Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a spectrum of diseases related to long-term breathing problems and airflow blockage. It appears to be quite widespread: as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates (2017), 16 million Americans suffer from this spectrum of diseases. Moreover, there is a problem of undiagnosed patients, the number of which frequently includes the ones speaking other languages and belonging to other cultures.
To begin with, discussion of the possible limitations and solutions is vital in this context. In such a lesson, it would be appropriate to speak of the disease itself, its treatment and prevention, its barriers, and solutions. Signs and symptoms are to be analyzed as well as causes of diseases (Lopez-Campos et al., 2016). As for prevention, there are multiple ways like smoking cessation and air quality improvement. Sometimes, surgery is needed, though management usually includes exercises and bronchodilators. Speaking of the possible barriers to mention, one could point out that patients may use unconventional medicine, and its effect cannot be ignored in treatment (Ali & Watson, 2017). Moreover, there is the possibility of a language barrier between a patient and medical personnel. Hence, it is also recommended to allow sufficient time for the interview in order to collect comprehensive anamnesis and to address health literacy in such cases (Wittenberg et al., 2018). As for the learning evaluation methods in COPD treatment when patients belong to other cultures, they do not differ from the regular ones. Though, they must include assessment of abilities to work in a multicultural environment.
To conclude, a lesson on COPD should include information on treatment, prevention, and management. Moreover, the possible limitations of treatment of patients belonging to other cultures are to be discussed as well as the possible solutions like carrying out more comprehensive interviews or preventive activities. Finally, speaking of the learning evaluation methods, they do not have to differ from the ordinary ones; however, specialized knowledge of other cultures could be useful.
References
Ali, P., & Watson, R. (2017). Language barriers and their impact on provision of care to patients with limited English proficiency: Nurses’ perspectives. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(5 – 6), 1152 – 1160.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Introduction to program evaluation for public health programs: A self-study guide. CDC. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. CDC. Web.
Lopez-Campos, J., Tan, W., & Soriano, J. (2016). Global burden of COPD. Respirology, 21(1), 14 – 23.
Wittenberg, E., Farrel, B., Kanter, E., & Buller, H. (2018). Health literacy: Exploring nursing challenges to providing support and understanding. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 22(1), 53 – 61.