Effective communication is vital to constructing an accurate and detailed patient history. A patient’s health or illness is influenced by many factors, including age, gender, ethnicity, and environmental setting.
There may also be significant cultural factors. In May 2012, Alice Randall wrote an article for The New York Times on the cultural factors that encouraged Black women to maintain a weight above what is considered healthy. Randall explained from her observations and her personal experience, as a Black woman, that many African American communities and cultures consider women who are overweight to be more beautiful and desirable than women at a healthier weight. As she put it, “Many black women are fat because we want to be” (Randall, 2012).
Randall’s statements sparked a great deal of controversy and debate at the time; however, they emphasize an underlying reality in the healthcare field: Different populations, cultures, and groups have diverse beliefs and practices that impact their health. APRNs and other healthcare professionals should be aware of this reality and adapt their health assessment techniques and recommendations to accommodate diversity.
As an advanced practice nurse, you must build a patient health history that takes into account all of the factors that make a patient unique and tailor your communication techniques accordingly. Doing so will not only help you establish rapport with each patient, but it will also enable you to more effectively gather the information needed to assess a patient’s health risks.
take on the role of an APRN who is building a health history for a particular patient assigned by your Instructor. You will consider how social determinants of health and specific cultural considerations will influence your interview and communication techniques as you work in partnership with the patient to gather data for an accurate health history.