Health Promotion For The Mastectomy Patient Case Study

Health Promotion for the Mastectomy Patient The focus of this paper is on the journey of a 44-year-old woman diagnosed with breast cancer, recovering from a mastectomy. The patient’s health will be explored using Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns and the Determinants of Health. Pre and post admission, different health related strategies, and resources will also be discussed.
Client Description The patient in question is a fictional character that has been used with discretion from the creator. The 44-year-old female patient was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a modified radical mastectomy to the left breast. A drain was placed and cared for by the patient at home and was later removed by a nurse. The patient is a single mother with
How family members react whether positively or negatively through body language or verbally “may change the patient’s body esteem” (Heidari, Shahbazi, & Ghodusi, 2015, p. 174). The patient should feel safe to discuss their concerns with no fear of judgement. A second strategy as mentioned previously, is to provide counselling services as needed. Counselling is different from simple sharing feelings with family members. A psychologist is trained to try and find specific ways for the patient to deal or cope with depression. A third strategy is to encourage the patient to be fitted with a bra prosthesis or have reconstructive surgery if possible. Reconstructive surgery is performed “to restore femininity, to improve quality of life and to reduce psychosocial morbidity” (van Vuuren, van Haaren, vd Kar, Kortleve, & Scheeren, 2015, p. 120).
Community Resources A great resource for mastectomy patients is the Dawson Creek Home Medical Needs Ltd. They offer mastectomy fittings run by certified staff, however, they don’t sell mastectomy prostheses. It is a family based business locally run and owned, located on 1004-105th Ave in Dawson Creek. They can be contacted by phone at (250)-719-0577 or by email at