Current Health Promotion Paper Pamphlet
Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome is a dangerous complication of pregnancy. It is a severe form of preeclampsia and is most common in the third trimester of pregnancy. The cause of the disease is unknown, but the cure is the delivery of the infant and removal of the placenta. This illness can be challenging to diagnose and often presents in atypical fashion involving multiple organ systems. Due to lack of public awareness of this disease and atypical presentation and risk factors, it is important to provide health promotion information for the public on the potential complications. The Preeclampsia Foundation is a non-profit that provides health promotion pamphlets to health care providers on preeclampsia in its many forms. This information is provided free of charge for distribution to the provider’s at-risk patient population.
According to Gonzalo (2011), health promotion is human behavior focused on the attempt of achieving personal wellness. The health promotion model developed by Nola Pender is an example of how personal experiences influenced by nursing actions can motivate a patient in avoiding health complications. The nurse assists the patient in becoming their own advocate in preventing disease or illness. This is accomplished by giving the patient access to vital health information that may affect their personal health. Gonzalo (2011) states that the goal of this model is the patient to reach self efficacy in their health care decisions and wellness. By giving pregnant women access to the signs and symptoms of HELLP syndrome, women can be vigilant in personal health protection. This is important because the onset of HELLP syndrome can be sudden and potentially become life threatening for mother and baby if not addressed quickly. If this was to occur between prenatal appointments and the patient is not educated on what to be aware of, HELLP syndrome could become fatal. Patients that are well educated in what to be aware of in recognizing the onset of HELLP syndrome are able to alert their health care provider in a timely fashion and prevent complications from the disease.
The HELLP syndrome pamphlet provided by the Preeclampsia Foundation (2009) is a great resource in providing patients with this valuable information. The target audience of the brochure is pregnant women in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. The information in the brochure is written at a high school level education. This may be above the reading comprehension in some of the intended audience. The layout of the brochure is clean and not over inundated with information. The front of the brochure is attractive and shows a picture of a pregnant woman. HELLP syndrome is clearly identified as the purpose of the brochure. The next line states “a severe variant of preeclampsia”. This statement could potentially not be understood by someone unfamiliar with the disease. A clearer way of explaining the disease to lay public could be “a severe complication in pregnancy”. This may catch the attention of someone not aware of what preeclampsia is or that it is a complication of pregnancy. The information in the brochure is well formulated and thought out. The organization of the information is easy to follow and each area is highlighted with appropriate bullet points and flags to draw attention. Areas addressed in the brochure include a technical definition of HELLP syndrome, signs and symptoms, treatment, at-risk populations, prevention, classification of the disease, affects on the baby, and incidence of reoccurrence in future pregnancies. The information in these categories is clear, concise and appropriate to the target audience. Health promotion is addressed in the pamphlet by encouraging women to improve their health prior to pregnancy, attend all prenatal appointments, relay family history that involves preeclampsia to the health care provider, be aware of signs and symptoms of the disease, and trusting in personal feelings of feeling unwell. The brochure attempts to empower women to take charge and be accountable for personal health protection. Cultural sensitivity is respected in the brochure and developed and undeveloped nations’ information is addressed in the incidence category. The brochure is very useful and can be given to women at a doctor’s appointment at the beginning of the second trimester. The brochure information should be presented to the patient in an education session with a nurse in the office. The brochure can then serve as a resource for the patient to refer to throughout the remainder of the pregnancy.
HELLP syndrome can be a very serious and potentially deadly complication of pregnancy that can be prevented by providing patients with life saving information to recognize the disease. Health promotion brochures can be an effective way of providing patients with this information and empowering self efficacy in personal wellness. References
Gonzalo, A. (2011). The health promotion model. Retrieved from http://www.nursingtheories.weebly.com/nola-pender.html
Preeclampsia foundation. (May, 2009). Hellp syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.preeclampsia.org/health-information/hellp-syndrome
