Question

The idea of health behavior change as a process-not an event-cuts across several behavior change theories. Explain how this idea can be put into action based issues presented in this case, particularly to focus on the issue of safe sexual activity.

Book: Philosophies and Theories by Janie B. Butss and Karen L. Rich (3rd Edition)

Answer 1

The behavior start from the time when the nurse and the patient come to talk or is admitted in the nurses ward. First of all it starts with history taking, The importance for taking a sexual history cannot be overstated. In the general patient population, the goal of the history is to assess the impact of illness on a client's sexual health. This information provides the nurse with a baseline for educating the client about his or her sexual adaptation to illness or surgery. Further, the sexual history is a part of the holistic nursing framework for patient care. Nurses working in settings in which they routinely care for clients with STDs have the additional responsibility of utilizing data from the history to educate clients regarding risk factors, re-evaluation of lifestyle behaviors, and preventative measures. Education of clients is crucial to decreasing the incidence of STDs. Nurses need to confront their own values and attitudes regarding sexuality as the first step to overcoming barriers in discussing sexuality with their clients. Additionally, education regarding human sexual behavior is important in expanding nurses' knowledge in this area. There are various interview techniques that can be helpful in eliciting the sexual history, emphasizing open-ended questions and ubiquitous statements. These techniques can be useful in both ambulatory and in-patient settings. The format for taking a sexual history has been addressed, with specific questions relevant to clients exposed to STDs. The need for considering the sexual history within the context of the client's life situation and suggested that information regarding sexuality be thoughtfully gathered, taking into account variables such as culture and sexual preference. The nurse addresses educating clients for safe sexual practices and emphasizes the need for nurses to counsel all sexually active clients concerning the risk factors for STDs. As the incidence of STDs continue to increase, and particularly as AIDS becomes increasingly widespread, nurses must be in the forefront of educating the public. As a health care profession advocating caring and commitment to holistic care, nursing can contribute to health promotion activities through addressing clients' sexual health.Nurses care in a variety of settings, including communities, schools, and public health and acute care clinics, for the teenagers which affords them many opportunities to improve adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and reduce the rates of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. To ensure that adolescents have access to sexual and reproductive health care (which includes both preventive counseling and treatment) in all nursing practice sites, nurses need to gain the knowledge and hone the skills required to deliver evidence-based counseling and services to adolescents and parents. Collectively, nurses can use their unique combination of knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on adolescent sexual and reproductive outcomes. Nurses have the capacity and opportunity to disseminate information about sexual and reproductive health to adolescents and their parents in communities, schools, public health clinics, and acute care settings.