Environmental Health Case Study
Name
Institution
Course
Instructor
Date
Environmental Heath Case Study
Introduction
A healthy environment improves the quality of life and well-being of human beings. a compromised environment, on the other hand, has adverse effects on human health. researchers have linked several diseases to harmful environmental dangerous conditions. Respiratory infections account for a high percentage of environmentally induced diseases. In a particular case study, a 55-year-old woman working at a local law firm suffers from an unidentified respiratory illness for the last seven years. From her sentiments, she does not smoke tobacco and works at an old building. Her colleagues also experience similar health conditions throughout the year. Therefore, a family practice nurse needs to develop a thorough health assessment of the client’s environment to determine the cause of her illness. The paper analyses the pertinent information of the patient and her environmental risk factors.
Patients Pertinent Information
Respiratory infections are some of the most common medical concerns worldwide. The diseases are a significant source of discomfort and interfere with normal breathing. Several factors cause and trigger respiratory infections: cold climatic conditions, tobacco smoke, environmental exposure to harmful pathogens, and air pollutants (Marques, Ferreira, and Pitarma 2018). In this case, the client suffers from respiratory illness, which is not associated with any form of tobacco use and climatic changes. The absence of the named factors leaves the cause of her condition to be environmental exposure. (Mendell, Macher, and Kumagai 2018). Environmental exposure accounts for 40 percent of all respiratory illnesses cases. The patient prefers working at an old building adjacent to the courtroom. Old structures are known to have high moisture and humidity levels, which prompts the growth of pathogens like fungi, molds, bacteria, and triggers the breakdown of building materials.
Exposure to these factors leads to several environmental diseases (Marques, Ferreira, and Pitarma 2018). Another important finding from the study is that all her colleagues suffer from respiratory illness throughout the year. This narrows down the cause of her condition to be environmental exposure at her workplace.
Environmental Health Case Study
The Patients Health Risk Assessment
Health risk assessment provides clues to the causes of a specific illness, in this case, respiratory disease. Evaluation of the environmental exposure to harmful particulates and pathogens helps the family nurse identify the potential cause and solution to the respiratory problem (Mendell, Macher, and Kumagai 2018). The most common and preventable factors include exposure to indoor air particulates, smoke from burning fuel, tobacco smoke, and underlying medical conditions (Marques, Ferreira, and Pitarma 2018). The patient has no history of tobacco use and infections arising from climatic conditions. the nursing practitioner should therefore conduct environmental risk assessment should therefore be carried out at her office and home to establish the cause of her predicament. Another way of assessing the client’s exposure is to analyze her everyday products such as cleaning products and pet care products to determine the products’ composition, which could be harmful.
The Exposure Pathway
Every working environment presents unique medical challenges and exposure to harmful pathogens. In the case study, the 100-year-old building poses a severe health problem to the patient and her colleagues. Old structures are characterized by poor ventilation and high moisture content. Exposure to building dampness and molds leads to respiratory infections such as asthma, bronchitis, and rhinosinusitis. The client could also be exposed to harmful volatile organic compounds such as lead and asbestos, which causes severe respiratory infections.
Conclusion
The physical environment influences the respiratory health of an individual. Exposure to dangerous air particulates and substances leads to severe respiratory diseases and even death. Air pollutants in and from buildings account for half of the total respiratory infections. However, building-related illnesses are preventable by the construction of structures with the recommended standards of facilities.
Reference
Marques, G., Roque Ferreira, C., & Pitarma, R. (2018). A system based on the internet of things for real-time particle monitoring in buildings. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(4), 821.
Mendell, M. J., Macher, J. M., & Kumagai, K. (2018). Measured moisture in buildings and adverse health effects: a review. Indoor air, 28(4), 488-499.
Question
As a nurse practicing within a family practice, you are interviewing a 55-year-old woman who is an executive assistant at a local law firm, where she has worked for 9 years. She has a 7-year history of respiratory illness, which occurs several times throughout the year, not seemingly connected to the changes in season. She does not use tobacco products in any form. During your questions regarding her home and work environments, she reports that she enjoys working adjacent to the courthouse in a building over 100 years old because it is such a contrast to her brand-new home on a local golf course. When describing the health of her coworkers, she indicates, “We all share illnesses, which seem to affect everyone else during the year; we just seem to be sicker more often!”
What information is pertinent to your client’s case?
How would you assess your client’s risk?
What would be an exposure pathway for your client?
Your document should be 1-2 pages in length, in APA format, typed in Times New Roman with 12-point font, double-spaced with 1” margins, and include at least two citations using references less than five years old.
Environmental Health Case Study