Impact of a Priority Health Issue on a Population Group and Implication for the Nurse - Term Paper Example

Impact of a Priority Health Issue on a Population Group and Implication for the Nurse Name Course Name and Code Date Introduction A refugee is an individual who has crossed international borders running away from persecution or war for reasons of membership, nationality, religion or even race and other problems associated with socio-political. The mental problems that refugee population face include somatization, adjustment disorder, panic attacks, generalised anxiety, major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The area of the study is the refugee population, and the targeted health problem is mental health. Some of the factors focused in the report include cultural, social and psychological circumstances and consequences of the mental health. The paper starts with a study on the impact on the individual, impact on the family, impact on the refugee population, and strategies and approaches nurses have to implement in ensuring these problems and situations are addressed. Part .A – Impact on the individual Before seeking assistance from a neighbouring or another country, the refugees experience traumatic events in their home, and adverse situations are also experienced including forced child soldiering, the loss of loved ones, political persecution, torture, genocide ad sexual violence (Ellis et al. 2010). The refugees also have to travel long distances without appropriate basic needs and requirements. Starvation and malnutrition are additional problems, which affects the psychological position of an individual. It worsens or creates mental health problems, which is common in the refugee population and individuals (Kirmayer et al. 2011). Therefore, the refugees have to undergo numerous problems in addressing their respective plights. Cultural changes also affect the refugees. The cultural changes may create cultural challenges because of the situation and other cultural variables and problems. For example, a Muslim moving to a Christian based country such as Australia will find complications when it comes to cultural requirements (Strijk, van Meijel and Gamel 2011). The Australians champion the western format of relations in which individualism is encouraged while the Asian countries embrace collectivisms (Ellis et al. 2010). In such situation, a Muslim refugee may face challenges in presenting a problem because of cultural challenges (Edge and Newbold 2013). In seeking appropriate healthcare, these individuals may have challenges in engaging the medical professions in requesting for the appropriate medication because of cultural constraints (Kirmayer et al. 2011). For example, women doctors may not be required to treat the elderly male populations while conditions such as psychiatric/mental may be associated with negative cultural factors. After the individuals arrive at the camps, additional stressors associated with socioeconomic and cultural factors surfaces. For instance, the restricted economic opportunity, the poor quality of accommodation, and uncertainty over basic needs creates additional psychological stresses (Henley and Robinson 2011). The constraint of socioeconomic environment inhibits access to appropriate medical care, and may prevent the individual from acquiring the medicines and referral treatment. Part B – Impact on the family The family is affected in different ways. The social context of the family is affected people an individual will be missing, or death of family members may be reported. During seeking for refugee assistance in the neighbouring country, different pressures may have affected the individual including the loss of family members (Strijk, van Meijel and Gamel 2011). In addition, a family may successful escape from prosecution but leaves a family individual in the crisis. The social fabric is affected and can translate into a psychological problem to the family (Suurmond et al. 2010). For example, a male individual such as a father or husband is the head of the family and any action that makes the individual absent results in the transfer of family leadership, which may create numerous issues (Kirmayer et al. 2011). The family organisational structure that includes roles and responsibilities is affected because of the issues associated with refugee position. Hence, the family identity is affected creating socio-physiological problems. Based on culture, each family member has defined roles and responsibilities including the position of the individual in the society and family (Suurmond et al. 2010). The family is supposed to share some functions and resources, but the refugee status may create challenges in adhering to the defined structure and traditional approach of doing things (Ellis et al. 2010). For example, sharing leaving areas may be forbidden based on cultural directive but due to the refugee status, the individuals are forced to share the living conditions (Kirmayer et al. 2011). Even though the circumstances leading to the problem may be understood, there is the cultural requirement of inclusion and exclusion. These issues create mental problems regarding stress or strain, which may result in additional mental problems (Strijk, van Meijel and Gamel 2011). Maintenance and appreciation of cultural context and ideologies are integral in determining the provision of resources to the refugees. In the development of the refugees camps, individuals from different family orientation are brought to live together, which may also create stress and strains leading to psychological problems. Part C – Population impact The refugee population is affected because of mixing of individuals and families from different backgrounds. The culture of the families brought together and forced to stay together may conflict, and frequent conflicts may affect the development and integration status of the refugee population (Strijk, van Meijel and Gamel 2011). Moreover, the different cultural backgrounds and expectations of the refugees may make it difficult to adjust to the socioeconomic conditions. Conflicts are inherent because of effective communication requirements, and frequent fights may worsen the position of the refugees (Suurmond et al. 2010). It is not a single component that creates the mental problems but numerous processes integrates to create the problem. The tag that an individual is a refugee or a family is a refugee may create psychological problems. The population is forced to adjust to the provisions and adhere with the poor status because of constrained socioeconomic conditions. The refugees may initially be wealth and due to the circumstances of refugee, the individuals/families may lose most wealth meaning the change is socioeconomic status may result in mental problems. Part D – Implications for the role of the nurse The nurses’ roles and responsibilities in ensuring the refugee requirements are addressed is important (Henley and Robinson 2011). The role of nurses are different and have to embrace different processes and approaches to improve the mental health position of the nurses. Cultural awareness in terms religion and perceptions through encouraging and supporting cultural competency is integral to effectiveness in mental health provision (Kirmayer et al. 2011). The cultural competency should target the different processes and ideologies that refugees embrace. For example, the mental health problem may be associated with witchcraft and curses, and addressing such problems is important (Suurmond et al. 2010). In addition, advancing cultural awareness through engaging and informing the refugees on threats of lack of perseverance and effective communication are some of the roles the nurses have to uphold. Understanding the culture of the refugees is important and having the knowledge and experiences to address the requirements of the refugees is important. Nurses are required to have different skills and experiences to embrace the changing requirements of the refugees. For example, balancing the different cultural backgrounds while attending two patients at the same time is important (Strijk, van Meijel and Gamel 2011). The knowledge should go beyond the normal operations of the nurse into capitalising on the caring requirements and roles. A cumulative approach should be embraced in ensuring the appropriate medical assistance is provided (Ellis et al. 2010). For example, the worsening psychological problems may generate additional problems, and determining the appropriate health care is integral in the efficacy of the treatment (Sabella, 2011). The knowledge should include understanding the expectations of the patients and mental health requirements. Hence, knowledge is important in ensuring appropriate health care is provided to the refugees. The nurses have to understand refugees have gone through different experiences and challenges. The decision to become refugees is beyond their control and requiring these individuals to operate like normal individuals without the refugee tag is a problem. Nurses are supposed to champion sensitivity and respecting individual differences around perspectives of health. The sensitivity applies during communication process through limiting chances of ineffective communication or utilisation of words that may be perceived negative (Strijk, van Meijel and Gamel 2011). The nurse respect towards differences and expectations of the healthcare system should be integral in the administration of the medication. Sensitivity should be factored in communicating with the wider community, and engaging the community on appropriate medication and prevention strategies. It is imperative to note the significance of prevention through strategies such as counselling and provision of appropriate resources. The nurses have to understand the appropriate allocation of resources may resolve some understanding sensitivity matters and may advance the respect requirements. Hence, the sensitivity and respect are important in operations of the nurses in advancing healthcare requirements to the refugees. Different healing methods and practices exist that nurses have to utilise to provide the refugees with appropriate heath care. It includes determination of tools and processes that reflects the requirements and expectations of the patients. The refugees come from different backgrounds and through effective healing practices, it is possible to determine the appropriate health care approach (Ellis et al. 2010). A single framework cannot be used to address the different refugee mental problems because of the refugees’ backgrounds. For example, the experiences of some of the refugees are torture while others are rape, and these problems result in different consequences on the brains of the refugees (Strijk, van Meijel and Gamel 2011). Utilising the same approach in treating these different conditions creates problems, and the solution is employing a framework that addresses these different problems. The healing practices enable determination of the effectiveness of the treatment regime. The expectations of the patients through defined health care frameworks is important. For example, the refugee status and reasons contributing to the status have to be understood to determine the healthcare expectations (Samarasinghe, Fridlund and Arvidsson 2010). The nurses have to trace the background of the patients and determine the appropriate medication or treatment regime that reflects the requirements of the patients (Kirmayer et al. 2011). For example, providing counselling services is one thing and providing information is another thing. In certain situations, balancing numerous counselling approaches through querying the experiences of the patients is important. Healthcare expectations ensure the patient needs have been embraced, and appropriate healthcare approach implemented (Ellis et al. 2010). The implementation of the healthcare cannot exist without understanding the problem. For example, the cultural diversity aspect should be important, and the treatment regime should reflect the cultural connotation of the problem (Strijk, van Meijel and Gamel 2011). For instance, mental health problems may be associated with madness in a community, and creating a mechanism to dissuade people from such assumptions is important. The diagnosis and prescription processes should reflect the cultural requirements and cultural competence play an important role (Dow 2011). For example, the Asian countries do not understand depression and utilises different description of symptoms to express the problem. The family may be seen as the contributing agent, and through health care expectations it is possible to prescribe appropriate medication. Nurse’s roles and responsibilities in the provision of health care services are important. The nurses have to balance numerous requirements in treating mental health problems of refugees because the causes of been a refugee are different (Kirmayer et al. 2011). Cultural competence including knowledge and experiences are crucial in ensuring the healthcare expectations of the patients are achieved. A cumulative and consultative strategy has to be employed in understanding the background of the patients and determining the appropriate prescription based on the backgrounds of the patients (Strijk, van Meijel and Gamel 2011). Hence, the role and responsibilities of nurses are important in ensuring appropriate health care is provided to the patients. Conclusion Refugees are people seeking assistance from a foreign country. The reasons contributing to been refugees are different and results in different mental related complications. Cultural diversity and cultural needs influence the medication and healthcare requirements. The impact of refugee status and mental health care affects individuals, family, and population differently. The nurses have different approaches and strategies to address refugees with mental health problems. Some of the strategies include cultural competence, knowledge, and experiences, understanding the underlying causes and health care provision expectations. Nurses have to balance the needs of refugees because of the background problems including causes of the problem, and sources of the mental problems, and the expected treatment regime. References Dow, H.D., 2011. An overview of stressors faced by immigrants and refugees: A guide for mental health practitioners. Home Health Care Management & Practice, p.1084822310390878. Edge, S. and Newbold, B., 2013. Discrimination and the health of immigrants and refugees: Exploring Canada’s evidence base and directions for future research in newcomer receiving countries. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 15(1), pp.141-148. 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