Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example

Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example

The social determinants of health (SDOH) determine peoples’ health by determining different non-medical factors affecting health. They include conditions under which people are born, grow, work, and live and broader systems and forces that affect daily life conditions. The systems and forces may include developmental agendas, economic and political systems, social policies, norms, and political systems (Schillinger, 2020). The SDOH has a significant effect on the health inequalities that are avoidable and unfair differences in health status. They influence health equity in positive or negative ways. They include income, education, food security, employment status, access to affordable care, and housing. Following the family-focused functional health assessment, this paper will discuss the SDOH affecting the Smith family, recommend age-appropriate screening, and identify a health model to create a plan of action. The paper will also discuss communication strategies for health promotion.(Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Social Determinants of Health Affecting the Family

            The SDOH are highly affected by the circulation of power, finances, and resources at local, state, national, and global levels (Schillinger, 2020). For this reason, the factors affect diverse health families, influencing their health and well-being. The family-focused functional health assessment identified different SDOHs affecting the Smith Family. The first SDOH is employment. Both parents in the family are employed. The father works as a manager for a local corporation, while the mother is a registered nurse in a community health facility. Employment implies that the parents have a source of income or livelihood that allows them to meet the family’s daily basic needs, contributing to good health and well-being. However, employment negatively affects Mrs. Smith’s health since she sleeps poorly. The children are also affected by their occupation (student), leading to academic stress, causing one to experience anxiety symptoms while the other takes antidepressants.(Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

The second social determinant of health is education and literacy. Both parents are educated while all their children are currently attending high school. High literacy levels allow the family to make informed health choices contribute to their well-being. For instance, the family values regular exercise since they know it positively impacts their health and well-being. The third SDOH is nutrition. The family prioritizes a balanced diet. While Mr Smith uses medications for diabetes, following the family’s nutritional meal plan has allowed him to manage his diabetes and overall health. Stress and coping skills are also critical SDOH that affect the family’s health and well-being. The family copes with stress by supporting each other emotionally, open communication, and seeking therapist guidance.(Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Age-appropriate Health Screening for the Family Members

            Depending on the individual age, regular healthcare check-ups are necessary for different family members. The health screening will be vital to identify and monitor current health issues, evaluate future health risks, and adopt a healthy lifestyle. First, Mr Smith required regular health screening to monitor his blood sugar levels. Notably, the children also need regular check-ups for their blood sugar levels as they risk developing diabetes. (Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)Mr. Smith has type 1 diabetes that he acquired when he was ten. Type 1 diabetes predisposes risks to children through genetic factors. The twins in high school are experiencing mental health problems and academic stress. Thus, they should seek health support from a mental health nurse or psychiatrist to manage anxiety and depressive symptoms. One important diagnostic tool that can be used is the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), used to diagnose anxiety and depressive symptoms among adolescents (Bulhões et al., 2019). Mrs. Smith should also seek assistance from a psychiatrist to evaluate her sleeping problems and offer advice on the balance between work and rest. (Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Health Model towards Creating a Plan of Action

            The ecological family health model developed by Denham in 2003 will be vital to creating a plan of action for the family. The model portrays how family relationships and environment affect the family’s health perceptions and health behavior engagement patterns. It purports that family health is affected by interrelated contextual factors linked with individual members and the whole family (Weiss-Laxer et al., 2020). Thus, family health entails those residing in the household, and the environment and relationships affect health over time. The model is appropriate for the family since it does not focus on the individual family members’ unique characteristics and health problems but prioritizes on illness and health complexities from the whole family unit, how they relate, and their environments.(Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Family-Centered Health Promotion Steps and Communication

            The ecological family health model is instrument to offer amily-centered health promotion that entails planning, delivering, and assessing healthcare based on mutual benefit for the families and healthcare professionals (Barnes et al., 2020). There are different family-centered health promotion strategies for the Smith family. The first step should entail informing and educating the family on the importance of family-focused health assessment and promotion. The family-focused health assessments ensure that the family’s health status is considered a unit of all members. (Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)Subsequently, the family should be educated on the importance of regular health screening to identify potential health risks. For instance, children are predisposed to risks of type 1 diabetes. Besides nutrition, the father should educated on insulin self-injection to manage the problem and promote dependency. He should be educated on monitoring the blood sugar levels before and after taking meals and before and after sleeping. The twins experiencing mental health problems from academic stress should seek support from a mental health nurse or psychiatrist to be educated on good coping strategies such as rest when studying or engaging in physical activities. The twin may also seek support from a psychologist for behavioral assessment and stress coping mechanisms. Mr. Smith should seek help from a psychiatrist to assess her sleeping problems. She should take work off days and leave when necessary to allow her body to rest, which is detrimental to her health.(Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Effective communication strategies will be vital to provide healthcare promotion. One strategy to foster effective communication with the family is establishing positive and supportive relationships (Kwame & Petrucka, 2021). In this case, involving the family in the health promotion by asking questions or suggestions will help build trust. Effective listening skills and showing empathy will also be vital to creating rapport with the family and providing health promotion efficiently.(Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Conclusion

            The SDOHs have a significant effect on the health equity. The factors influence peoples’ health equity in positive or negative ways. The family-focused function identified different  SDOHs affecting the Smith family. They include employment, education, health literacy, food and nutrition, and coping mechanisms. (Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)Implementing age-appropriate health screening for each family member will improve outcomes for the whole family. Thus, the ecological family health model developed by Denham in 2003 will be vital to creating a plan of action for the family. Family-centered health promotion will ensure that healthcare professionals deliver care based on the family’s problems, needs, and preferences. Therefore, fostering positive relationships with the family, showing empathy, and effective listening skills are vital communication strategies to offer family-centered care and health promotion.(Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

References

Barnes, M. D., Hanson, C. L., Novilla, L. B., Magnusson, B. M., Crandall, A. C., & Bradford, G. (2020). Family-centered health promotion: Perspectives for engaging families and achieving better health outcomes. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 57, 0046958020923537. (Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0046958020923537

Bulhões, C., Ramos, E., Severo, M., Dias, S., & Barros, H. (2019). Measuring depressive symptoms during adolescence: what is the role of gender?. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 28(1), 66–76. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796017000312

Kwame, A., & Petrucka, P. M. (2021). A literature-based study of patient-centered care and communication in nurse-patient interactions: barriers, facilitators, and the way forward. BMC nursing, 20(1), 1-10. (Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)https://bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12912-021-00684-2

Schillinger D. (2020). The Intersections Between Social Determinants of Health, Health Literacy, and Health Disparities. Studies in health technology and informatics, 269, 22–41(Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example). https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI200020

Weiss-Laxer, N. S., Crandall, A., Okano, L., & Riley, A. W. (2020). Building a foundation for family health measurement in national surveys: a modified delphi expert process. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 24, 259-266.(Social Determinants of Health Affecting Families Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-019-02870-w