HPP Media Tool Assessment Paper
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Health Promotion Project: Media Tool Assessment
Sydney R. Adams
Department of Nursing, University of West Florida
NUR4895: Health Education in the Community
Dr. Wendy Lovelace Ray
November 16, 2020
Health Promotion Project: Media Tool Assessment
Teaching is a vital function of nursing; professionals educate patients and families about their diseases and conditions, diagnostic imaging, laboratory tests, prescription medications, health management, and self-care (Bastable et al., 2020, p. 9). The nurse ensures the educational content appropriately addresses the patient’s current condition, is easily understandable, and verifiably accurate. Governmental agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and educational institutions routinely conduct research and disseminate discovery information. This paper will analyze a pamphlet that will supplement the health presentation project (HPP) lecture about depression.
Project Basics
Down but Not Out: Depression Today is a virtual Zoom presentation based on the Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) objective MHMD-11: “increase depression screening by primary care providers” and initiative MHMD-11.1: “increase the proportion of primary care physician office visits where adults 19 years and older are screened for depression” (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2020). The presentation will address adults aged 19 years and older and will commence online via a Zoom presentation at 1800 EST on Monday, December 7, 2020. The project’s goal is to increase the rate at which primary care physicians routinely administer depression screenings by a minimum of seven percent within the next five years. The presentation shall increase public knowledge about depression and encourage patients to request routine depression screenings from their family physicians.
“Depression Basics” Pamphlet: Authenticity
“Depression Basics” is a pamphlet published by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a constituent of the National Institute of Health (NIH). The brochure is one of many included on NIMH’s “Publications About Depression” webpage (n.d.). The NIH and NIHM are agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, all of which are reliable sources of content. Last revised in 2016, the brochure’s material reflects current practice standards and medical knowledge, compared with the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) DSM-V (2013). The leaflet targets adults and does not contain superfluous images, distracting font, or garish text colors. Cited resources within the brochure are evident and include the NIMH website, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), government-sponsored clinical trials, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The brochure is available in English and Spanish languages and is objective, avoiding biased vernacular; coverage circumvents addressing specific cultural backgrounds. The pamphlet details how depression can present among women, men, older adults, adolescents, and teenagers. The content evades sexism, ageism, racism, classism and is not ableist or inappropriate at any point. One pamphlet segment refers to helping depressed loved ones and includes “him or her” as pronouns instead of the inclusive pronoun “they.” This oversight may merely reflect the brochure’s age (NIMH, 2016).
“Depression Basics” Leaflet: Breadth
NIMH’s leaflet presents six pages of educational material in a fluid, logical layout. Organized by delineated headers, information progresses from the condition’s definition, presentation, causes, treatment, and helpful advice. Sections listing the signs and symptoms and forms of depression involve a simple bulleted format. The pamphlet concisely reviews all pertinent information the layperson requires. It highlights the importance of visiting a physician for diagnosis and explains that clinicians treat depression with medication/behavioral or electroconvulsive therapies. A large yellow box captivates the reader’s attention; in italicized print, the booklet cautions some side-effects of antidepressant use, including agitation and suicidal ideation, and urges continuous communication with the physician during the treatment of depression. In 2018, Maurer et al. detailed the importance of physician depression screening and treatment to prevent suicide. Although some medications disagree with the patient’s brain chemistry and induce forms of psychosis, the pamphlet equips the consumer with enough information to effectively collaborate with their physician and choose their best method of treatment.
Consistency
Details within the handout are consistent with the current knowledge and treatment of depression. The pamphlet never contradicts information established by the NIMH, APA, CDC, or medical community. It is not a comprehensive catalog, but it explains the difference between depression and passing sadness, emphasizes its treatability, and discloses the links between depression and comorbidity, environment, biology, and genetics. NIMH’s brochure is professional, as it avoids improper and unnecessary punctuation. The reader can recognize depression’s warning signs, understand the role clinicians play in diagnosis, and glean tips about coping with depression or supporting loved ones suffering from depression. The booklet informs and empowers its readers to recognize the problem and act accordingly.
Readability
The Flesch Reading Ease score and the Flesch-Kincaid grade level calculates the words, sentences, and syllables in a body of work and determines the writing’s simplicity, reflected in a score indicating the grade level of the piece. The NIMH pamphlet has a Flesch Reading Ease score of 48.8 (difficult), understandable to a tenth-grade student. The brochure is ideal for the presentation’s target audience of adults aged 19 and older. The font style, size, and colors are simple to read. The pamphlet’s layout and design enable the reader to identify pertinent content quickly.
Conclusion
The NIMH brochure is an ideal supplement for December’s virtual HPP project. Adults will attend a lecture about depression and shall receive a copy of the pamphlet via email. NIMH’s guide about depression basics avoids medical argot and is appropriate for an average adult audience. The booklet is accurate, unbiased, and informative, and it provides a synopsis of important topical details, like the suicide prevention hotline. The lecture will include a sweeping review of depression-related material, and the pamphlet is a valuable reference that the audience can later consult, as needed.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
Bastable, S. B., Gramet, P. R., Sopczyk, D. L., Jacobs, K., & Braungart, M. M. (2020). Health professional as educator: Principles of teaching and learning (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Maurer, D. M., Raymond, T. J., & Davis, B. N. (2018). Depression: Screening and Diagnosis. American Family Physician, 8, 508.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2016). Depression basics [Brochure]. Bethesda, MD. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Publications about depression. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-listing.shtml
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020). Mental health and mental disorders
details. https://www.healthypeople.gov/node/3498/data-details