Discussion: Providing Genetic Nursing Care to Patient with Chronic Illnesses

Disease prevention can easily be considered the best path toward a cure, but there are some diseases to which many people are hereditarily more susceptible. Chronic health problems, many of which have yet to be cured, show up in hospitals and clinics frequently.

As medical research continues to actively search for cures and better treatment options, how can you as a nurse provide the best care possible for your patients? Do you know the risks related to misdiagnosis for a patient who suffers from a chronic disease? What can a nurse do to help the patient live comfortably with chronic diseases?

Health care continues to develop through research efforts that find new treatment options. In addition, advances in genetic and genomic connections to health and illness are influencing nursing practice and becoming a routine part of taking a patient’s family history. When a nurse notices a genetic predisposition to an illness, he or she can take the opportunity to begin educating the patient as well as being more aware of possible signs and symptoms of onset.

This week, you will explore strategies for providing better patient care to patients with chronic health problems and explore how genetics and genomics influence nursing practice.

There are several chronic health problems with genetic/genomic components that plague the population. These health problems are very difficult and challenging diseases to manage. Evidenced-based nursing practice must include genetic and genomic information when planning patient care. Nurses, through their knowledge and support, play an important role in positive patient outcomes when managing the challenges of these genetically linked diseases.

For this Discussion, you will consider applications of various topics to genetics and genomics. Review the Resources focusing on the application of genetics and genomics to nursing

Choose one of the following subtopics:

• Pharmacogenomics and chronic illnesses
• Genomics in patient assessment
• Genetically competent care for those with chronic illnesses

Note: A different subtopic relating to genetics and genomics may be chosen with Instructor approval.

Locate at least one scholarly journal article that discusses your subtopic.

Respond to the following:

• Identify your subtopic and provide a brief summary of your journal article on how this topic relates to nursing practice.
• What is the nurse’s role in providing care in relation to your subtopic and the overarching theme of advocacy?
• What ethical implications should be considered with regard to genetics and genomics for nursing practice? Why?

Support your response with references from the professional nursing literature.

Note Initial Post: A 3-paragraph (at least 350 words) response. Be sure to use evidence from the readings and include in-text citation. Utilize essay-level

writing practice and skills, including the use of transitional material and organizational frames. Avoid quotes; paraphrase to incorporate evidence into your own writing. A reference list is required. Use the most current evidence

usually ≤ 5 years old).

Shaw, R. J., McDuffie, J. R., Hendrix, C. C., Edie, A., Lindsey-Davis, L., Nagi, A., Kosinski, A. S., & Williams, J. W (2014). Effects of nurse-managed protocols in the outpatient management of adults with chronic conditions. Annals of Internal Medicine, 161(2), 113–121. http://doi.org/10.7326/M13-2567

Coleman, B., Calzone, K. A., Jenkins, J., Paniagua, C., Rivera, R., Hong, O. S., Spruill, I., & Bonham, V. (2014). Multi-ethnic minority nurses’ knowledge and practice of genetics and genomics. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 46(4), 235-244. http://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12083

Gaskin, D. J., Thorpe, R. J., McGinty, E. E., Bower, K., Rohde, C., Young, J. H., LaVeist, T. A., & Dubay, L. (2014). Disparities in diabetes: The nexus of race, poverty, and place. American Journal of Public Health, 104(1), 2147–2155. http://doi.org/ 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301420