Discuss how your current practice may change in the future as a result of your understanding of one particular Essential. (You may choose the Essential you wish to reflect on.) (Essentials I-IX)

Discussion Rubric

The initial post will be regarding the topic of the week and will be a minimum of 250 words. Make sure you provide appropriate references and utilize APA style. Peer posts will be a minimum of 75-100 words, otherwise will be counted as 0. There will be a total of 8 discussion posts worth 1.25 points each or 10 points of your grade. In order to obtain full credit students must follow the above requirements. Each discussion will be allocated to a specific Master’s Essential.

Criteria

1.25 Point

1 Point

0.75 Point

0

Participation

Weight 25.00%

100 %

3 Posts

80 %

2 Posts

60 %

1 Posts

0 %

0 Posts

Quality of informtaion

Weight 25.00%

100 %

Information is clear and relates to topic

80 %

Information is somewhat clear and might relate to topic

60 %

Information has little relation to topic and is not clearly displayed

0 %

Information is not clear and it does not relate to topic

Resources

Weight 25.00%

100 %

Provides relevant resources using APA guidelines

80 %

Provides relevant resources without APA guidelines

60 %

Limited on the resources provided with major errors in APA

0 %

Does not provide any resources

Critical Thinking

Weight 25.00%

100 %

Enhances the critical thinking process through premise reflection

80 %

Enhances the critical thinking process without premise reflection

60 %

Does enhance the critical thinking process in a very limited manner

0 %

Does not enhance the critical thinking process

200 words for each respond

1.

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018), a community health assessment is a localized study of a specific group whether it is local, statewide, tribal, or territorial. This research helps organizations and the government identify specific health needs and issues through the gathering of data. Community health assessments are needed to help improve the overall health of the population. It provides agencies with facts and numbers that would create a better and clearer understanding of the areas they want to serve.

Benefits

            There are many tools available to help facilitate this endeavor. The majority of the models use similar processes. Their goal is to determine the community’s strengths, weaknesses, needs, and assets. Some of the benefits of choosing one model toolkit versus another depends on the number of steps and the depth of the research that the organization or group wants to perform. In addition, it seems that not all the toolkits are designed to assess the same type of data, and their focus appears to be different as well. Some are specific to hospitals, while others are more engaged on public health. Using a specific model to assess the community will ensure that the data collected would be used and analyzed to help improve, engage, and prioritize issues that affect the public. 

Agencies and Time Line

            When doing a community health assessment, agencies need to be involved in order to have a more comprehensive understanding of the surroundings and the people that live in the community. Agencies such as schools, healthcare organizations, private and governmental institutions, local workforce agencies, and churches are some of the key assets when conducting a community health assessment. All of their voices, input, and expertise are valuable resources. They could serve as tools that community health nurses may use to implement changes in their areas and help make a difference in the population. According to Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHAUS, 2015), hospitals should expect to spend approximately six to 18 months planning and conducting their community health assessment. This number will vary according to the size of the hospital, the size of the community, and the number of organizations involved in the process. In addition, the availability of financial resources will have an influence on the duration of the process (CHAUS, 2015).

The Role of the Public Health Nurse

            The role of the public health nurse in implementing the community health assessment model is essential in this process. The nurse can serve as a guide to educate, advocate, assess and evaluate individuals in the community. They have in-depth knowledge about the different determinants of health that affect the community as well as thorough understanding of the many aspects that influence the needs of the population. They also play a vital role in collaborating with agencies to help collect data and implement measures to achieve improvements in the health and social conditions of the most vulnerable populations.

References

Catholic Health Association of the United States. (2015). Assessing and addressing community

health needs. Retrieved from https://www.chausa.org/docs/default-source/community-benefit/2015-cbassesmentguide.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, July 24). Community health assessment and

health improvement plans. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/cha/plan.html#three

2. 

Prior to this week, I was unaware of what a community assessment consisted of. I learned that most of these assessment tools consist of phases an steps to follow. This phases and steps include organizing a plan, engaging in the community, and developing a goal to achieve. You must then do the community health assessment, prioritize the information you have assessed, and develop the plan to achieve your goal. Once all of this has been established, you can implement this into the community and evaluate the process. On the CDC website, I chose the model Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP). A brief description from the CDC website included was a framework for a community improvement planning and putting a strong emphasis on the engagement and collaboration in the community on a local level (CDC-Assessment, 2015). This specific community assessment plan to help improve community health. Through this plan, it allows communities to apply critical thinking to prioritize issues in public health and to help identify the resources needed to address the issues. This ultimately improves efficiency and effectiveness throughout the community and improves the overall outcome of the community. There are six phases to go through with this community assessment model. Stage 1 of this model includes how to get organized develop a partnership. Stage 2 is visioning which allows us to share community vision and goals to accomplish. Phase 3 includes the four assessments, we are able to analyze and collect data during this phase. Stage 4 helps you identify the issues within the community so you can base your plan upon the issues. Stage 5 helps you determine a plan and goals to reach while stage 6 is when you put your plan into action within the community  (MAPP, n.d). I feel that the community health nurse has a lot of research to do based on this community assessment. I think it would be best to team up with leaders through out the local community such as the health department and maybe even emergency services since they have so many statistics on our population for our community. I think a reasonable time frame would include four to eight months for a community assessment.

CDC – Assessment – Community Health Assessment – STLT Gateway. (2015, November 9). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/cha/assessment.html.

Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.naccho.org/programs/public-health-infrastructure/performance-improvement/community-health-assessment/mapp.

 The DSM-5 is a diagnostic tool. It has evolved over the decades, as have the classifications and criteria within its pages. It is used not just for diagnosis, however, but also for billing, access to services, and legal cases. Not all practitioners are in agreement with the content and structure of the DSM-5, and dissociative disorders are one such area. These disorders can be difficult to distinguish and diagnose. There is also controversy in the field over the legitimacy of certain dissociative disorders, such as dissociative identity disorder, which was formerly called multiple personality disorder.

In this Assignment, you will examine the controversy surrounding dissociative disorders. You will also explore clinical, ethical, and legal considerations pertinent to working with patients with these disorders.

The Assignment ( 3 pages)

• Explain the controversy that surrounds dissociative disorders.
• Explain your professional beliefs about dissociative disorders, supporting your rationale with at least three scholarly references from the literature.
• Explain strategies for maintaining the therapeutic relationship with a client that may present with a dissociative disorder.
• Finally, explain ethical and legal considerations related to dissociative disorders that you need to bring to your practice and why they are important.

  

1-You make a great point about using open-ended questions to get the most information out of Ms Li. I never considered this but it makes sense. This is is important in this situation as it will open up an opportunity for dialogue and will help Ms. Li feel more comfortable about opening up. By having this type of interaction with her, she will be more apt to share any abuse she may or may not be dealing with at home. Cultural competence is definitely vital in this situation.

  

2-Tamara, good point about the possiblitity that the patient may not be ready to take action right at the moment you are talking to them.  I had a patient one time disclose to me that she was in an abusive situation years ago. A community member from a volunteer organization had given her his business card and said she should call when she was reday for help. That young lady carried his card around for over one year and eventually did call.  In the end, she received the resources she needed. You never know when your patient will be ready to take action. As nurses, we have to keep reaching out and giving them the tools they need.

  

3-This is a good reminder to us, as nurses to be patient with individuals who may not be responding to education/ teaching in the way we initially hoped.  Cultural influences are introduced to us early in life and it’s often times what people fall back on in times of crisis. Just because a patient may not appear to “take our advice” it doesn’t mean thay may not reflect on the conversation later and be ready to begin positve, health-seeking behaviors at a later time.

  

4-It occurred to me that this age group likely has children and could make it a family affair of exercising and spending that time together. It could be a time where everyone is together in one place working as a team. This would also set a good example for children as the rise of obesity and health related problems is growing in this age group. Children follow what they know and if they only know a sedentary lifestyle than that is what they will likely pattern. I also think you make a great point about showing patients visual evidence of the risks and also the benefits. Most people are visual and we live in a world that is centered around tangible evidence so this would most likely have a big impact on the client.

  

5-I think one way to motivate patients is to properly educate them on the risks of not exercising with their health conditions. Most people need to know facts and need to know the “why” behind it. Helping them see that it doesn’t have to be a drastic change but rather a gradual change that they incorporate into their every day life and build on will help them not feel overwhelmed. Also, helping them set up a reward system for themselves would help. For instance, for every 5 or 10 pounds they lose, they get to buy themselves something new or at the end of the month, however much weight they lost, they get to spend that amount of money on something for themselves. Something tangible that they can set a goal and work toward would be helpful. Everyone needs an incentive to motivate them.

  

6-I believe so too! We as people tend to repeat what we are comfortable with. If we make the experience enjoyable people are more likely to repeat the task. Zumba classes have seem to have picked up in my area and may of the staff go to these classes together to keep each other motivated. Being a male in this line of work sometimes makes it hard to find someone to go to the gym with so i have had to reach out to some of my friends outside of the work place to help me stay motivated.

 

I too like Nightingale’s Environmental Theory.  I tell my patient’s in home health to open their curtains/blinds because the sun is good for the soul.  Sitting in dark rooms/homes does nothing for the mind, especially after or during illness. 

I do think that in some areas of the world or even our country still have the same problems like they did back in Nightingale’s time. My sister in law just participated in building a home for a family in Texas. In their previous home (similar to a shack), they had no proper drainage. Sewage was leaching into the home causing all kinds of problems for the family.  Thankfully they had a great church in their area that is providing new homes for families.