A 48-year-old male with diabetes: Consider the factors that would have the most significant impact on the patient’s health and quality of life based on his or her chronic condition. For example:
-Genetic factors
-Psychosocial factors
-Ethnic and cultural background
-Socioeconomic status
-Gender
-Age
-Lifestyle, including diet, sleep, and exercise
-Environment, including work/school, community, and family
Consider what additional health risks or concerns would be applicable to the patient. How would you assess the patient for those risks or concerns?
Identify possible options for preventative or palliative care for the patient. What factors would you take into consideration when determining the most appropriate option for the patient?
Reflect on why it is important to take a holistic approach to health assessments and patient care.
Write an analysis of the factors that would most significantly impact the patient you selected. Identify two to three health risks or concerns applicable to the patient, and explain how you would assess the patient for those risks or concerns. Explain at least two options for preventative or palliative care, and describe how you would determine the most appropriate option for the patient.
Use current references of less than five years.
Seidel, H. M., Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2011). Mosby’s guide to physical examination (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Holistic Perspective of Care
Some of the most important factors that have an impact on a diabetic patient’s quality of life and health are genes, psychosocial factors, cultural and ethnic background, socioeconomic status, age, gender, lifestyle, and the environment. This paper is based on a forty eight year old diabetic male.
Factors that impact most significantly on the patient
Being related to someone with diabetes puts a person at a higher risk for developing diabetes. The Caucasian ethnic group, African, Asian, Latin-American, and Aboriginal are more prone, and exposure to cow’s milk protein and auto-antibodies in infancy is a risk. Being overweight is another risk factor. Type 2 diabetes is more common in people who sedentary, inactive lifestyles. Intake of excess food energy leads to obesity, which is a risk factor to diabetes (Saudek, Margolis & Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2010).
Health risks and assessing the patient
One of the health risks the patient faces is suffering from cancer. According to epidemiologic evidence, diabetic patients are at a significantly increased risk of many kinds of cancers. Cancer and diabetes (type 2) share numerous risk factors. In addition, observational studies’ evidence indicates that some of the medications for treating hyperglycemia are linked to either reduced or increased cancer risk (Seidel et al., 2011).
Diabetic patients have a three-fold increased risk for mortality from stroke compared to patients without the diabetes. Diabetes also escalates the chances of critical carotid atherosclerosis. In addition, diabetic patients have higher chances of suffering from irreversible brain damage in they have carotid emboli, which would only produce transient ischemic attacks in healthy people. Around 13% of elderly diabetic patients suffer from stroke.
Both diabetes type 1 and 2 are acknowledged s risk factors to coronary heart disease. In addition, myocardial ischemia as a result of coronary atherosclerosis is common without symptoms on diabetic patients (Ghosh, Collier & Krentz, 2012). Consequently, multivessel atherosclerosis is often present prior to ischemic symptoms and any treatment. If there is delayed recognition of different kinds of coronary heart disease, the survival prognosis in many diabetic patients worsens undoubtedly.
Palliative or preventive care and determining the most appropriate options
The patient should be screened regularly for complications. The types of fat consumed affects diabetes development. Polyunsaturated fats are good for health. Bad fats (trans fats) found in packaged baked goods, margarines, and fried foods from fast-food restaurants should be avoided. In addition, sugary foods and high energy foods should be avoided and fiber foods consumed more.
It is also important to engage in an active lifestyle. This ensures that a person is free from obesity, which is a risk to diabetes and other diseases that are related to diabetes including atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and hypertension (Ghosh, Collier & Krentz, 2012).
Importance of taking a holistic approach
It is extremely important to use the holistic approach that considers the spiritual, social, psychological, physical, and other factors in a complete person in the prevention and management of disease. The concept is founded on the fact that there is a link between the general well-being and the physical health (Seidel et al., 2011). The holistic approach relies on the belief that the well-being of an individual does not only depend on the physical body in regards to disease or illness, but also, on the strong inter-relation with the environmental, spiritual, social, emotional, and psychological state. All these factors need to be managed together to ensure that an individual is treated wholly. In addition to treating the symptoms, the underlying causes of the symptoms are also treated.
References
Ghosh, S., Collier, A., & Krentz, A. J. (2012). Diabetes. Edinburgh: Elsevier.
Saudek, C. D., Margolis, S., & Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2010). Diabetes. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins Medicine.
Seidel, H. M., Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2011). Mosby’s guide to physical examination (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.