Areas of Concern
Young patients are exposed to a range of factors that may impede their further development and affect their health to a considerable degree. In the case under analysis, the patient suffers from frailness and has an evident lack of concentration, which signifies the presence of a larger problem. While the current range of symptoms is comparatively scarce to make any definitive statements, it can be assumed that the patient may suffer from anemia and, possibly, anorexia nervosa since she seems to control her weight deliberately given the fact that she asked for diet pills. Therefore, the weight issue and the reasons for its loss in the patient, as well as the concentration-related problems, should be viewed as the primary areas of concern for a nurse. Furthermore, seeing that there is a threat of anorexia nervosa being in development, patient education should be deemed as one of the key issues to take into consideration.
Screening Tools
Despite the fact that SCOFF was introduced into the range of diagnosing strategies quite a while ago, it remains one of the primary means of diagnosing anorexia nervosa and the associated health problems (Sanchez-Armass et al., 2017). Therefore, it should be viewed as the first test for the patient to take, the information provided during the screening will shed light on whether the patient has developed anorexia nervosa, as well as determine the stage to which the problem may have progressed (Sanchez-Armass et al., 2017).
The application of the test that will help define the patient’s hormone levels can also be viewed as the key to diagnosing the problem accurately. Complete blood count (CBC) and the application of the metabolic panel analysis should also be listed among the possible tools for diagnosing the issue (Sanchez-Armass et al., 2017). It is expected that the identified strategies will allow determining the health problem with enough precision and, therefore, provide the data that will inform the further choice of the available approaches for managing the issue.
Health Promotion Strategy
It is crucial that the patient should be provided with immediate treatment. Otherwise, the problem is likely to aggravate to the point where the changes to the patient’s body will become irreversible. The suggested plan of care includes the following elements:
- Pharmacological intervention: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (possibly Fluoxetine (Aggarwal, Jethani, Rohatgi, & Kalra, 2016));
- Non-pharmacological (OTC) intervention: CBT as the basis for changing the patient’s attitude;
- Labs: complete blood count (CBC);
- Follow-ups: patient supervision;
- Teaching: promotion of healthy self-image (Salzmann-Erikson & Dahlén, 2017).
Seeing that the patient seems to be in control of her nutrition process, it will be necessary to educate her about the importance of proper diet and the threats of undernourishment. To be more specific, it is crucial that a nurse should encourage the patient to gain weight and help her develop a positive attitude toward the identified change (Salzmann-Erikson & Dahlén, 2017). The introduction of family members and friends into the intervention process may be viewed as a possibility, yet one must wait until the patient is confident enough to engage in a dialogue with others (Salzmann-Erikson & Dahlén, 2017). The introduction of care relationships that will advance the recovery process and motivate the patient to reconsider her self-image, therefore, must be deemed as the primary area of focus for a nurse at present.
References
Aggarwal, A., Jethani, S. L., Rohatgi, R. K., & Kalra, J. (2016). Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) induced weight changes: A dose and duration dependent study on albino rats. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research: JCDR, 10(3), AF01. Web.
Salzmann-Erikson, M., & Dahlén, J. (2017). Nurses’ establishment of health promoting relationships: A descriptive synthesis of anorexia nervosa research. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(1), 1-13. Web.
Sanchez-Armass, O., Raffaelli, M., Andrade, F. C. D., Wiley, A. R., Noyola, A. N. M., Arguelles, A. C., & Aradillas-Garcia, C. (2017). Validation of the SCOFF questionnaire for screening of eating disorders among Mexican university students. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 22(1), 153-160. Web.