NSG 4076 WEEK 4 DISCUSSION
NSG 4076 WEEK 4 DISCUSSION
Topic 2: Stigma Associated with Disease
In what ways would you choose to function as an advocate for vulnerable populations?
As a nurse, advocacy involves several activities such as exploring self-awareness and lobbying for healthcare policies. Advocating for vulnerable populations will require the nurse to ensure their safety, educate them on how to manage their present condition, connect them to resources supporting their health and protect their patients’ rights (Williams et al., 2018). Advocacy is considered the ethics of nursing practice which requires nurses to be more directly involved in care provision.
Discuss the types of assistance you might provide to each of the following clients from a vulnerable population:
-
A 24-year-old pregnant woman who is currently homeless and unmarried
Pregnant homeless single women may encounter several difficulties and health com
NSG 4076 WEEK 4 DISCUSSION
plications due to barriers to care services. As such, I will ensure that I provide care for this young adult female, without bias with the provision of prenatal care services (Azarmehr et al., 2018). I will also connect the patient to appropriate community resources which can provide further help such as y the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Homeless Prenatal Programs among others.
-
A 16-year-old girl who has run away from her foster home and who has an IV drug habit
First, I would evaluate the patient’s reasons behind running away from her foster home to understand her struggles.
I will then conduct a full medical examination including tests for HIV and STDs given the patient is a teenage girl using drugs (Bounds et al., 2019). I will then evaluate the patient for substance use disorder, and offer medical assistance based on the findings. It will also be necessary to educate the patient on the dangers of running away from home and using drugs and advise her to go back to her foster home and talk to her foster parents about the problem. However, calling the foster parent might be necessary if the patient is quite reluctant to do so, especially to discuss her substance use.
-
An immigrant worker whose TB skin test just came back positive
Immigrants are normally faced with several barriers to TB treatment such as legal status, finances, transportation, and unavailability of TB care in other jurisdictions. As such, I will connect the patient to appropriate resources such as non-profit TB programs and the Office of Migrant Health, DHHS, to help respond to the patient’s treatment barriers by enhancing the mobility of the patient and providing supportive services and counseling (Sinnathamby et al., 2021).
Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: NSG 4076 WEEK 4 DISCUSSION
-
An employed, married man who contracted Hepatitis B through a blood transfusion 30 years ago
Given that the hepatitis B virus is normally transmitted through semen, blood, or other body fluids, it will be necessary to examine all the people who have been in contact with the patient. However, the initial step will be to examine the patient for possible complications given the long duration of the illness (Xiao et al., 2020). I will then educate the patient on how to manage the condition, and the importance of protecting those around him, thorough testing.
NSG 4076 WEEK 4 DISCUSSION References
Azarmehr, H., Lowry, K., Sherman, A., Smith, C., & Zuñiga, J. A. (2018). Nursing practice strategies for prenatal care of homeless pregnant women. Nursing for women’s health, 22(6), 489-498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nwh.2018.09.005
Bounds, D. T., Edinburgh, L. D., Fogg, L. F., & Saeywc, E. M. (2019). A nurse practitioner-led intervention for runaway adolescents who have been sexually assaulted or sexually exploited: effects on trauma symptoms, suicidality, and self-injury. Child abuse & neglect, 90, 99-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.01.023
Sinnathamby, A., Ang, S., Bagdasarian, N., Chan, H. C., & Chan, S. M. (2021). Low uptake of isoniazid window prophylaxis in patients exposed to a health‐care worker with pulmonary tuberculosis in a paediatric ward. Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.15490
Williams, S. D., Phillips, J. M., & Koyama, K. (2018). Nurse Advocacy: Adopting a health in all policies approach. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No03Man01
Xiao, Y., Thompson, A. J., & Howell, J. (2020). Point-of-Care Tests for Hepatitis B: An Overview. Cells, 9(10), 2233. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9102233