Essay on Psychosocial Factors & Patient Education: Impact on Health

Introduction

Psychosocial factors are various influences that impact an individual socially or psychologically. Several multidimensional constructs comprise several domains which include cognitive-behavioural responses, mood status, and social factors (Falvo, 2012). Patient education refers to the process of influencing patient behavior, thereby producing the changes in attitudes, skills, and knowledge necessary to improve or maintain health.

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Q 1

Several psychosocial factors are affecting health care. In recent years there have been positive reports associations among poor job security for the nurses, working overtime, and medication error. However, operating conditions also play a significant role in impacting on the physical health of employees and mental stability. Workplace demands could lead to different changes in physical and psychological health (Gatchel & Schultz, 2012). Also, factors such as shift work, a high number of patient's consultations, and long working hours could lead to exhaustion, mostly emotional and psychosomatic health complaints leading to poor performance at work. Therefore the nurses can fail to offer proper information to the patients due to fatigue and also being in a hurry since thy want to finish up fast and rest.

Q 2

Several psychosocial factors affect the patent which includes improvement of quality of life, increase in the level of the satisfaction of patients and their involvement and participation in self-care, and decrease the level of anxiety and stress. Also, the side effects of diseases and treatment expenditure are factors affecting the patient, which can influence the compliance of the patient to treatment (Falvo, 2012). Patient education is essential when the nurse fails to involve the patient in a self-care program or to decrease the patient's anxiety and stress. Then it is most likely that the patient while getting discharged from the hospital, will lack quality information concerning their self-care and illness hence affecting the healing process of the patient (Larsen & Lubkin, 2009).

Q 3

Personality refers 6to a particular way of behaving, thinking, and feeling. It also embraces, such as attitudes and moods (Chubb, 2016). The approach to personality style can be studied in the form of theories. One is Body type theory; several theorists tend to believe that body type determines personality. Second is the Type A/ Type B theory, Type A individuals are organized, driven, and impatient while Type B personality, live a passive life and more stress-free (Brunas, 2014). Self- perception is a factor that mediates between suicidal ideation and nature, that is low extraversion and neuroticism

Q 4

There are various steps in adjustment to illness which every patient to heal has to overcome. They include-denial, anger, fear, grief, and acceptance. The patients cope with these steps in the following ways. Rejection, evident after being diagnosed with a particular disease and especially the chronic illness, the patient goes into denial. But when a patient accepts the condition, they take medicine and heal quickly (Falvo, 2012). Anger deprivation leads to anger; therefore, a patient has to coup with this step by attending support groups. Fear, this mostly comes in when having a disease that cannot be cured, the patient is supposed to coup up with this step by believing in the master plan and hence letting the fear go. Grief, this affects mostly patients of chronic diseases where the patient moves away from society; this is also solved by visiting support groups (Falvo, 2012). Acceptance, despite the conditions the patients have to accept and come into term with it. Recognition will enable the patient to face the illness courageously.

Q 5

The role of health professionals in teaching patients at different stages of life is very crucial (Falvo, 2012). For example, the health professional should be in preparedness to communicate to the patients and also families and participate in interdisciplinary caregiving that meets the needs of a patient at his/her dying stage. Professionals' organizations, such as the American Medical Association, has taken the initiative and launched major educational initiatives that are directed at both established clinicians and nursing students (Falvo, 2012). Also, the individual medical schools are restructuring their curricula to accommodate the subject of teaching on different life stages of a patient.

Q 6

The presence of family in patient education is very crucial because family constitutes a significant role in offering psychological and emotional stability to the patient. Also, it is a source of support that enhances better and quick recovery to the patient, and this is because it helps the patient to maintain close contact with his family (Brunas, 2014). For example, when a patient has a sound support system from the family, he/she is much likely to recover quickly. Also, the family is essential in the maintenance of the quality of life in patients diagnosed with chronic diseases and who are hospitalize (Brunas, 2014). This is because family members can provide for the basic needs of the patient to a large extent. Also, the family can help in decreasing the patient's stress, thus quick recovery to them.

Q 7

The family could influence the compliance of patients in two ways; negative and positive. Negatives ways when the families have poor relationships with the patient, high interpersonal, and poor conflict resolution (Falvo, 2012). Due to this negative influence, the patent may fail to comply with family advice on his/her health journey, hence leading to slow recovery. Positive impact includes functional problem-solving skills, clear rolls, adaptability, mutual support, and open expression. These factors will make the patient interact well with the family; hence he/she will follow the doctor's instructions, maybe on medication, and this will boost his/her recovery (Falvo, 2014). Health care professions can use a measure, such as avoiding giving to much detailed information (Falvo, 2012). For example, families who are victims of cancer and health, the profession should avoid telling the family until when the patient is going to live because the family can be traumatized by that.

References

Brunas-Wagstaff, J. (2014). Personality: A Cognitive Approach. Psychology Press.

Chubb, R. (2016). ColourSpectrums Personality Styles Book 2: Stress Management and Conflict Resolution. FriesenPress.

Falvo, D. R., & University of North Carolina North Carolina Donna Falvo. (2012). Effective Patient Education: A Guide to Increased Adherence. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Gatchel, R. J., & Schultz, I. Z. (2012). Handbook of Occupational Health and Wellness. Springer Science & Business Media.

Larsen, P. D., & Lubkin, I. M. (2009). Chronic Illness: Impact and Intervention. Jones & Bartlett Learning.