Case Study
Disease prevention at the individual level aims to keep people and their communities safe. Hence, when determining whether or not to vaccinate or practice any other preventive measure, one should consider the risks that the illness may cause to them or the people around them. Usually, when traveling abroad, people should anticipate being affected by the foreign country’s health policies. They must know the vaccinations that they may need, welcome behaviors and those that may be unwanted. In Albert Mitchell’s case, it is essential that the nurse educates him about the need for immunization and covers any concerns that he may have using appropriate learning theories.
How to Address Albert’s Concerns
Albert’s beliefs are a severe cause of concern in the case. Addressing his misguided beliefs may help improve his reception of immunization and related health education. It is essential to inform him that his decision to immunize should be guided by the Dubai laws and the need to protect himself and his family. Even though he will be in Dubai for days, he will still interact with the environment and people. Therefore, he will risk getting ill or returning pathogens to the US when he returns. Usually, countries determine the required immunizations based on what diseases are common in their country and their health priorities. Also, it is necessary to cover the potential adverse effects (Ten et al., 2021). It is essential to discuss the benefits and costs involved to help him determine whether immunization is worth the risks it causes.
The Three Domains
The three domains that apply to patient education are the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. The cognitive domain concerns what the professional wants the patient to know from their education. Usually, the application of knowledge improves it from basic to complex levels. Under the cognitive domain, it will be essential to cover the logic behind immunization (Karta et al., 2023). It will be necessary for the patient to understand how immunizations work and why the patient is required to be immunized by Dubai. For instance, I will address what vaccines are and why each is necessary. For each of the immunizations required, the aim is to prevent the chances of illness. Preventing illnesses in himself will also help protect his wife, who is pregnant and will be in contact with him when he returns after the days he will be away. I will also explain that despite being away for days, infection only requires that pathogens get a single opportunity conducive to their entry. On the psychomotor domain, I will cover how to perform preventive behaviors and how the patient should prepare themselves for vaccinations (Karta et al., 2023). Because professionals will do immunizations, the domain will not involve much. It may include how the patient should present themselves for vaccination. Immunizations can be injections or oral. The reception of the various vaccines may require that he allows the provider to introduce the vaccine effectively. The affective domain should aim to improve Albert motivation to immunize. It should involve explaining how their choice may affect them and their family (Karta et al., 2023). For instance, informing them that immunization was necessary for their and their wife’s health may improve their incentive to vaccinate.
Learning Theories
It will be important to apply andragogy to ensure Albert grasps the required information. One important theory is the theory of reasoned action. The theory involves three main elements. They include attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs. Attitudes are people’s feelings concerning issues. For instance, Albert thinks immunization is unimportant (Sharma, 2021). Hence, education should focus on showing why it is important. His belief is that he will not be in Dubai long enough to contact any serious risk. Therefore, the learning should show how he can contract a sickness after one exposure. Changes in his attitude and beliefs will help improve the outcomes. Another theory that may be effective in educating Albert is transformational learning (TL). It aims to change people’s views and consciousness about their world. For instance, in this case, Albert is afraid of leaving their wife. Considering his short stay, he also does not see immunization as very important (Sharma, 2021). Therefore, the education should explain the risks of failing to immunize to help him make good decisions.
Family Concerns
The learning should cover what he should do to prepare his wife for his absence. At six months pregnant, the mother’s risks are usually significantly low. However, they should know what things to look out for and when to seek care. Therefore, they should be told about the various signs and treatments that should be required. Albert should take his wife to the clinic and give her information on how to get help if she needs it. There must also be an emphasis on immunization because it is necessary to protect Albert and anyone who will contact him after the trip. It will ensure that he does not carry potential pathogens that may affect his wife.
Conclusion
Patient education affects their behaviors and health awareness. Education is necessary for health promotion to boost people’s decision-making and reduce their risk of sickness. The case study shows an example of when education is needed. Albert is a typical patient, and he goes for care with pre-existing beliefs that must shift to enable needed behavior changes. Using transformational learning and the theory of reasoned action. Both theories aim to change Albert’s beliefs and improve their knowledge for good decision-making. The focus should, therefore, be on communicating risks and the logic behind vaccination. They should get a better picture of the risk of infection during their trial, even though it will be short, and how immunization will protect him and his family.
References
Karta, I. W., Farmasari, S., & Ocampo, D. M. (2023). Online Assessment of Primary Students’ Cognitive, Psychomotor, and Affective Domains: Practices from Urban and Rural Primary Schools in Indonesia. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 173, p. 01014). EDP Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202317301014
Sharma, M. (2021). Theoretical foundations of health education and health promotion. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Ten Kate, J., Koster, W. D., & Van der Waal, J. (2021). “Following your gut” or “questioning the scientific evidence”: understanding vaccine skepticism among more-educated Dutch parents. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 62(1), 85-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146520986118
Tsimane, T. A., & Downing, C. (2020). Transformative learning in nursing education: A concept analysis. International journal of nursing sciences, 7(1), 91-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2019.12.006
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