The health history of d. d

Health History D. D. is a divorced 54 years old Haitian male born on October 27, 1964 in Arcahaie, Haiti. His primary language is French, and he currently works as a certified nursing assistant. D. D. does not have a history of smoking and does not drink alcohol. He loves sweets and stated that his favorite snacks are blueberry muffins and chocolate chips cookies. He views health as not showing signs or symptoms of diseases as stated, “ I think I am doing a pretty good job at keeping myself healthy because I don’t have any health issues, I take my daily supplements, I changed my diet and I feel good on the inside and the outside”. D. D. also noted that he is a great cook and whenever he doesn’t have time to cook, his all-time favorite is Chipotle.

Family History D. D. is the only child and has two kids, a girl and a boy. Both of his parents are deceased, his mother had a past medical history of hypertension and osteoarthritis, and he didn’t want to disclose the cause of death. His father had a past history of high cholesterol and died from a heart attack.

Review of Systems

D. D reports that he drastically changed his diet over the years and that he has lost a lot of weight. He denies any fatigue and weakness and states that he works full time from Monday through Friday and every other Saturdays and Sundays. He is working at two locations and leave his house every day at five in the morning and returns at 8 pm; therefore, he believes that he is energetic and able to perform his daily routines without difficulties.

D. D. reports that he has no history of skin disease and that he hasn’t experienced any excessive dryness or moisture. He described his skin type as normal and that he uses cocoa butter Vaseline lotion to keep his skin soft and even. He reports no recent hair loss or change in texture. D. D. currently wear glasses and reports dryness and redness when he stares at this phone for long periods of time. D. D. reports that he has good oral hygiene and that he goes to the gym occasionally, and he reports no shortness of breath and denies chest pain. He claimed that he has no history of mental health dysfunction and has a sharp memory. He denies of history of diabetes or diabetic symptoms. D. D noted that his blood pressure tends to rise above the normal limit and that he monitors it as often as possible.

Developmental, Cultural, and Psychosocial Considerations D. D. reports that he is a great and supportive father. He claimed that he is a prayer leader at his local church, and that he is part of many church organizations dedicated to helping people; therefore, D. D. is in the Generativity vs Self-absorption and Stagnation (Middle Age) development stage. D. D’s. Haitian cultural diet consists of a lot of spices or seasonings such as garlic, and “ maggi” a type of seasoning used in the Haitian cultural diet to add flavor which also could be a substitute for salt. D. D. states that he is struggling with his sugar addiction and despite of all the changes he made to his diet, he is still not able to overcome his addiction. He reports that he is aware of the consequences or effects that can have on his health.

Examination and Education Priorities

Although D. D. does not have a history of smoking and does not consume alcohol; his age, family history, diet, including his sugar addiction are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases; therefore, the body system that is the most important for examination of D. D is the cardiovascular system. Diet is also a major risk factor; however, D. D claimed that he is improving in that area. Therefore, the major health promotion would include reducing sugar intake.

Collaborative Resources

D. D. monitors his blood pressure at home and visits the health care provider unless he is critically ill. He reads books on natural remedies and herbs. He reports that he is trying to be more active such as going to the gym more often and take afternoon walks on days that he is not working.

Reflection

The interview went well. The candidate was in a pleasant mood and was open and showed interest in the conversation. The environment was safe and free from interruptions. I made eye contact and was calm during the interview, I used medical terms that he didn’t know the meaning of which presented a communication barrier. As a result, I made sure to use plain and simple language to overcome that.

Although, my candidate was willing to share information about himself and his family asking questions about his family history was a challenge for me. I could feel the sadness in his voice when he was talking about his mother and he chose not to disclose the cause of death. I respected his decision and nodded in silence by giving him some time before proceeding to the next question.

There was information I wished I had obtained for instance, my candidate noted that his blood pressure would exceed the normal range multiple times and knowing that he has a family history of hypertension I wanted to know if he’s aware that his family history is a risk factor. He also mentioned that he only visits his healthcare provider when he feels very sick; however, he reported that he frequently monitors his blood pressure at home despite of denying health issues. I can confidently say that I gained his full attention during the interview. The interview went smooth; however, one thing I would change would possibly be to ask more open-ended questions to allow the person to elaborate more on what was stated which will also provide me with more information.