Assessment 3 Pharmacology and Diverse Populations Essay

Assessment 3 Pharmacology and Diverse Populations Essay

Pharmacology and Diverse Populations

Preparation for the Impact Report

A large number of immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa expected to settle in the area may pose a health hazard to the local population. Due to poor access to healthcare in their region of origin, there are some predisposed health conditions and ailments the population may be exposed to. To prepare for the pharmacological needs and treatment of the population, it is important to understand the most common health concerns, cultural issues, and traditional practices for the immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa that may impact on the patient outcomes.

The majority of Sub-Saharan Africa immigrants in Europe and America come from diverse backgrounds. Most countries of origin are very poor resulting to a huge healthcare problem in the source countries. Over 5000 doctors from Sub-Saharan countries migrate to Europe and the United States leading to a negative effect on the doctor-population ratio in Africa (Truong, Paradies, & Priest, 2014). With over 80% of the population living in the rural areas, access to healthcare is a major challenge (Truong et al., 2014).  It is more likely to come across people with various health conditions that need urgent and long-term interventions. Poor governance, poverty, unemployment and long periods of civil wars result to low literacy level and poor healthcare. Although the cultures of these people have common similarities ethnic groups and religious practices are diverse. This may lead to language barriers with the locals and impede communication and interaction.

Requirements

Health Concerns of the Population

Long period of conflict, hunger, starvation, and an extended period of traveling, the immigrants are likely to be weak physically and psychologically traumatized. The likely health issues include healing wounds, long-term effects of malnutrition, physical injuries and psychological trauma from violence as well as communicable diseases.  Moreover, parasitemia, malaria, and nutritional diseases are common health problems associated with this population, and there is a need to provide a solution as soon as they arrive.

Pharmacological Treatment

The current pharmacological treatment regimens for parasitemia as advised by the CDC include administering treatment schedules for presumptive parasitic infections. The recommended prescription is albendazole single dose of 400mg. Pre-Admission albendazole treatment reduces the overall incidence of soil-transmitted helminthiasis that is infectious in refugees from 30% to 3.8% (Huey, Tilley, Jones, & Smith, 2014).  Due to the reported high rate of infection in refugee population and serious clinical consequences, the CDC recommends for pre-departure treatment for Schistosoma for African refugees (Pulendran, 2014).

Malaria treatment and prevention also requires a pre-departure program as a directly observed therapy. Oral quinine is administered for individuals who test positive for rapid diagnosis testing. Although there is no contraindication for malaria treatment and parasitic treatment regimens, CDC recommends that these treatment regimens should be spaced so as to monitor the effect of each treatment and tolerability.

A nutritional program is normally introduced for growing children after taking a summary of the child’s dietary history and complete physical examination. These tests should reveal the child’s eating habits, cultural dietary norms, food allergies as well as current and past nutritional deficiencies. Weight and length measures should reveal the longitudinal growth rate and anthropometric indices that characterize malnutrition (Huey et al., 2014).  All children under six years should be provided with adequate daily multivitamins based on age while those above six years may benefit from specialized supplementation.

Psychological treatment, culturally nutritional counseling, social support for food and medical access should be provided where necessary. Primary health care program should be established immediately as a continuous course to monitor recovery process for children growth and development. The first generation immigrant children may appear to have a low risk of obesity than those born in the host country (Pulendran, 2014). However, this risk increases as a result of acculturation and the period stayed since migrating. The post-treatment program should also focus on obesity prevention in a healthcare perspective.

Traditional Beliefs and Practices Related to Health Concerns Identified

Certain traditional practices such as overreliance on game and animal products as the key source of food for the majority of sub-Saharan African communities may result in malnutrition. During times of drought and war, these sources may not last long and the chances of eating contaminated food increases. Nomadism may also be a major cause of low literacy level, cultivation, and exposure to conventional medicine that may be used to treat parasitism and malaria (Pulendran, 2014). Although some communities may be knowledgeable on how to obtain treatment from herbs, this understanding may not be distributed across the different ethnic groups or countries causing a knowledge gap.

Effect of Cultural Values and Practices to Acceptance of Prescribed Pharmacological Treatment

Since most of the cultural practices may not be applicable in a foreign environment and unfavorable condition, the immigrants may be forced to accept the treatment provided. For example, their source of food from animals or farms, the source of medicine from plants may not be available or accessible in the host country. This would mean that the prescribed pharmacological treatment would be safely delivered. 

Culturally Sensitive Strategies for the Healthcare Organization

            The organization should involve the social leaders of different immigration groups in making decisions about healthcare delivery. The support of these individuals is important in ensuring successful implementation of treatment policies for the population (Truong et al., 2014). In addition, their involvement helps in reducing the leadership and professional gaps between the population and healthcare providers.

Culturally Sensitive Strategies for Nursing Staff

The organization should consider including the culturally competent individuals in the nursing practice. These individuals may create a link between improved patient outcome and addressing cultural competence of each practice and beliefs that influence the impact of healthcare (Pulendran, 2014). This implies that there should be a positive collaboration between the residents in Sub-Saharan Africa and the nurses to improve the care delivery process.

Conclusion

Migration is a major cause of spreading of diseases to different parts of the world. Therefore, adequate preparations are important in understanding the pharmacological needs of the expected immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge about the health concerns of the population, pharmacological treatment, cultural and religious practices that are related to health issues are significant for the host country planning on the impending humanitarian crisis.