Several factors can affect a patient influencing how they behave and respond to stress. Some of the factors that I would consider about the patient’s health include social interaction and participation in exercises. The patient is 16 years old, and she is obese; it is therefore to understand her social life, such as friends that she used to hang out with and her involvement in physical activities since bullying might have contributed to the behavior. Socioeconomic factors would include education; it would be essential to focus on her experiences in school, including her performance, relationship with classmates, and instructors. Spiritual factors would include the patient’s belief about religion and its role in her life. The grandmother had noted that she previously enjoyed singing in the choir, but her interest had decreased (Odgers & Jensen, 2020).
What questions would you ask?
To be culturally sensitive to the patient, it is essential to avoid questions that are suggestive of wrongdoing since, at this age, adolescents tend to be more sensitive to issues. Therefore, I would prefer open-ended questions, and I would observe privacy to allow the patient to be comfortable opening up. Some of the questions that I would ask the patient include How is school? What do you enjoy most at the school? Do you have friends, and what activities do you do together? Have you ever tried any drug? How would you describe the thoughts you have been experiencing over the past two days? (Farley, 2020).
What strategies can you as a nurse employ to be sensitive to different cultural factors while gathering the pertinent information?
Some of the strategies that nurses can apply to be culturally sensitive include practicing active listening to the patient, avoiding assumptions about the patient, and ensuring that there are no language barriers. Learning about different cultures increases their knowledge, establishes a rapport with the patients, and increases their situational awareness (Ahmed et al., 2018).
References
Ahmed, S., Siad, F. M., Manalili, K., Lorenzetti, D. L., Barbosa, T., Lantion, V., … & Santana, M. J. (2018). How to measure cultural competence when evaluating patient-centred care: a scoping review. BMJ open, 8(7), e021525. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/7/e021525.abstract
Farley, H. R. (2020). Assessing mental health in vulnerable adolescents. Nursing2020, 50(10), 48-53. https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2020/10000/Assessing_mental_health_in_vulnerable_adolescents.12.aspx
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