Family Health Assessment Part One

Family Health Assessment Part One

• Thesis Statement

The appropriate administration of care to a particular individual or family entirely depends on the results obtained from the family’s health assessment activity. Assessment of family health involves the techniques and procedures of getting information about the family’s awareness of the methods of disease prevention and health promotion. It includes the perception of the nurse about the norms, constitution, standards, communication abilities, and theoretical knowledge of the family. The exercise is often conducted on the basis of 11 functional health patterns proposed by Marjorie Gordon in 1987.  The questionnaire in the appendix has, therefore, been prepared based on the guidelines provided by the model and can be used to assess any family health.

• Family Description

Lana’s family moved from Canada and settled in the United States two years ago. Bryce Walker, her husband, is a police officer while Lana works as a catering officer in a nearby college. The couple has one boy and two girls aged 13, 10, and 7. Since their onset in the United States, the family has been living in a reasonably undeveloped neighborhood. This assessment, therefore, ought to examine and reveal the family’s perception of health, their patterns of nutrition and elimination, as well as their patterns of exercise, sleep, relationship, stress tolerance, cognition, self-perception, and beliefs using the above questionnaire.

• The Overall Health Behaviours of the Family

The family is currently in the right health conditions owing to their adherence to practices that promote better health and prevent the development of diseases.  Based on their responses, the members often ensured that they took clean water and healthy food substances. They equally washed their hands every time to keep off microorganisms. Whenever an unusual health complication occurred within the family, the members quickly sought medical treatment to remedy the condition.

The typical meal for the family includes rice, eggs, noodles, and vegetables, which ultimately constitute a balanced diet. The members often had three meal-times in a day and rarely took snacks in between. None of the members preferred fast foods, which could account for their small body sizes.  The average sleeping time for the family was about 8 hours, which always began at 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM.  None of the members had problems staying awake or falling asleep.

Other than Bryce Walker, who often had at least three bowel movements on a single day, the rest of the members always had a bowel movement once a day. This unique manifestation by Lana’s husband could be due to his high water intake frequency. Neither of the members reported having an episode of diarrhea nor constipation, indicating that their consumed food substances were healthy and contained enough roughage.

When asked about their cognitive abilities and sensory perceptions, the family responses indicated the presence of high self-esteem. Even though the father was the ultimate decision-maker decision-maker, the views and contributions of the other members were respected, valued, and considered. The three children were given sufficient time to take part in extracurricular activities to identify their talents and be aware of themselves.

Lana and her family believed that there was no significant difference between them and other families. They had a firm hope in a bright and fulfilling future. She was so grateful to her supportive husband, who, despite his commitment to duties as police, could spare some time for the family.  Ideally, the relationship between the family members was warm and cordial. Each member played their roles and overwhelmingly supported one another.

The assessment of the physical activity patterns of Lana’s family revealed several things about the members. The family had no routine physical exercise schedule but instead exercised at a comfortable time. However, to achieve physical fitness, every family member spent considerable time walking each day. While Lana and her husband walked to their places of job, the children often walked to school every day. There was, equally, not a predetermined method of maintaining their body shapes.

• Strengths and Weaknesses identified within the Family

The fact that all the family members were in the right health conditions indicated their ability to embrace health promotion and disease prevention techniques. Some of the areas that the family scored so well during the assessment include health perception, nutrition patterns, self-perception, elimination patterns, cognition, sensory perception, sexuality, family relationships, and sleep and rest. However, the lack of a proper method of dealing and coping up with stress alongside the absence of a scheduled physical exercise plan was the only weaknesses identified within the family.

• Family Systems Theory

According to the family systems theory, every family member must adhere to specific regulations and play a particular responsibility within the family system. All the members must embrace healthy interactions amongst themselves to achieve a lively family setting. The theory can be used to relieve the problems associated with stress by defining and promoting coping mechanisms. Embracing the approach means that family members would be open to each other and can share their problems freely, which is the first step towards coping up with stress. Besides, the theory promotes cooperation among the family members,, which can be associated with such things as positive sensory and self-perceptions, healthy sexuality, strong family ties, and improved cognitive development.

• Conclusion

Even though Lana’s family has performed dismally regarding the physical exercise patterns and stress coping mechanisms, the family has done so well in the other nine functional assessment patterns. In terms of health promotion and disease prevention, the family has, therefore, performed reasonably well.

References

Kläusler-Troxler, M., Petry, H., Lanter, R., & Naef, R. (2019). Implementing family systems nursing through a participatory, circular knowledge-to-action research approach in women’s health. International Practice Development Journal, 9(2), 5.

Michael, N., & Valmond, J. (2017, November). Assessing Family Health through a Comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment: Implications for Public Health Nursing. In APHA 2017 Annual Meeting & Expo (Nov. 4-Nov. 8). American Public Health Association.Gordon.

Sáez, Z. A., Martínez, E. M. L., Castaño, C. D., & Ferrer, M. B. C. (2019). A comparative study analyzing maternal recovery after childbirth, according to Marjory Gordon’s Patterns. Enfermería Global, 18(1), 200-214.

Weber, J.R. (2016). Nurses Handbook of Health Assessment (5th Ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Appendix

• Family Health Assessment Questionnaire
• Perception of Health

1. How is your family’s state of health currently? ____________________________
2. What are some of the things you are doing to promote your family’s health? ____
3. Do you know any family habits that can adversely affect the health of members? _

• Nutrition Pattern

1. What is the typical meal and daily intake of fluids for the family? _____________
2. What is your understanding of a balanced diet? Does the family always take a balanced diet? _____________________________________________________
3. Do you believe that that the typical family meal and fluid intake support good health? ___________________________________________________________

• Elimination Pattern

1. Kindly explain your normal bladder and bowel pattern and any changes that have so far been noted. __________________________________________________
2. Does any member of the family have diarrhea or constipation? _______________
3. What do you think could be the cause of diarrhea and constipation among your family members? ___________________________________________________

• Exercise and Activity

1. What are some of the physical activities and exercises that your family members do to promote their health? ___________________________________________
2. How long does each member take in a work to do physical exercise and activities?
3. How do your family members maintain their physical shapes? _______________

• Cognitive Patterns

1. Where do you get the information about how to maintain and promote health and wellness of your family members? _____________________________________
2. Who is responsible for all the health care decisions of the family? ____________
3. How do you monitor and assess the ability of your family to promote health care and prevent diseases. ________________________________________________

• Rest and Sleep

1. How many hours of sleep does your family spend each day? _________________
2. How often do you rest during the day? __________________________________
3. Does any of your family members experience problems in falling asleep or staying awake? _____________________________________________________

• Sensory Perception

1. How is the eyesight of the family members? _____________________________
2. How is the hearing of the family members? ______________________________
3. How can you describe the taste ability of your family? _____________________

• Self Perception Patterns

1. How do you feel about the future of your family? ________________________
2. How do you perceive yourself now and in future? ________________________
3. Could you describe anything that would obstruct you from achieving your goals?

• Relationship and Roles

1. How can you describe your relationship in this marriage? _________________
2. What are the roles of each family member in ensuring family health promotion?
3. How do you often communicate with the other members of the family? ______

• Sexuality Patterns

1. How often do you engage in sexual behaviors? _________________________
2. How many sexual partners do you have? ______________________________
3. What sexual protection measures do you often use? _____________________

• Stress and Coping

1. What are the main stressors for the family? ____________________________
2. How do you deal with and manage stressful events? _____________________
3. What are some of the adverse effects that have occurred in the family due to overwhelming stress of a member? _____________________________________