Family Health Assessment



Family Health Assessment

Introduction

There are various important measures in order to provide family health care, diagnosis and intervention. It depends on a number of different social and cultural patterns. Each family has its own social and cultural norms that are essential to know for the care providers. This information is very beneficial to plan and provide better health care facilities and interventions. This requires proper system to identify social and cultural diversification of the family. It involves various important aspects, which define cultural and social perspectives of an individual's health care, depending on cultural believe, family norms, and health traditions. According to Dreachslin,et.al, “cultural heritage generally includes a common language, family, values, norms, and religious tradition” that affect life and health of an individual (Dreachslin, et.al, 2012, p. 432).

In the same way, there are a number of differences in the family norms and lifestyle, as defined by Bailey, there are various differences in the health care maintenance, protection and restoration on the basis of difference between norms and lifestyle of a family. There are various differences in their food, lifestyle, relations and rituals, which affect their health patterns (Bailey, 2000). Marjorie Gordon offered eleven functional health patterns that provide guidance to collect information about the patterns of family health care. These functional health patterns include values, health perception, nutrition, sleep/rest, elimination, activity/exercise, cognitive, sensory-perception, self-perception, role relationship, sexuality, and coping.

Thesis Statement

Gordon's functional health factors are very effective in order to choose Weber's wellness nursing diagnoses for the family health assessment.

Discussion

Findings for Each Functional Health Pattern for Family

A family health assessment is an important tool in formulating a health care plan for a family.  Family patterns, structures and norms have very major influence on the health of an individual. Therefore, an interview was conducted with a family, based on the Gordon's functional health factors that assist in understand both, individual and family health patterns. There were different open ended questions based on eleven functional health factors of Gordon (See Appendix). The interview was conducted in order to identify the health pattern in this family. The family selected for this purpose was consisting of four members. Father, mother, and two children, father was 45 year old and mother was 39. Daughter was 16 year old teenage and 10 year old son.

Questions about health perception and health management, provides that there is no case history of using drugs or cigarette, but parents use alcohol on occasional basis and in very limited quantity. There is no history of accidents or any serious illness except flu or seasonal fever. They visit there family doctor occasionally when there is need. They eat meals for three times, and do not take any supplements. Water intake is normal and there is no dietary complication. Pattern of elimination is normal and there is no record of any problem in bowel or urine eliminations. Perspiration is normal, except for father who feels that he has more perspiration.

Father works in office and maintains his ...