Question

identify professional decisions and actions that help clients to change or modify lifeway to improve health while still respecting client's cultural values and beliefs. give specific examples

(intagrate understanding of the multiple dimensions of patient centered care)

Answer 1

Professional decision and actions that help the client to modify lifestyle:

A health care professional can help the patient to change or modify his life style to improve health, while respecting patients' cultural values and beliefs. Lifestyle modification can help in the prevention of most of the chronic diseases such as Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus,  Coronary Artery diseases etc. It is advised for clients, who lead a sedentary life, abuse alcohol and drug, who smoke.

Professional decisions and actions that help the client to modify his life style while respecting his cultural values and beliefs are:

* Patient centered Team approach

A team consist of doctors, nurses, dietitians, community health workers and health educators , where the patient is the important person in the team and every one work together for the lifestyle modification of the client.

example: Weekly sessions with dietitions and health educators to improve eating habits of a diabetic or prediabetic person.

* Shared decision making

Involve the patient also in professional decision making, to modify his behaviour , by asking him options, informing him the pros and cons of the option and understand his cultural and religious beliefs. It can be done during the clinical visit, the physician/ nurse and the client sit together and make a decision that go in accordance with his culture and beliefs . Shared decision making will encourage the client to sustain in lifestyle changes .

* Resources and referrals: There are many resources and referrals for client with the aim of lifestyle modification. Professional health provider can refer them to different ' life style intervention programme' for clients

* Patient centered Counselling: One of the effective action is patient centered Counselling , where the client will be asked to share her feelings towards his life habits and the importance of changing the life pattern. Counsellor will help the client in setting the goal and in improving the client self confidence. So that he can sustain in the lifestyle modification .

example: Alcoholism

* effective communication and motivation can help the client to change his life style.

* Health education: One of the powerful factor that can cause life style change in patient is health education. Nurses can play a major role educating the client to adapt positive life style changes such as regular exercise, balanced diet, importance of follow up, avoidance of bad habits such as smoking and alcohol.