Health Education: Nursing's Role in Human Trafficking Report

This report examines the crucial role of health education in strengthening public health infrastructure and empowering individuals to make informed health choices. It emphasizes the significance of the nursing process as a problem-solving method for promoting health and wellness. The report then delves into the contemporary issue of human trafficking, highlighting its status as an international health concern. It explores the physical, psychological, and social abuse inflicted upon victims, underscoring the need for immediate medical attention and support. The report outlines the essential role of nurses in ensuring victim safety, providing trauma-informed care, and documenting incidents appropriately for legal purposes. It details key signs for healthcare providers to recognize, as well as procedures for reporting domestic violence and ensuring victims receive necessary medical tests, counseling, and legal assistance. The report references supporting literature to underscore key concepts.

Running head: HEALTH EDUCATION 1
Health Education
Students Name
Institution Affiliation

HEALTH EDUCATION 2
Health Education
The role of health education in health promotion is to strengthen the public health
infrastructure and systems by health individuals to make better-informed health choices.
Consequently, health education helps medical practitioners to effectively engage in evidence-
based practices and help the communities promote and protect the populations' health through
policy incentives (Semachew, 2018). Health education promotes health through different
approaches, including the development and implementation of educational programs and
campaigns that are set to enhance healthy habits and environments.
The nursing process is key to the promotion of health is it works as a problem-solving
method that encompasses the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data to formulate
healthcare plans. The nursing process seeks to increase wellness and actualize health potential
hence promoting health (Semachew, 2018). Through the nursing process, different factors that
influence the health of a person and a society are identified. The nurses can assess, diagnose,
plan, implement, and evaluate the weaknesses that are attributed to a certain condition and define
potential to dealing with the issue (Murdaugh, Parsons & Pender, 2018).
Human trafficking is a contemporary problem that is widespread across the globe.
Human trafficking is an international health issue that has recently gained increased concern. It
involves the recruitment, harboring, transportation of individuals for compelled services through
the use of force, coercion, and fraud (Edmonson, McCarthy, Trent-Adams, McCain & Marshall,
2017). The victims of human trafficking are subjected to physiological, physical, and social
abuse during their exploitations, which consequently may leave them with life-threatening
injuries and conditions that may require emergency treatment (Edmonson et al., 2017).

HEALTH EDUCATION 3
To address human trafficking as part of a health education nurses have a significant role
in ensuring the victims are safe, and their health concerns addressed immediately;
 The first step is enhancing a safe environment for the victim, which may take time as the
victims may not consider clinical intervention as help to their problem. The nurse should
take the patient through motivational interviews and stages of change, which is an
effective approach in trust-building in the intervention phase (Hou, 2014). Any health
problem emanating from the incident should be treated and documented; this is important
is ensuring the patient is safe from any health issues.
 The nurses should ensure that the victims recognize confidentiality practices and policies,
including mandatory reporting laws. The nurses should ensure that the medical records of
the patients, including injuries and treatment, are appropriately documented since they
can be used in a court of law (Hou, 2014). The findings of the incidents should be
documented without bias to ensure they can be admissible in court.
 The nurses, through social workers, should help the victims seek legal and social
services. Also, it is prudent to inform law enforcement on the same and encourage the
victim to report the matter to seek further help.
There are different signs for healthcare providers to look out for including unexplained
injuries and bruises, sprained wrists, black eyes which are common in domestic violence, low
self-esteem, hidden injuries on central body parts; delay in injury and care-seeking behavior,
anxiety among others (Marleen, 2018).
The procedures of reporting domestic violence are first ensuring the victim receives
necessary medical tests and treatment to alleviate them from any potential dangers. The facility
then collects evidence that is relevant in a prosecution, which can not be obtained later. For

HEALTH EDUCATION 4
instance, in sexual assault, the patient should first undergo medical examination and tests before
they take a bath (Marleen, 2018). The service provider should also ensure that the victim gets
access to confidential counseling. The victim should also notify law enforcement.

HEALTH EDUCATION 5
References
Edmonson, C., McCarthy, C., Trent-Adams, S., McCain, C., & Marshall, J. (2017). Emerging
global health issues: A nurse’s role. An online journal of issues in nursing, 22(1).
Hou, S. I. (2014). Health education: theoretical concepts, effective strategies, and core
competencies. Health promotion practice, 15(5), 619-621.
Marleen Thornton Ph.D., R. N. (2018). Preparing today's nurses: Social determinants of health
and nursing education. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(3), 1-9.
Murdaugh, C. L., Parsons, M. A., & Pender, N. J. (2018). Health promotion in nursing practice.
Pearson Education, Canada.
Semachew, A. (2018). Implementation of the nursing process in clinical settings: the case of
three governmental hospitals in Ethiopia, 2017. BMC research notes, 11(1), 173.