ESSAY: HEALTH ASSESSMENT AND COMMUNICATION

Health Assessment and Communication

Health assessment of a population helps identify medical problems and needs of the members which create an opportunity to come up with practical solutions. Collection of data from different sectors of the target society is performed, studied and compared to come up with existing health problems that need health care providers’ attention. It is important to communicate the health assessment findings to the authorities, community health medical practitioners and the target population. Proper communication enables understanding of the problem situation which attracts maximum social, economic and political support (Margaretha, Prananta & Alam, 2017). The primary purpose of this paper is to discuss health assessment and communication process to solve medical problems in the present American society.

Key Elements That Make a Health Assessment

Individual Level

Health assessments at personal levels involve analyzing of various factors such as economic status, gender, age and working conditions which enable healthcare researchers’ to obtain adequate medical information about a person. The economic status helps public health providers in determining the ability of a person to access quality health care services. The difference between men and women exposes them to different infections. Therefore, the hypothesis formed when analyzing the health condition of a woman to identify certain medical conditions is not applicable in men’s case (Alhefny et al., 2017). Assessment of the working conditions of individuals can also provide healthcare researcher with information about the risks a person experiences in the environment.

Group level

Key elements of health assessment at group level include literacy levels, social support networks, physical surrounding, and health provision services. Analyses of these elements provide relevant information about the existing health problems. A group that consists of well-educated and literate individuals has low cases of health challenges since they can detect hazardous environmental conditions and apply appropriate preventive measure. A group of individuals residing in the same geographical area experience the same environmental conditions, therefore if the surrounding is not safe; chances of getting infected by the same health conditions are high (Mishra et al., 2016). Analysis of a group’s surrounding is consequently enough to detect a health challenge which makes it a key element in the level. Medical provision services available in the environment also determine the health status of a population. Lastly, geographical areas with enough healthcare facilities have low cases of illnesses compared to regions with limited medical practices.

Community Level

Effective health assessment at the community level involves analysis of cultural practices, beliefs, socialization systems, and genetic endowment. Cultural practices, ideologies, and ideas of individuals expose communities to certain illness conditions while other behaviors provide protection. Socialization systems determine the ability of community members to support one another both physically and emotionally. Communities with poorly organized socialization systems have high cases of psychological health problems (Alhefny et al., 2017). Lastly, there are genetic infections that run through generations of particular communities. Timely identification of such issues provides an opportunity for the formation of techniques to prevent symptoms and promote the well-being of the population. Health assessment at this level is therefore efficient if the elements receive maximum attention.

The Process of a Comprehensive Health Assessment

The health assessment is a sensitive process which demands well-skilled personnel and concentration throughout the whole process. Following the outlined steps through the procedure makes it possible for healthcare researchers to obtain relevant information needed to identify and solve health challenges. The first step is making a decision on which information is pertinent to collect. It helps in narrowing down of the search process which saves time and resources. Interviews, questionnaires, and observation collect data without manipulation (Margaretha, Prananta and Alam, 2017). Extra information can also emerge from secondary materials which include recordings of the previous assessments.

Analysis of the collected data is important to identify environmental conditions, individual’s behaviors and social conditions that are likely to contribute to the emergence of health challenges. Ones the health issues and their causes are identified priorities are set for the identified health needs. It is important to communicate with the target community to come up, with adequate procedures for practical solutions (Mishra et al., 2016). Through community awareness programs, public health providers can educate the population about the benefits of implementing specific solutions for the well-being of the society. It creates an opportunity for community members to give their views about health challenges and their preferred solutions.

Findings of the Health Assessment

Health assessment conducted on the American society managed to identify specific medical challenges which affect the wellbeing of the population. Chances of acquiring infections from the environment are high because of the increased industrial pollution and mismanagement of wastes. Most of the low income individuals work in poor conditions without protective gears which present them to infections. High patient population pressure in the existing medical firms is also contributing to errors in medication as the limited numbers of medical practitioners try to attend the individuals (Alhefny et al., 2017). Certain adjustments in cultural beliefs and behaviors have contributed to the reduction of illness arising opportunities which has helped improve the community’s health status.

Conclusion

It is important to identify the causes and create preventive measures for illness conditions early enough before they affect individuals. Prevention consumes fewer resources when compared to the cure of health problems. Therefore, health assessment tools perform an essential role in identifying possible health issue in the society and planning timely and efficient prevention measures. It is a useful way of keeping the community healthy since its implemented solutions are discussed, analyzed and agreed upon by all the stakeholders.

References

Alhefny, A. A., Mobasher, S. A., Abd, M. E. R., Shedid, N. H., Sakr, H. M., & Hassan, R. M. (2017). AB0276 Evaluation of adherence to drug treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Margaretha, V., Prananta, M. S., & Alam, A. (2017). Correlation between Gross Motor Function Classification System and Communication Function Classification System in Children with Cerebral Palsy. Althea Medical Journal, 4(2), 221-227.

Mishra, R., Srivastava, M., Upadhyay, T., & Farooqui, N. A. (2016). E-Health Information and Its Assesment. Journal of Network Communications and Emerging Technologies (JNCET) www. jncet. org, 6(5).