CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON THE NUTRITION ASSESSMENT 6
CulturalInfluences on the Nutrition Assessment of a Hospitalized Patient
CulturalInfluences on the Nutrition Assessment of a Hospitalized Patient
Everyhospital welcomes patients with a variety of ailments and it isimportant to correctly assess the illness so that the properdiagnosis and treatment can be issued. A seventy-four-year-old malepatient was admitted to the hospital and was suspected to havesuffered a heart attack. After being screened at the hospitalnutritional protocol, the patient appeared to be at a nutrition riskand this prompted the registered dietician to ask for a thoroughassessment to clarify his condition. As a clinical nutritionalassistance, I was assigned the task and I was supposed to examine thepatient`s medical, cultural, nutritional and social background. Thepatient had currently moved in the country and this assessment wouldensure that the medical staff delivering care to him are entirelyaware of his perspective of his illness and the willingness of thepatient to comply with the medication (Shen,2015).The following is the list of the questions and the answersrespectively that I directed to the patient and his daughter so thatI can access his cultural background and its possible effects to themedication.
List ofAssessment Questions
Questionsto Patient
What is themost probable cause of the illness?
The illnesscan be attributed to my diet.
When did itcommence?
The illnessstarted a few months ago.
Will yourillness have a long or a short course?
The illnessis likely to stay for long.
What kind oftreatment are you prepared to receive?
I want thetreatment that will not make me bedridden
What are theresults you expect from the treatment?
I want to becompletely healthy again.
What are themajor issues brought about by your illness?
I think thatI had too many thoughts.
What is yourworst fear regarding your illness?
I fear that Imight not get better.
Questionto the Daughter
For how longhas the patient been in the country?
The patienthas been in the patient for one month.
What is thepatient`s native country and what are the major differences betweentheir culture and the U.S culture?
The U.Sculture is secular while my native country is a religious country.
Are therespecial cultural diets that the patient is undertaking?
No he istaking the normal food
Is thepatient a religious person and how can the religion affect thetreatment?
My father isa religious person but the religion will not affect his medication ormode of treatment.
Does thepatient has any psychological problem that could affect hismedication?
Yes, mymother passed away a year ago and he was depressed.
Is thepatient`s attire native?
The patientwore a robe which is native to his country.
Dopes thepatient follow his culture`s dietary habits?
Howfrequently does the patient leave his neighborhood to associate withthe larger culture?
The patientusually leave the neighborhood to visit the religious place ofworship
In his nativecountry, did the patient seek help from a native healer?
No, he onlysought help from certified medical experts.
Does thepatient reside in the rural or urban area in the native country?
The patientlived in the urban setting.
How toEstimate the Height and Weight of the patient
In theassessment, I discovered that the patient`s weight and height was notaccounted for and this was necessary as it was possible that he wasobese. To estimate the weight and height of the patient, theanthropometric measures were taken. They include knee height, armcircumference, recumbent height, abdominal circumference semi-spanand the subscapular skinfold thickness (Rabito et al., 2006). Theformula by Rabito et al (2006) has been proved to give the mostsimilar weight and height and therefore appropriate for theassessment.
Body weight(kg) = (0.5030 x arm circumference) + (0.0339 x subscapular skinfoldthickness) + (0.5634 x abdominal circumference) + (1.3180 x calfcircumference) – 43.1560(Rabito et al., 2006)
Height =63.525 – (3.237 x sex*) – (0.06904 x age) + (1.293 x semi-span)(Rabito et al., 2006)
Compliancewith the MD
The patientis a religious person who has lived in the urban setting. Inaddition, he has a vast knowledge of the cause of his condition andsince he is determined to get better quickly, he will be willingfollow the MD`s nutritional therapy faithfully (Tappenden,et al., 2013).However, the patient will face several cultural curtails as he hasbeen used to a diet that`s comprised of a lot of fats and it willtake substantial time to adjust to the treatment requirements.
SuggestedChange
From theassessment, the patient is willing to adjust to the requiredtreatment if it guarantees his wellbeing. However, the changes in hisblood pressure could be attributed to the high level of cholesteroland reducing its intake will lead to quick recovery. The patientacknowledges that he has had a bad diet despite disparagement bynutritionists in his hometown. I would use his background to assurehim that the traditional diet would do well with only a fewadjustment such as lesser salt and fat intake to reduce the amount ofcholesterol in the body (Westlandet al., 2015).The patient ailment is mainly brought by his poor diet and if headheres to the diet recommended by the physician, it is evident thathe will improve.
References
Rabito, E.I., Vannucchi, G. B., Suen, V. M. M., Neto, C., Lopes, L., &Marchini, J. S. (2006). Weight and height prediction of immobilizedpatients. Revistade Nutrição, 19(6),655-661.
Shen, Z.(2015). Cultural competence models and cultural competence assessmentinstruments in nursing: a literature review. Journalof Transcultural Nursing, 26(3),308-321.
Tappenden, K.A., Quatrara, B., Parkhurst, M. L., Malone, A. M., Fanjiang, G., &Ziegler, T. R. (2013). Critical role of nutrition in improvingquality of care: an interdisciplinary call to action to address adulthospital malnutrition. Journalof the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(9),1219-1237.
Westland, G.J., Grootendorst, D. C., Halbesma, N., Dekker, F. W., & Verburgh,C. A. (2015). The nutritional status of patients starting specializedpredialysis care. Journalof Renal Nutrition, 25(3),265-270.