NR 511 Week 5 Barriers to Preventative Care

Sample Answer for NR 511 Week 5 Barriers to Preventative Care

My clinical practicum site is a primary care office. We often see patients who are women and are above the age of 50. I have decided to discuss the proportion of females who get screened for breast cancer and the proportion of adults who get screened for colorectal cancer. According to Healthy People 2030 (2021), the proportion of females who got screened for breast cancer was 75.6% in 2021 and the target is 80.3%. The proportion of adults who got screened for colorectal cancer was 58.7% in 2021 and the target is 68.3%. Breast and colorectal cancers are two very prevalent diseases that when caught early can drastically improve the patient’s outcome. Mammograms are used to screen for breast cancer, and they are recommended every other year for women between the ages of 50-74. It is recommended that patients between the ages of 45-75 be screened for colon cancer. The most common methods of screening are getting a high-sensitivity guaiac fecal occult blood test yearly, a colonoscopy every 10 years, or a flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years (United States Preventative Services Task Force, 2023). 

At my clinical practicum site, the providers use the most up-to-date guidelines posted by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (2023). These guidelines are very straightforward and easy to understand. So far, I have observed phenomenal preventative care. My preceptor does an excellent job at making sure she discusses it with every patient at every visit. The other providers in the office seem to have the same mindset. I have really enjoyed my site so far and feel that I have a much greater understanding of preventative care in just a short period of time. I don’t feel that I have witnessed any disparities or bias in the healthcare provided to different populations. My preceptor does a great job of bringing up the screenings in very lay terms. For example, toward the end of an appointment, she will say, “Now when did you last have your mammogram? Have you thought about a bone density scan? You will be due for them early next year.” I think she addresses health literacy and the CLAS standards by breaking topics down so they are easy to understand. She doesn’t use the full name of a test and instead relates it to the disease we are looking to prevent. She is also very respectful if a patient denies the screening but makes sure to leave the patient with a lasting thought about why the screening recommendation is important. 

Some changes I would recommend in my own practice setting would be to make sure that the screenings are discussed with every patient and that we remind them that their family members need these screenings too. Another way to increase the frequency of screenings in vulnerable populations is to find other ways to educate patients on the importance of these screenings. For example, every year our county does a huge parade all through town. It has such a great turnout every year because it is a free event and people who may not be able to afford treats for their kids are able to get them for free. To help spread education resources, we could print flyers to hand out during the parade every year. This would hopefully reach more people who may not regularly see a primary care physician. In the office I am currently working in, the providers feel that the annual Medicare visits really help to keep everyone on track with preventative screenings. It’s important to make sure that these screenings don’t accidentally get missed. 

  References 

A & B recommendations. United States Preventive Services Taskforce. (2023). https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation-topics/uspstf-a-and-b-recommendations 

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2021). Increase the proportion of females who get screened for breast cancer – C05. Healthy People 2030. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/cancer/increase-proportion-females-who-get-screened-breast-cancer-c-05 

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2021). Increase the proportion of adults who get screened for colorectal cancer — C07. Healthy People 2030. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/cancer/increase-proportion-adults-who-get-screened-colorectal-cancer-c-07 

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Sample Answer 2 for NR 511 Week 5 Barriers to Preventative Care

I don’t have much experience with Cologuard screenings. It seems that most of our patients opt to get a colonoscopy. Although it seems most of our patients prefer Colonoscopies, I believe it might be because many people don’t understand the Cologuard. It seems that our patients either get colonoscopies or don’t receive any screening or prevention. Cologuard screening tests could help to minimize the barriers that patients face regarding colonoscopies such as colon prep, cost, intolerance, and commitment (Ahluwalia et al, 2021). The provider I am working with does a great job at recommending the Cologuard screenings, but I think most patients turn here down because they don’t understand. I plan to read up more on the test so I will be able to explain it better to our patients, especially the ones who do not receive preventative screenings. 

Ahluwalia, A., Kears, A., Lam, H., Wright, J., Bloomfield, C., & Jones, M. (2021). S3537 Modernizing Colorectal Cancer Screening With Cologuard. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 116(1), S1453–S1453. https://doi.org/10.14309/01.ajg.0000787680.88302.8eLinks to an external site. 

Sample Answer 3 for NR 511 Week 5 Barriers to Preventative Care

This sounds like a great clinical site where you see a focused population of clients. Women’s health is so important, and breast cancer screening is beneficial to preventative care. Literature has shown that since the 1990s, there has been a greater than a 30% reduction in breast cancer mortality that is attributed to breast cancer screening (Yuan, et al., 2020).  It is great to hear that your preceptor has a way of connecting with the client using lay terminology to discuss and offer health screenings. I have witnessed this in my preceptor and that trusting relationship goes a long way with client. Your idea of sharing information at a community parade sounds fun and very practical. This also provides an opportunity for networking and meeting potential new clients. Thank you for sharing.  

Reference: 

Yuan, C., Kulkarni, K. & Dashevsky, B. (2020). Preventive care: How mammography utilization changes as women age. Journal of the American college of radiology, 17(2). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1546144019311226Links to an external site.