Men's Health and Patient-Centered Care - Essay Example

Assignment 1:

The mortality rate is one factor that has been used as an indicator of men's health status for a long time. Men have a higher mortality rate than women due to the nature of risky activities they engage in from sports, interactions, and even occupations. Thus the mortality rate is used to show if men are engaging in more risky behavior and the degree of care. The second factor is age. Due to their risky behavior, hardships, and nature, many men die earlier than women. Reports show that by gender, men are likely to die sooner than women. The third measure is the occupational status. Many men tend to take up risky jobs to provide for their families. As a result, when accidents occur, men are more affected than women who take up less dangerous situations. Morbidity levels is also another measure used as a health indicator (Thomas, 2004). Many men tend not to go to hospitals unless their condition is severe. As a result, by the time the as is attended to, it is too late. Some conditions, such as cancer, heart conditions, and blood pressure, need to be attended to as early as possible.

One physiological and psychosocial factor is anger and hostility. Many men are dying from heart-related problems that are being linked directly to violence. Cardiologists say that men with anger and aggression are more likely to suffer from heat-related illnesses (Roy et al., 2017). The second factor is depression and grief in men. This issue has received a lot of attention globally as men all over have developed a tendency to hold back and not express themselves, unlike women. As a result, many men are slowly sinking to depression and other mental illnesses. Substance use and drug abuse is also another factor. To escape their problems, most men rely on drugs to escape reality. In this state, they become aggressive, delusional, and are more likely to fight, cause accidents, and the drugs reduce their lifespan.

The main barrier to improving men’s health is perception and masculinity. Many men want to prove that they are strong and men enough to bear the pain instead of expressing themselves or visiting healthcare facilities when they are unwell (Oliveira de Arruda1 et al., 2014). Also, there is the perception that men are strong in society, and they should not show weakness. This idea makes many men fear to show their fears, worries, or admitting they are not well. Another barrier is duties bestowed on them by society and even families. Men are burdened with the primary role of providing for their families. As a result, they engage in risky jobs or exhausting ones to ensure they take care of those under their care. Also, men rarely give attention to themselves. Most men spend most of their time at work, hang out with friends, and rarely get time to reevaluate their problems, take care of themselves, and even suffer from issues without also noting.

One factor that has been noted to improve men’s health is attention. When families listen and take care of men, they are less likely to be depressed or try to stay strong when they are not. As a result, men open up and become open-minded to normalizing visiting hospitals and taking care of their health (Moon, 2018). Assistance from other members of the family and sharing provision cost eases the burden on men. Sharing responsibilities gives them time to mind their health, and also deal with their problems. Also, creating awareness and encouraging men to find their safe space where they can talk about their issues and changing the perception of how men are viewed in society had played a significant role. Most of these measures have only been partially implemented, but the results are positive.

Assignment 2

Patient-centered means that the services offered are specifically meant to fulfill the needs of the client. One of the characteristics of patient-centered care is respecting the patient’s preference by involving them in decision making and respecting their choices (Hakobyan et al., 2019). In patient-centered care, the patient or their relatives are involved in decision making. The medical provider provides details to the patient and states the patient's choices for treatment, and they will only carry out the procedure chosen by the client.

The other measure is information and education. The patient is explained to in detail about their conditions, treatment plan, and educated on management of the situation. Another characteristic is the integration and coordination of care. The patient-centered care plan requires the doctor, nurses in charge of the patient, and family members to coordinate during the process. Coordination is likely to improve the quality of services and ensure the process is not interrupted, and there is a good flow of information.

The other characteristic is physical comfort and emotional support. Health care workers are supposed to help the patient with movement, encourage them, keep them company, check on them from time to time, and even cleaning them up. These basics issues help the patient not to feel alone and not strain a lot. Another characteristic is continuity and transition. The patient-centered care plan becomes involved in caring for the patient until they are fully recovered. As a result, the hospital will follow up on the patient even after they are discharged.

I would first assess the patient’s understanding of education, memory, and ability to carry out necessary activities on his own, considering that he is 80 years old. However, it is likely that the patient may have memory problems or cannot take care of themselves. As a result, I would ensure I find the patient’s caregiver and explain how to care for the patient after he is discharged. The family member or caregiver should be involved since they have a significant role in the recovery of the patient.

Since the patient is old, he is at a higher risk, and hence a lot of focus and time should be taking teaching and even demonstrating how the patient should be handled. Thus the caregiver should be educated on how to check on the patient’s vitals, diet and nutrition, and how to clean his wound to prevent any infection (Bardy, 2016). I would ensure that the caregiver has had some practice before the patient is discharged to ensure they can handle the patient's essential caregiving. I would also assign a nurse to check on the patient from time to ensure he is recovering (Rosen et al., 2017).

Also, the patient should be instructed to call immediately if they experience breathing problems or chest pains. The patient and the caregiver should be educated on administering the medication and the proper dosage and the expected side effects. I would also advise the caregiver to ensure that the patient is given enough time to rest and not put under any stress. I would also ask the caregiver to consult me in case they are not sure about something. Also, if the patient’s condition does not improve, the caretaker should ensure he is brought back for a checkup.

To ensure education has been effective, and I will give the caregiver a chance to care for the patient for some time under the supervision of a nurse. This way, they will have both practical experience and the knowledge needed. Also, I would give the caregiver a chance to ask questions and seek clarification on any issue I might have failed to address. The patient is 80 years. As a result, I would research to ensure I give the caretaker a written copy of the instructions to ensure the patient is safe.

Also, I would send a professional nurse to check on the patient from time to time. This measure will ensure the patient is taken care of as instructed. Also, the nurse will measure the patient's vitals, check on the surgical wound. Also, the nurse can check to see if the patient is getting better and inform the doctor. This way, more measures can bet taken, or medication changed depending on the patient’s response. The nurse is professionally trained and will advise the caretaker on matters such as ventilation, position, or move the patient.

The other measure to assess the effectiveness of education is the rate of recovery. If the patient responds as expected, I would be sure that the caregiver follows the instructions given. If the patient wound is not infected and the patient remains stable, I would then know that the education was useful. However, this measure is dependent on the patient’s response to the treatment and other factors. This is because the patients are a high risk of a fatality due to his condition and age.