Patient History
Interviewing techniques
The assigned patient is a 76-year black male living with disabilities, and he resides in the urban setting; therefore, while interviewing several techniques should be taken into consideration so that his history is effectively obtained. It is crucial to have in mind that the patient is disabled and that his moving around will not be swift; therefore, items should be removed out of his way to ease his movement. As a nurse, it is essential not to rush the patient because he is elderly, and it can take him a long time to process information and give responses. Because of the disability, he needs time to get positioned.
During the interview, there should be no barriers between the nurse and the patient, making it easier to help him if he needs assistance. During the meeting, the physical examination requires the patient to lie on the examination table. Therefore the nurse can ask them to do it and ask them to manage to move around and person such tasks with the disability they are going through. All the applied techniques will help the patient feel comfortable enough with the nurse, which will ease the interviewing environment. The nurse will come across as friendly, empathetic, and trustworthy, doing the interview yield more information.
Risk Assessment
Several risk assessment instruments will be appropriate for this patient, such as; psychological approach, physical harm to self and others due to inability and age, and the risk of legally harming himself or others due to his disabilities. Therefore for the patient, a psycho-bio-social approach is the best. The patient is elderly; thus, during risk assessment, the risk factors that will be taken into consideration include; behavior, any psychiatric problems, cognitive impairment the patient has developed. Functional independence, and how the patient relates to other family members is also assessed, which justifies the choice of the assessment approach.
Five Questions
The patient is asked about how he manages to move around because his movement contributes significantly to his safety. He is also asked about how his disability affects his access to health care services; the question is vital in determining physical and transport barriers the patient meets and his way around it. It is also important to ask him how he manages to take care of himself with the disability and if at all he needs assistance doing it to gauge if the patient needs arrangements to help in performing the tasks. Another vital question is whether the patient has advanced directives that will guide the nurses on how to give the patient the desired medication when the patient is unconscious and cannot communicate. The final question is if the patient has people who help him in daily tasks to establish a social connection with other people who act as a support system for him.