Importance Of Conducting A Risk Assessment

Conducting a Risk Assessment A 25-year-old patient has presented to the clinic today. The patient reports that she is homeless, a type II diabetic, HIV positive, and currently pregnant with a gestational age of 25 weeks. The patient also reports that she was previously seen at a community health clinic that has since closed due to monetary factors. At this point during the initial prenatal visit, the provider should perform a risk assessment on this patient. Prior to conducting the risk assessment, the provider should ensure that the patient is as comfortable as possible during the interview process. The provider should maintain a conversational voice, sit in front of the patient, and maintain eye contact during the interview (Balls, …show more content…
Homeless women are more likely to face malnutrition-related complications, such as anemia (Youngkin et al., 2013). When dealing with pregnancy, King et al. (2013) states that during the second and third trimesters, pregnant females require anywhere from 350 to 450 more calories per day. In addition to increased caloric needs, pregnant women also require increased nutrient needs such as protein, omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamins A and D, folic acid, iodine, iron, and calcium (King et al., 2013). In regards to the patient’s HIV status, there are several nutritional recommendations for this illness. In the article “Nutrition & food safety in HIV/AIDS” (2010), specific recommendations for individuals that are HIV positive incorporates appropriate hand hygiene, washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly, and avoiding raw eggs, meats and/or seafood. The rationale behind these suggestions is to avoid foodborne illness. Both pregnancy and HIV result in the body entering an immunocompromised state; therefore, this education most certainly applies for this …show more content…
Unfortunately, simply because the evidence and practice guidelines exist does not mean that they are always incorporated into patient care. Unfortunately, research from Grol & Grimshaw (2003) has shown that much as 30% to 40% of patients do not receive care from their provider that is evidence-based. Even more disconcerting is that 20% to 25% of all care given is either not needed or can even be deemed harmful in nature (Grol & Grimshaw, 2003). With these facts alone, one can see that by incorporating EBP into clinical interventions, as much as 75% of care provided will actually benefit patients. Pertaining to this scenario, multiple EBP guidelines have been developed surrounding pregnancy care. Examples of these guidelines include early and frequent prenatal visits, screening for STDs, blood typing to determine need for RHOgam, required vaccinations during pregnancy, etc. Obviously, there a many more EBP guidelines surrounding pregnancy, but it is important to note that each of the guidelines assist the practitioner in providing efficient, holistic