Patient Scenario
According to Healthy People 2030, Heart disease and Stroke are in the top five leading causes of death in the country (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). Currently, Heart disease is number while Stroke is in fifth position. These two conditions have the potential to cause disability, an impoverished life and death in the long run (Healthy People 2030, n.d.). Nonetheless, it is possible to control the two conditions through treatment and self-care strategies such as maintaining optimal blood pressure levels and avoiding high cholesterol in the blood stream. Arnold a 55 year old patient says he has been living with hypertension for the last 15 years. Two years ago he was diagnosed with high cholesterol. The patient’s family history indicates that his grandfather died from a stroke attack. Besides, his mother had Coronary Heart Disease but was not the reason for her death. Arnold explains that he has been experiencing shortness of breath, chest discomfort, upper abdominal pain, as well as chest pressure. Moreover, he adds that over the past two months he has been experiencing challenges in keeping his blood pressure at optimum. Besides, an assessment conducted by the physician 3 weeks ago shows he has relatively high blood cholesterol. These are vital signs and symptoms of early onset Heart Disease which also mean that the patient is at risk of developing a stroke.
From my assessment, Arnold rarely takes part in any physical exercise since he drives to and from work where he is seated all day working with a computer. His diet has very few fruits and vegetables since he loves to eat meat and fast food which are readily accessible from restaurants in his neighborhood. Every once in a while he goes for a drink with his friends. Based on this assessment, Arnold lacks knowledge on self-care strategies needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The patient has noted that his sedentary lifestyle poses a great risk to his health and at his age he needs to learn how to improve his health. As such, he is willing to take part in a patient education exercise and intend to follow any recommendations provided by a healthcare provider or interprofessional team.
Patient Education/Teaching Plan
The patient in this scenario requires guidance on how to live a healthier lifestyle. The teaching plan will entail self- care strategies that include proper monitoring, maintenance and management of his health through non-pharmacological strategies. First, Arnold needs to be more active by engaging in physical exercises (Riegel et al., 2017). To begin they can take part in light to moderate physical exercises at least three times a week. According to American Heart Association, the best physical exercises for a Heart disease patient are such as swimming, yoga, jogging, cycling and walking. In this case the patient can choose to make small changes such as walking or cycling to work or taking the stairs instead of the lift (Riegel et al., 2017). These activities combined with session of physical activity help to burn excess calories in the body. Moreover, they help to strengthen heart muscles and blood vessels, thus improving blood circulation in the body. The second aspect of patient education entails consuming a healthier diet that consists of more vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Arnold has to avoid fast foods that contain high calorie count as well minimize intake of alcohol. Lastly, they should reduce sodium intake. To make sure, he sticks to this healthier lifestyle, he will be taught how to use a journal to track progress and adherence to the prescribed best practice interventions. Arnold will have to attend follow appointments with the nurse twice a month to review progress towards set health goals.
Description of mHealth app
The mHealth app chosen for Arnold’s use is My Life Check by the American Heart Association. The app seeks to help patients to assess and improve their health (My Life Check, 2020). It contains a module that helps the patient to track their habits against the recommended health and lifestyle practices. The application is designed to help cancer, diabetes, and Heart disease and stroke patients to minimize risk of experiencing poor health outcomes and complications (My Life Check, 2020). The application will help Arnold to track his daily calorie intake through a well calibrated diet to suit his health condition. Moreover, Arnold can record his lab results and progress in the application such that he is able to see improvement on a weekly basis (My Life Check, 2020). The application is available on IOS devices such as the IPhone or IPad. The application is available for free in the Apple store using this link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-life-check/id1510048376
References
Healthy people 2030. (n.d.). Heart Disease and Stroke. health.gov. Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/heart-disease-and-stroke
My Life Check. (2020). AHA Heart Health Dashboard (Version 1.4.1). apps.apple.com. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-life-check/id1510048376
Riegel, B., Moser, D. K., Buck, H. G., Dickson, V. V., Dunbar, S. B., Lee, C. S., … & American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease; and Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research. (2017). Self‐care for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease and stroke: A scientific statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association. Journal of the American Heart Association, 6(9), e006997.
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