stress.

Namely, obesity resulting from unhealthy lifestyles or chronic loss of sleep can develop. In addition, the authors emphasize the risk of a higher dropout since students feel exhausted, ineffective, and depersonalized, which decreases their motivation to study (Pascoe et al., 2020). From a long-term perspective, these stress outcomes affect students’ adulthood, leading to lower-income, poorer physical and mental health, low self-esteem, and a lack of interest in further education.

The mentioned results make it clear that educational settings need to be adjusted to help students in becoming more resilient to stress. The first concept is student academic-related stress that integrates a range of factors, each of which should be considered in context. Teachers, parents, and counselors can work in cooperation to resolve individual issues faced by students. For example, those parents who cannot understand their child or do not have open relationships should rely more on the recommendations from social workers. If a female student has poor academic performance, insomnia, and low self-confidence, these problems should be considered interrelated issues.

The second concept refers to school-based stress management programs that are aimed at teaching students to build abilities and skills to cope with stress. Such programs are regarded as moderately effective ways to minimize negative health and social impacts.

Even though the content and resources of programs may vary, the idea of showing students how to address their challenges is relevant since unresolved stressors would make a significant imprint on their future lives. On a larger scale, reduced academic stress is associated with social, health, and economic benefits at a community and global levels. Accordingly, the choice of the interventions to be implemented through such programs can be different, depending on a country, culture, students’ age, parent engagement, teaching settings, and many other factors. Thus, the reviewed article provides important insights into the effects of academic stress and possible coping mechanisms.

Reference
Pascoe, M. C., Hetrick, S. E., & Parker, A. G. (2020). The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 104-112.

Psychology Essay

by admin | Mar 20, 2023 | Uncategorized

Mental Health in Bisexuals: Mental Health Issues Essay
Introduction
There is a strong base of evidence suggesting that mental health in the members of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community may be significantly affected by numerous factors. According to the article written by Taylor et al. (2019), for example, suggest that heterosexual individuals are not as prone to mental health issues because they do not represent a minority that may be deprived in terms of certain other resources or services. This differentiation contributes to an even bigger gap between the members of LGB and their heterosexual counterparts. A specific place in this discussion is taken by people with the bisexual identity because their exposure to mental health issues may be strengthened by their inability to find the balance between their sexualities. The current research views the mental health of bisexuals from several different perspectives in order to evaluate all the possible mechanisms that could have contributed to mental health issues in bisexual individuals over the course of the past two decades.

Theories of Mental Health in Bisexual Subpopulation
One of the most important ideas that have to be covered when dwelling on the theory of mental health in bisexuals is the presence of specific systems of values that guide their worldviews. There is a common understanding that the culture of collectivism may have affected bisexual individuals, causing them to search for bonding and interdependence (Randolph et al., 2020). Nevertheless, not all needs of bisexual people can be or will be satisfied with the help of collectivism because their social identity is most likely to differ from what the majority of community members think about mental health issues. Despite same-sex behaviors being decriminalized, the stigma is still affecting bisexual individuals to an increasingly great extent because of the lack of empathy and understanding coming from others (Escobar-Viera et al., 2018). Mental health could also deteriorate from the constant discriminatory practices that became embedded in the general human values.

There is also a strict need to look at the issue of mental health in bisexual people through the prism of social disapproval and their fear of opening about sexual orientation because of further stigmatization. This also contributes to the intersection (will be discussed in detail in the next subsection) of culture and bias, causing minorities to experience exceptional levels of stress when interacting with other community members (Salim et al., 2019). From the theoretical point of view, bisexual individuals have to meet numerous negative connotations due to the low level of recognition displayed by the remaining society. With a decreased visibility, the bisexual community cannot change the existing stigma or contribute to an altered culture (Pakula et al., 2016). The increasing amount of stress experienced by bisexual individuals may also be subject to external pressures forcing them to engage in opposite-sex relationships and resolve their sexual identity in a pro-social manner.

Intersection of Differences
Combined, the disparities described above lay the foundation for the biggest challenges that bisexuals have to go through when establishing their identity. In a sense, the intersection of differences for them relates to all the disparities that minorities have to cope with when interacting with the community (Escobar-Viera et al., 2018). In other words, members of the LGB community may be affected by the lack of information related to mental health prevention. Without a sense of belonging and relation to a collectivist society, bisexual individuals will be most likely to lose access to any kind of coping resources (Taylor et al., 2019). The differences in bisexuals are so strong that some of the individuals may be affected by the lack of connection to the sexual minority community. They also lose their identified roles and fail to acquire all the necessary resources.

According to Salim et al. (2019), the intersection of differences may be rendered tangible because bisexuals are practically invisible to policymaking and other initiatives intended to help improve the conspicuousness of minority populations. Knowing that bisexuals are largely deprived of any kind of support or connection, they fail to acquire any kind of identification and cannot cope with not being included in the LGBT community properly. The negative influence of the intersection of differences may be explained through the interface of the so-called bi-negativity that leaves bisexual individuals prone to marginalization even within the community that was intended to protect and support them in the first place (Randolph et al., 2020). Such inherent susceptibility develops into a lower sense of connection and the advent of disparities that revolve around mental health, too. The problem is that a detailed mental health assessment would not be enough to cover the needs of the bisexual community.

Biopsychosocial Assessment
In terms of biological factors, the bisexual community does not differ significantly from any of its counterparts representing different sexuality. The presence of mental disorder in a bisexual individual does not represent anything specific from the point of a biological assessment because there are no dimensions related to how distinct satisfaction or dissatisfaction could eventually translate an individual from one health state into another (Salim et al., 2019). The variations in biological conditions contribute to the operationalization of mental health and its further diversification intended to respond to the dynamics of human sexuality.

From the psychological point of view, the mental health of bisexual individuals could be affected by constant concealment and the inability to reveal the true sexual orientation. This is why many bisexuals have trouble experimenting with their sexuality due to being unable to fall under any of the valid identity categories established by society (Pakula et al., 2016). The unreasonable hostility coming from other people sets bisexual people under pressure because they cannot overcome the stigma and have to cope with depressive episodes, anxiety, or even paranoia.

As for the social construct of bisexuality, it may be safe to say that marginalization based on identity struggle is the biggest issue that bisexuals have to cope with when interacting with the world. The majority of societies around the world are monosexist, forcefully exerting attempts to erase bisexuality or display it as something negative since it does not go in line with the dichotomy of sexual orientation (Pakula et al., 2016). Culturally prescribed labels are not challenged in any way at the moment, causing bisexuals to deal with exposure to beliefs that are obsolete and do not reflect the dynamics of sexuality.

Gay-Affirmative Practice
Another iteration of mental health challenges for the bisexual population would be the application of gay-affirmative practice. The first essential value that has to be covered when implementing this method is interpersonal closeness (Randolph et al., 2020). It has to be cultivated in order to improve the relationship between the client and the counselor and ensure that every participant is going to adapt positive behaviors. Practitioners should be as open-minded as possible in order to enhance the correlation between encouragement and positive mental health outcomes in bisexual individuals (Taylor et al., 2019). Either way, gay-affirmative practice will be most likely to force practitioners to step out of their comfort zone to establish a connection to the required client.

Knowing that most of the discrimination targets are members of the LGB community, practitioners should engage in special training programs to develop their critical thinking and gain a better understanding of how they could address the mental health issues of bisexual clients in a reverential manner. One way to implement gay-affirmative practice would be to maintain a safe counseling environment and promote role-playing exercises to help clients develop an objective view of the world (Escobar-Viera et al., 2018). Additional partnerships with community organizations may be required to establish a correlation between self-efficacy and competency in bisexual individuals. Through the gay-affirmative practice, members of minority communities, such as LGB, might get a chance to voice their concerns and dwell on how their experiences changed their lives. The practitioner will be responsible for active listening and an unbiased review of all input information.

Areas of Advocacy
Speaking of advocacy actions, the first possible strategy would be to instill a safe care environment and educate bisexual clients on how they could resolve the issue of their sexual identity while externalizing ambivalence and self-doubt. Responsible practitioners will be required to reduce the occurrence of conflicts in bisexuals and promote a view of sexual orientations that is not based on the feeling of shame (Escobar-Viera et al., 2018). Practitioners should also advocate for bisexual clients being able to escape self-devaluation and focus on their identity instead. Despite the lack of resources available to minority populations, practitioners could make it possible that bisexuals would gain the feeling of certainty and escape the vicious circle of victimization and comparisons (Salim et al., 2019). Knowing that there is a gap between mental health resources available to gays/lesbians and bisexuals, it should be noted that the essential area of advocacy should be the improved visibility of LGB.

On the other hand, practitioners should carefully advocate for bisexual individuals replacing their concealment behaviors with proper attraction behaviors to certain genders. This proposition is based on the idea that bisexuals could be blamed by their own community for heterosexual attractions, with heterosexuals also expressing aggression when facing same-sex attraction (Escobar-Viera et al., 2018). Therefore, practitioners will have to set up educational programs for community members to help the latter realize the dilemma that bisexuals have to cope with on a daily basis. This approach may be intended to aid the community in becoming more open-minded and engaging in more interpersonal interactions that are not deceiving in any way (Pakula et al., 2016). In the future, the problem of poor mental health in bisexuals may be ultimately resolved by a complete replacement of concealment with clearly displayed behaviors and values.

Best Practices for the Population
The biggest problem that practitioners could encounter when communicating with bisexual individuals is the presence of stressors that would affect clients at multiple levels at once. Instead of generic therapies, practitioners could significantly benefit from custom experiences shared by bisexual clients and validate most of their efforts by instilling a sense of acceptance in the clients (Salim et al., 2019). Sexuality is a concept that is dynamic by nature, which also means that bisexual clients could validate their condition without experiencing any external bias or blame. There should be a strong inclination toward adaptive coping strategies in order to affect the interpersonal context and help bisexual clients overcome emotional distress (Randolph et al., 2020). Another possible solution for practitioners would be to develop a closer connection to clients through peer-based interventions and strengthened social support. By doing this, counselors will make the members of the LGB community more visible.

The need for social media campaigns and community-wide initiatives is also evident since bi-negativity has to be challenged and replaced with healthier outlooks on the dynamics of a person’s sexuality. The existing monosexist view should be confronted as well in order to reduce the negative effect of peer pressure and have bisexual individuals refine their values and approaches to interpersonal communication (Randolph et al., 2020). The lack of community support makes it essential to implement long-term strategies aimed at the transformation of the existing culture and the mitigation of mental health disparities affecting both minorities and the general population (Taylor et al., 2019). Without similar approaches, there will be no opportunity for the government to overcome sexually-based disparities of mental health.

Conclusion
With the evidence on the subject in mind, it may be safe to say that a person’s sexual orientation may be a serious predictor of mental health issues. Sexual minorities tend to be significantly more prone to problems with identity and interpersonal communication because their experiences are affected by the trifold psychological burden of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community-level difficulties. Concealment behaviors and the lack of empowerment pave the way for the need to challenge the existing state of affairs and motivate the members of the LGB community to display more affirmation. The presence of stress in bisexual individuals should be addressed with the help of targeted advocacy and safe therapeutic interventions, which should be culture- and location-specific. Therefore, mental health vulnerabilities represent an issue that can be and should be overcome in the future, especially with an evidence-based backbone in the form of therapies and community-wide nurturing of mitigation strategies.

References
Escobar-Viera, C. G., Whitfield, D. L., Wessel, C. B., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Brown, A. L., Chandler, C. J., Hoffman, B. L., Marshal, M. P., & Primack, B. A. (2018). For better or for worse? A systematic review of the evidence on social media use and depression among lesbian, gay, and bisexual minorities. JMIR Mental Health, 5(3).

Pakula, B., Shoveller, J., Ratner, P. A., & Carpiano, R. (2016). Prevalence and co-occurrence of heavy drinking and anxiety and mood disorders among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual Canadians. American Journal of Public Health, 106(6), 1042-1048. Web.

Randolph, C.H. Chan, Operario, D., & Mak, W. W. S. (2020). Bisexual individuals are at greater risk of poor mental health than lesbians and gay men: The mediating role of sexual identity stress at multiple levels. Journal of Affective Disorders, 260, 292-301. Web.

Salim, S., Robinson, M., & Flanders, C. E. (2019). Bisexual women’s experiences of microaggressions and microaffirmations and their relation to mental health. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 6(3), 336–346. Web.

Taylor, J., Power, J., Smith., E., & Rathbone, M. (2019). Bisexual mental health: Findings from the ‘Who I Am’ study. Australian Journal of General Practice, 48(3).

Psychology Essay

by admin | Mar 20, 2023 | Uncategorized

Psychological Issues of Independent Living Essay

Introduction
Mr. T. is a 79 years old man who recently lost his wife and continues to live in the house where his family lived for more than 50 years. Even though the report shows that Mr. T. manages his IADL and ADL without problems, he might experience certain complications in his independent living. The main concerns are his psychological state, physical health, and safety issues.

Identified Issues
Eight possible issues that may impact Mr. T.’s health and safety and require nursing supervision were identified. The first issue is the need for regular checkups to control the patient’s health state. It is critical to remember that he is 79 years old, which means that he has specific problems with physical health. The symptoms might not be easy to recognize, which foregrounds the necessity for professional supervision of Mr. T. His three adult children who visit him regularly do not have the qualifications to understand whether the health concerns of their father are severe or not.

The second potential problem is connected with the planning of the house where Mr. T. lives. It is potentially unsafe that the bathroom and the bedroom are situated on the second floor. Even though Mr. T. does not have problems going upstairs and descending from them, it increases the risk of falls. Therefore, the house is not optimized for the life of a single older adult.

The third concern is the driving license that Mr. T. has and his potential desire to use the car. Driving is a potentially dangerous experience for Mr. T. and for other people, which makes the question of driving safety critical. For example, the decrease in attention and visual acuity might become the reason for car accidents. Some medications Mr. T. uses might also cause drowsiness, which might cause accidents on the road.

The fourth concern is the psychological health of Mr. T., who recently lost his wife. As already mentioned, the man lived with his family in this house for all his adult life. Therefore, the house is filled with memories of the past. Even though it might be the place that he loves and cannot leave, it is still connected with sad memories that might cause depression.

The fifth issue is the functional assessment of Mr. T.’s ability to perform self-care in general and good dieting in particular. It includes such things as shopping and preparing balanced foods for himself. It is necessary to remember that malnutrition might cause significant health impairment. An older adult might not have enough information about dietary recommendations, or he might ignore these pieces of advice.

Performing relationship and social roles
The sixth potential concern is fall prevention because Mr. T. uses the walker to gain balance and facilitate movements. It shows that the man has difficulty exercising, which justifies the need to be more attentive to his state. The stairs in the house are not the only problem that might lead to falls. Doorsteps and slippery floors with objects are among potential obstacles for Mr. T.

The seventh issue that requires attention is the evaluation of cognitive deficits that Mr. T. might have. It is not easy to detect them formally, and in most cases, there is a need for informal supervision. Adult children of Mr. T. do not live with him, which makes it impossible to watch his behavior regularly. Changes in cognition, attention deficit, or other neurological issues might endanger the life of the older adult who lives alone.

The eighth potential problem is following the regime of taking the prescribed medications and coping with older adults’ chronic pain. Although there is no precise information about the health issues Mr. T. has, it is possible to hypothesize that he has chronic illnesses that negatively affect his life. For instance, he has to control his blood pressure regularly and take medications.

Actions
Healthcare professionals and relatives must ensure that Mr. T. lives in comfortable and safe conditions. The first concern is fall prevention, which requires changes in the patient’s house. For instance, rubber mats on the floor in the bathroom and the appropriate height of bathroom facilities, including toilet and rub, are essential in fall prevention (Griffith et al., 2017). There should be no door locks in the bathroom to facilitate access to it, and Mr. T. should give keys to the house to his adult children.

The second issue to be addressed is safe driving, potentially dangerous for older adults and other people. It is necessary to compensate for the existing health problems Mr. T. has, including his sight (Goldman et al., 2017). Moreover, it is possible to use assistive devices in the car that ensure safe driving, including an automatic parking function, navigation, and a voice helper that announces signs and directions for movement.

The third concern is supporting the regime and taking the prescribed medications. Mr. T. should receive a schedule describing all details, and his adult children should remind him of the regime calling him every day (Benton, 2021). The fourth concern is psychological health which can be improved by regular communication with his family and participation in social life (Lagergren et al., 2017). It is critical to ensure that Mr. T. is not isolated from the community; he meets with friends, neighbors, adult children, and grandchildren.

Conclusion
Mr. T. is an older adult man who was recently widowed, making him especially vulnerable. He needs the assistance of his adult children and healthcare professionals to control his physical and physiological health. The older man does not want to be dependent on other people, which makes it critical to preserve his autonomy, respect his human dignity, and make everything possible to ensure his safety and well-being.

References
Benton, D. (2021). Care managers and families: Providing the right support. Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, 45(1), 1–8. Web.

Goldman, N., Glei, D. A., & Weinstein, M. (2017). The best predictors of survival: Do they vary by age, sex, and race? Population and Development Review, 43(3), 541–560. Web.

Griffith, L. E., Raina, P., Levasseur, M., Sohel, N., Payette, H., Tuokko, H., van den Heuvel, E., Wister, A., Gilsing, A., & Patterson, C. (2017). Functional disability and social participation restriction associated with chronic conditions in middle-aged and older adults. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (1979-), 71(4), 381–389. Web.

Lagergren, M., Johnell, K., Schon, P., & Danielsson, M. (2017). Towards a postponement of activities of daily living dependence and mobility limitations: Trends in healthy life years in old age in Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 45(5), 520–527. Web.

Nursing Essay

by admin | Mar 20, 2023 | Uncategorized

The Application of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) in Pain Management Essay
Definitions
Nurses are implored to think critically when juggling various tasks in order to guarantee patient safety. Critical thinking involves strong decision-making and problem-solving through analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing patient information. According to Cohen (2017), clinical reasoning provides support to critical thinking as it requires the nurse to make decisions based on evidence-based practices. The nurse has to have sufficient knowledge of scientific and technical research-based understanding of general medical cases. The critical judgment applies to specific patients, whereby the nurse chooses the data to collect regarding the patient, interprets the data, conducts nursing diagnosis, and specifies the most-suitable nursing action.

Gibb’s Reflective Cycle
Description
Therapeutic communication involves enhanced exchange through the use of different techniques. These include open-ended questions, active listening, clarification, focusing, paraphrasing, silence, restating, and reflecting (Carmack & Harville, 2019). My reflection is based on the experience I had with a diabetic patient in the hospital ward. Since I was a first-year student, I have been in the company of more experienced nurses.

Feelings
As a nursing student, I kept thinking about how nurses interact with critically ill patients. As the patient was being brought into the ward my mind gravitated around seeing how the nurse would converse with him to and understand his needs. During the experience, I realized that nursing is a broad discipline requiring a high level of care and professionalism. This gives me the confidence to read more as I prepare to become a fully practicing nurse.

Evaluation
The experience provided an opportunity to understand the positive and negative aspects of caring for a patient. In particular, I appreciated the role of a nurse in evaluating the patient’s needs as the primary step in ensuring they receive the best care possible. This includes diagnostics, medication, patient management and support, which go a long way in promoting the healthiness of society (Kelly, 2018). On the other hand, the experience uncovered the challenge of dealing with such critical cases in everyday practice. My desire to train as a nurse was informed by the need to help people heal better. The education provides vital knowledge and skills that provide proper guidance in using the best practices and providing high-quality care to all patients.

However, I was not prepared for the actual work as I was filled with anxiety and the need to think and reason critically to ensure the patient gets well with less suffering. The profession calls for much more than attending to the patient but also working as part of a bigger team supported through therapeutic communication. The team comprises other medical professionals, including physicians, pharmacists, and therapists. Effective communication with each one of the team members ensures the patient is provided the right medical attention, including medication and applicable exercises.

Analysis
Healthcare practitioners have a duty to ensure that they effectively interact with patients to understand their condition. This can principally be facilitated through therapeutic communication, which guarantees the medical staff the opportunity to conduct a proper diagnosis. Based on the findings, it is possible to recommend the appropriate laboratory test and advise on the best medication for the patient’s condition. The experience underlined the importance of the nurse using different communication techniques to decode the message being passed by the patient. Moreover, communication with the patients can be challenging. This may hinder the prospect of providing patient-centered and holistic care that will address the patient’s needs (Riley, 2020). That’s why the nurse has to learn and use a mixture of verbal and non-verbal forms of communication depending on the patient. Communication can be enhanced by active listening, seeking clarification, being patient, maintaining eye contact, and allowing the patients to express themselves freely. Through the experience, I appreciate the value of therapeutic communication in reducing poor communication that may lead to poor healthcare service delivery.

Furthermore, nurses have to attend to different patients with varying needs. This makes the profession quite challenging because the patients’ multiple needs come along with quickly changing preferences. Nurses have to capture the demands to ensure safe patient care is delivered in a proper manner. However, creating sufficient time to communicate with their clients is a challenge. The situation requires the nurse to adapt to the patient’s different needs and understand that each client will have varied needs. If the nurse fails to allow enough time to let the patient express themselves, there is a probable barrier to communication in the healthcare setting (Grant & Goodman, 2019). Therapeutic communication aids the process of capturing different needs and, at the same time, follows professional standards in caring for the patient. In this particular case, I realized that the patient was able to prioritize the patient’s needs, practice effectively, and maintain safety through professional conduct and trust.

Summary
In general, the experience underlines the need for a nurse to be assertive in professional practice. I learned the requirement to be well-informed in making decisions that will positively impact healthcare delivery. The insights I accumulated from experience improved my awareness of understanding patient needs through therapeutic communication. Riley (2020) states that a proper exchange between the patient and the nurse is the pedestal for supporting immediate action. The nurse is able to fully understand the patient’s needs and implore evidence-based practices to provide personalized care aimed at the best interest of the patient.

Additionally, good working relations among healthcare professionals help to improve cohesiveness which is integral in patient-centered and evidence-based care. The different professionals involved are specialized in different areas. It is through good communication among the team that each one can decide on the best way to approach the patient’s condition and prescribe the most suitable intervention (Kelly, 2018). The experience supports the need to nurture interpersonal relations that is based on the ability to communicate with the patient and professionals involved in providing care.

Action Plan
The experience provided firsthand interaction with the patient in nursing practice. It forms the basis for expanding my knowledge in the nursing profession by reading literature that will help to enhance my understanding of the diverse areas connected to the nursing role. The experience mainly highlighted the need for effective communication in understanding the patient’s needs. I desire to expand my proficiency in different modes of communication that enhance the approach the understanding the patient’s needs. The knowledge will facilitate my future practice in providing prompt care, which is an integral component in enhancing the quality of care (Mills, 2017). I will expand my scope of nursing education through regular professional reflective practice. I also aim to invariably and confidently enforce the doctrines and professional ethics as set out by the National League for Nursing, relating to the private needs of patients.

References
Carmack, H. J., & Harville, K. L. (2019). Including Communication in the Nursing Classroom: a Content Analysis of Communication Competence and Interprofessional Communication in Nursing Fundamentals Textbooks. Health Communication, 35(13), 1–10. Web.

Cohen, S. (2017). Critical thinking in long-term care nursing. Hcpro, A Division Of Blr.

Grant, A., & Goodman, B. (2019). Communication & interpersonal skills in nursing (4th ed.). Sage/Learning Matters.

Riley, J.L. (2020). Communication In Nursing. (9th ed.). Elsevier – Health Science.

Kelly, K. V. (2018). The therapeutic value of communicating a diagnosis. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 11(1), 7–8. Web.

Mills, J. (2017). Therapeutic Communication In Mental Health Nursing: Aesthetic And Metaphoric Processes In The Engagement With Challenging Patients. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 38(8), 684–684. Web.