FPX6011

Evidence-Based Patient-Centered Needs Assessment

For providing effective care, patient needs assessment is important. African Americans in the United States face a greater impact from diabetes, a chronic condition, than do other demographic groups. Involving African Americans actively in their care plans may improve their overall health results. Addressing their needs requires interventions that make use of technology to deliver quality and ethical care (Marzban et al., 2022). These inventive approaches will similarly help to resolve cultural and language differences in the healthcare of African Americans. Implementing the right technological strategies will help us to achieve fair healthcare for this population, which will in turn eliminate these disparities.

Scenario

Mrs. Johnson, a 52-year-old African American woman with type 2 diabetes, lives in an underserved neighborhood with limited access to healthy foods and faces challenges attending clinic visits due to transportation issues. During a recent visit, she reports fluctuating blood glucose levels and admits struggling to understand her medication instructions, partly due to limited health literacy and her preference for more informal, culturally familiar communication.

Patient Engagement

Engaging patients like Mrs. Johnson in the management of their unique health, economic, and cultural issues is important, particularly concerning diabetes in the African American community. Current data show that 12% of African Americans have diabetes, while only 7% of European Americans do, with some reports claiming it is nearly absent among European American populations (HHS, 2019). African Americans commonly deal with barriers to getting proper care because of their different beliefs, language difficulties, and socioeconomic challenges (Connell et al., 2019). Engaging patients like Mrs. Johnson in their care planning 2 improves their health and helps to diminish healthcare disparities. Engaging patients actively in their care allows healthcare providers to better focus on their healthcare needs, leading to improved diabetes management and a fall in complications such as kidney failure. Understanding the cultural histories of African American patients like Mrs. Johnson is important for the delivery of culturally competent care, which can increase trust in the healthcare system as providers acknowledge and respect their cultural beliefs and values. Also, the substantial cost of healthcare creates serious difficulties for African Americans in the effective management of diabetes. This community usually suffers from reduced health insurance coverage and greater health inequities because of their limited income (Gilbert et al., 2022). Participating patients in care planning helps to reveal more economical treatment options that do not strain their financial resources.

Specific Examples of Patient Engagement Strategy

Several engagement strategies can be used to enhance the engagement of Mrs. Johnson and other African American diabetic patients. These may include the initiation of Patient Advisory Boards whose members come from the African American community and can present their views on diabetes management and care needs. The more this engagement is carried out, the higher the chances of having culture-relevant health interventions and trust between the patient and provider (Maurer et al., 2022). Another intervention strategy that would be helpful is peer-led support programs; patients who are adherent to medication can be grouped with those who are having difficulty adhering to remind them of their similar experiences while also encouraging them (Wippold et al., 2021). Another intervention strategy that would be helpful is culturally tailored educational 3 sessions on managing diabetes, including belief and concern topics such as dietary preferences that include traditional foods (Shiyanbola et al., 2022). Other strategies that enhance health literacy through the elimination of medical jargon and using simple, nonculturally biased communication empower the patients like Mrs. Johnson to participate in their treatment. ALL such strategies make efforts to raise the level of involvement, compliance, and good results for African American patients suffering from diabetes.

Impact of Information and Communication Technology Tools

Information and communication technology (ICT) offers the essential tools for building up health literacy among African Americans. Such major technologies include telemedicine, especially in mobile health applications and patient portals. Health care for African Americans is through such essential technologies as telehealth, where the healthcare providers provide them with input on the self-management of their health conditions without the need for physical visits. This technology encourages patients like Mrs. Johnson to be more involved with their respective care plans and helps in dealing with health disparities experienced by marginalized groups (Vieira et al., 2020). The features of mHealth applications, such as blood glucose monitoring and reminder medication, would help drastically improve glycemic control among racial and ethnic minorities. Other ICT tools include electronic patient portals linked to EHRs, where patients can view information about their health status, current ongoing treatment or intervention, and test results. These are sources of cultural relevance, hence improving the health literacy of patients with diabetes.

Unanswered Questions and Areas of Uncertainty

There are several unanswered questions and gaps relating to the issue of how ICT can 4 enhance the health literacy of diabetes management among African Americans. The first question is related to the width of the digital gap among African Americans that could negatively impact the usage of ICT tools that are meant to enhance health literacy. Secondly, the knowledge about the scarcity of resources is not sufficient and discourages its usage in furthering health literacy among African Americans.

Value and Relevance of Technology Modalities

Telemedicine, mHealth, and patient portals are some of the technologies highly valued in the care of African American patients who suffer from diabetes. These technologies enhance patient involvement and communication as well as health information. Therefore, telehealth is very helpful for African Americans suffering from diabetes like Mrs. Johnson since it enhances the accessibility of care services that are affordable and accessible (Anderson et al., 2022). mHealth applications give patients the ability to track their sugar levels and prompt reminders for medication. In this way, it ensures them a normal lifestyle without the need for admissions. A patient portal allows a person to view their health information, from lab results and care plans to recommended interventions (Dendere et al., 2019). This way, with the help of these sites, patients can continue being involved in their diabetes management and making decisions that personally appeal to them.

Interoperability of Modalities

Telemedicine platforms are integrated into EHR to enable health professionals to make decisions that affect the lives of patients toward health benefits. The interoperability has improved care coordination and continuity, especially among African Americans. mHealth applications allow data storage capabilities, such as recording blood glucose, among many others, to help providers monitor the state of a patient and modify care plans for patients like 5 Mrs. Johnson. Patient portals are integrated for synchronization with an EHR system in support of ensuring that patient information is timely and updated (Zhang & Saltman, 2021). Such integration thus allows for seamless continuation of care and coordination by healthcare providers while supporting effective management of a patient.

Communication Strategies

The strategies include open communication, active listening and the teach-back technique. The patients and their families are informed, and the patients can ask questions and express their concerns when the communication is open. Engrossed listening entails respecting the patient’s feelings, establishing trust and understanding, promoting the patient’s verbal and nonverbal communication, and creating patient and healthcare provider accountability (Babaii et al., 2021). Telehealth is a good way to have appointments because patients like Mrs. Johnson can speak with the provider without worrying about their appearance. Two-way communication and the use of simple language assist patients and families in comprehending medical terms and health complications. Other elements of mHealth apps and patient portals, including the simplicity of language and graphics, also help to explain health conditions (Yen & Leasure, 2019; Madanian et al., 2023). The Teach-back method requires the patients to repeat the information to the provider, which also makes them aware of information-sharing boundaries under data protection laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (Theodos & Sittig, 2020). This method encourages the free flow of information and guarantees that health information reaches the patients and their families in an understandable form.

Innovative Strategies for Implementing Technology

Some of the novel technological applications for supporting quality, ethical, and efficient patient care of African American diabetics should help in addressing factors unique to this population by making them culturally and linguistically sensitive. This can be achieved with the integration of telehealth platforms and mHealth applications that offer culturally relevant health education and support tailored to African American communities. These tools can increase accessibility to care, especially in reducing gaps in the management of diabetes, through presenting real-time data on blood glucose levels and standardized care plans (Lyles et al., 2020). mHealth apps that feature simple language, graphics, and culturally appropriate information could make it easier for patients like Mrs. Johnson to understand their condition and treatment and would encourage people to be active in their health. It will also integrate into electronic health records to permit the sharing of data with healthcare providers when making decisions that foster constant care. Its ethical use is further augmented through maintaining high standards in strict adherence to data protection acts like HIPAA that will ensure the protection of the rights of diabetic patients to privacy but will maximize the benefits of technology utilization in the management of diabetes (Theodos & Sittig, 2020). Additionally, culturally competent training for health care providers would facilitate respect and understanding of the rich cultural backgrounds of patients, which is critical in providing person-centred care. Training in this regard may further enhance communication, promote trust between providers and patients, and thus lead to better health outcomes (Busse et al., 2022). Finally, the utilization of community health workers who are knowledgeable about the culture allows them to bridge knowledge gaps in communication and tailor support towards patients like Mrs. Johnson so that all the initiatives in health literacy meet the specific needs and cultural requirements of the individual. Using such strategies on a broad scale will help 7 healthcare systems boost engagement and health outcomes for African Americans with diabetes.

Potential Risk and Mitigating Adverse Outcomes

Telemedicine, mHealth apps, and patient portals can significantly improve access to personal health information and technology, thus reducing health disparities among African American diabetic patients significantly. Telehealth provides timely medical advice and overcomes barriers like transportation and time constraints, while mHealth apps allow patients like Mrs. Johnson to monitor blood glucose levels and thus manage medications effectively, bringing about reductions in complications (Vieira et al., 2020). Patient portals empower patients by giving them a voice in their care-they can view important health information, and review lab work and treatment plans-meaning greater involvement in their healthcare. Such technologies help bridge the digital divide while using culturally and linguistically appropriate resources to promote health literacy and inform decision-making. Finally, community health workers may be crucial in filling communication gaps as they provide patient-tailored support. The strategies cumulatively assist in reducing healthcare disparities and also help improve the outcomes of health among African Americans who suffer from diabetes.

Example of Prior Use of Strategies

Scholars argue that inequities must be addressed through culturally responsive education of healthcare professionals, according to Kaihlanen et al. (2019). Interventions significantly improve patient-provider communication, thus decreasing disparities, as reported in studies. According to research by Mistry et al. (2022), telemedicine platforms reduce the chances of patient disengagement due to enhanced trust and equal access. Telehealth allows for culturally responsive care that is specific to the patient's culture and background. These practices have been implemented and successful in numerous sites of health providers to reduce risks and disparities 8 for improved patient outcomes and participation.

Conclusion

Innovation through relevant technological strategies will be fruitful in meeting better health outcomes for African Americans like Mrs. Johnson living with diabetes. Exploitation of ICT tools will be useful in meeting specific healthcare needs. Such strategies help in tackling every specific care requirement to reduce risks associated with disparities in care. Not only will these approaches arm the healthcare professional with knowledge toward providing the most excellent, ethical, and effective care, but they also advocate cultural competence, access to language, and patient activation. Improving the diabetes management process through technology greatly improves the interaction between the patient and the provider and yields better health results.