Development of bilingual tools to assess functional health patterns

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Health Assessment
• Bilingual Education

Background:

• Gordon's 11 Functional Health Patterns provide a framework for comprehensive health assessment.
• Developing culturally sensitive and bilingual tools is crucial for effective healthcare in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the theory and process for creating bilingual assessment tools.
• To support student clinical practicums in Spanish-speaking environments, enabling assessment of individuals, families, and communities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multiple family and community health promotion theories.
• Applied translation theories and the translation/back-translation method with Ecuadorian faculty and students.
• Incorporated student community assessments and faculty/staff workshops in Ecuador.

Main Results:

• Bilingual, culturally sensitive tools were developed.
• These tools facilitate patient history taking and the establishment of nursing diagnoses and interventions.
• The process promoted mutual learning between students, faculty, and the community.

Conclusions:

• Bilingual assessment tools enhance the effectiveness of nursing care in diverse settings.
• The developed tools can be adapted for use in international nursing contexts.
• This approach fosters cultural sensitivity and improves health assessment accuracy.