Tutor profile: Janet O.

Only 41% of African-Americans receive the flu vaccine each year. What can public health and health practitioners do to improve the situation?

Research shows that African-Americans are not receiving strong recommendations for the vaccine during health visits and are less likely to receive an offer for the vaccine. This is an area that can be addressed during health visits. Additionally, targeted messages, that are culturally appropriate, to minority communities can be done. Additional funding to state immunization programs targeting these population groups can also be done.

Aging individuals are at risk for malnutrition, particularly those who remain in their home. What assessment tools are available for visiting nurses to assess clients for malnutrition?

The Nutritional Form For the Elderly (NUFFE) includes fifteen 3-point items. It is easy to use and can be a self-report for the aged to fill out; scores range from 0-30 with the higher scores indicating risk for undernutrition. Testing studies indicate that the scale is reliable and valid. Mini Nutritional Assessment full form consists of 18 items and a revised shorter form makes it easy to use. Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) consists of three items: BMI, weight loss and effect of acute disease. MUST is easy to use and its reliability and validity are well document. The tool is also showed that self-screening of clients had good agreement with that of health professionals

Are there any vitamins that can help individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus?

Yes, while not all clinical trials demonstrated clinically significant benefits of vitamin D supplementation, the theoretical clinical advantage and tolerability of vitamin D warrant the supplementation and subsequent monitoring in clinical practice.