BSN 436 Final Project Speaker Notes

Slide 1

Hello everyone. In my current presentation, I will explain how a healthcare education tool, specifically aimed at aged Eastern European immigrants, was created. The device we will address is a cell phone application that can be used by them to prevent falls. This presentation will highlight the population, their health issue and their problem, and demonstrate how this cell phone application will fulfil their needs. Furthermore, I will discuss the supporting literature, the development of the tool, and how such a tool may enhance nurses’ practice and patients’ outcomes.

Slide 2

Identifying the Population

This Health Care Education resource aims at the elderly immigrants (aged 65 years or older) of Eastern European origin. Actually, I found that there are several important differences between this group and my group: To begin with, they are much older, and most frequently, they have health problems typical of the elderly demographic, such as mobility issues and a predisposition to falls. Second, the ethnic and cultural practices do not conform to what is practised in today’s US healthcare facilities. Third, the problem of language barriers is present since the majority of the elderly Eastern European immigrants are low proficient in English (Hawkins et al., 2022). Healthcare needs to be, therefore, culturally sensitive and inclusive in the provision of education in order to meet the disparities.

Slide 3

Importance of the Health Need

One of the healthcare needs that is critical is fall prevention among the elderly, particularly in the case of the elderly in Eastern Europe and immigrants. Elderly people experience falls, which may result in fractures, restricted movement, and even death (Vaishya & Vaish, 2020). Moreover, these risks are all enhanced by an unfamiliarity with the US setting and dependence on backup cultural habits that are not useful in alleviating fall risks. The health need is a necessity to manage since falls can reduce the quality of life of a person and, consequently, they will be more reliant on health care interventions. Thus, this demographic needs an educational aid that will help to avoid falls.

Slide 4

Special Learning Challenges

In creating a healthcare educational tool among Eastern European immigrants who are elderly, there are a number of learning concerns to be addressed. One of the largest barriers that individuals going through the process of intercultural communication must overcome is the language barrier. Many individuals within this group do not understand English well, so they cannot easily learn any health details not translated into their native language, e.g. Russian or Polish (Hawkins et al., 2022). Moreover, differences in the cultural perception of health information and taking the necessary measures may provide some barriers. For instance, people may prefer to use traditional remedies to treat illnesses rather than the current medical advice, making it challenging to encourage them to practice fall prevention with the use of modern means. All these issues demand an intervention which is accessible and culturally and linguistically competent.

Slide 5

Developing the Teaching Tool

The most desirable approach to inform the elderly Eastern European immigrants in a practical and easily accessible way is to create a bilingual cell phone application focusing on fall prevention. The application is designed to suit the requirements of individuals who lack digital literacy and are in need of information in their native languages. Although the app might seem rather complex to non-technical individuals, to the latter, such an app with huge buttons will be extremely easy to navigate. It includes educational videos with Russian or Polish subtitles that are effective in delivering information about fall prevention measures. Besides, the app enables them to complete fascinating checklists to assess the home environment regarding its risk of falls. To further boost fall prevention, the application gives reminders of activities to enhance balance and strength, which are essential in preventing falls.

Slide 6

Description of the Tool

The cell phone application was developed in the spirit of simplicity and accessibility. When the app is opened, users are presented with a home screen with options from the main menu. It may involve watching educational videos, completing interactive checklists, or receiving fall prevention reminders. Several narrative knowledge promotion interventions include short and basic educational videos, which illustrate concepts in easy-to-understand language with the use of visuals. The application has a few features, such as guided checklists on the safety of the home. The variables in fall prevention in these checklists are lighting, hazards and assistive devices. Its user interface is understandable and culturally suitable to enable the target audience to interpret and use the information.

Slide 7

Literature Support for the Tool

Thus, the studies confirm the application of cell phone apps in the context of imparting knowledge about health-related problems to the aged. Studies have revealed that if the developed applications are developed keeping in mind the cultural and linguistic inclination of the user, they are able to enhance health literacy and adherence to health recommendations (Fitzpatrick, 2023). The information is made available and significant with the help of bilingual and culturally suitable content. Furthermore, apps and other interactive functions, such as videos and checklists, were found to enhance engagement, so the likelihood of the users maintaining and using the knowledge they received is high (Newman et al., 2021). These benefits are beneficial as they mean that people will be more likely to maintain those practices that reduce their chances of falling, hence improving their health.

Slide 8

Contribution to Critical Thinking

The cell phone application informs and develops the facets of problem-solving. It exploits interactive features that facilitate problem-solving, besides decision-making among the users. As an example, the safety checklists will ask the user to indicate the risk of falls in their homes and how this risk can be reduced. It also provides contextual examples of the criteria which must be employed to make decisions, like selecting exercises which are conditional on the users. Such activities foster self-care and allow people to take control over their health, increasing, by extension, their level of conscious decision-making (Mazuz et al., 2020). The app is also useful in the development of critical thinking to bring about behaviour and health change.

Slide 9

Impact on Nursing Practice and Patient Outcomes

The app on cell phones can enable nurses to deliver more specific education to older Eastern European immigrants (Qudah and Luetsch, 2019). The tool satisfies the cultural and linguistic needs of the patients and assists nurses in ensuring that their information is comprehended and remembered. This simplifies the process of complying with the fall prevention strategies identified since patients will tend to follow instructions more when they can identify with them. Additionally, the functionality of the app to track the activity and progress of users gives nurses an idea of the success of their actions and gives them a chance to revise them in case of necessity. This is significant in the reduction of risk factors that are related to falls as well as improving the general quality of life in this group of individuals.

Slide 10

Conclusion

Thus, the fall prevention education cell phone application is not only effective, acceptable and pertinent to the target audience of the elderly Eastern European immigrants. This way, the app effectively struggles against shortcomings that affect the given population, thereby enhancing such factors as health literacy and critical thinking among the target patients. I believe the information I have outlined suggests the importance of technology use as a tool for breaking down cultural and language obstacles in the healthcare system and, subsequently, enhancing the well-being of the community.

Slide 11

References

Fitzpatrick, P. J. (2023). Improving health literacy using the power of digital communications to achieve better health outcomes for patients and practitioners. Frontiers in Digital Health, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1264780

Hawkins, M. M., Holliday, D. D., Weinhardt, L. S., Florsheim, P., Ngui, E., & AbuZahra, T. (2022). Barriers and facilitators of health among older adult immigrants in the United States: an integrative review of 20 years of literature. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13042-x

Mazuz, K., Biswas, S., & Lindner, U. (2020). Developing self-management application of fall prevention among older adults: A content and usability evaluation. Frontiers in Digital Health, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2020.00011

Newman, B., Joseph, K., Chauhan, A., Seale, H., Li, J., Manias, E., Walton, M., Mears, S., Jones, B., & Harrison, R. (2021). Do patient engagement interventions work for all patients? A systematic review and realist synthesis of interventions to enhance patient safety. Health Expectations, 24(6), 1905–1923. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13343

Qudah, B., & Luetsch, K. (2019). The influence of mobile health applications on patient – healthcare provider relationships: A systematic, narrative review. Patient Education and Counseling, 102(6), 1080–1089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2019.01.021

Vaishya, R., & Vaish, A. (2020). Falls in older adults are serious. Indian Journal of Orthopaedics, 54(1), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43465-019-00037-x