Health Related Theory
What is Health Locus Control theory (HLOC) and who is the author?
Theory that identifies how people believe they are in control of their health or how there are outside influences that contribute to their health. It is a concept that can affect an individual’s likelihood to commit to behaviors related to their health (Mozafari et al., 2024). Julian Rotter is the theorist.
Patient-related experience Part One
A patient I took care of in ICU came in with a heart attack. No previous medical history, and he appeared to be physically fit. Through conversation, he explained that his parents both died from heart disease and his younger brothers passed away from heart disease as well. He explained he had done nothing for prevention even with all the family history.
How are HLOC and Human Becoming Theory connected?
They both put the patient at the center of care and look at not only the patient but things around the patient (influences and environment) that influence their health and idea of health.
How does HLOC apply to APN? Part One
Looking at patterns in connections of influential factors whether internal or external can be identified to prevent poor patient health outcomes.
Reference 1
Mehtab, L., Rafat, J., & Salma, R. (2023). Intersecting Pathways: Examining Hildegard Peplau’s and Rosemarie Parse’s Nursing Theories through a Comparative Lens. Clinical Journal of Nursing Care and Practice, 7(1), 009–014. https://doi.org/10.29328/journal.cjncp.1001046
What are the two loci of control groups?
Internal vs External
Patient-related experience Part Two
The patient blamed what happened to him on "fate" or "luck" which is an external control group. The study explains that patients who have high HLOC are less likely to follow preventative measures, and that is exactly what happened to my patient.
How are HLOC and Human Becoming Theory connected? Part Two
They both also focus on a holistic view of the patient that encompasses mind, body, and soul (Mehtab et al., 2023). Neither focuses solely on medical diagnosis, but the totality of individuals. Although they do not use the same verbiage to describe the ideas, the same concepts are present.
How can HLOC apply to APN? Part two
Identification and prevention are key to APN in the setting of family nurse practitioner. As explained in the study HLOC study, according to Mozafari et al. (2024) are three guidelines that APNs should understand to help guide treatment, one, improving internal HLOC will improve health outcomes for patients; two, patients with high external HLOC should be further studied to determine the source of the external HLOC; and three, patients with a high chance HLOC are less likely to follow preventative behaviors or be responsive to interventions.
Reference 2
Mozafari, S., Yang, A., & Talaei-Khoei, J. (2024). Health Locus of Control and Medical Behavioral Interventions: Systematic review and recommendations. Interactive Journal of Medical Research, 13, e52287. https://doi.org/10.2196/52287
How are the two Loci control groups different?
Internal - individual direct influence; External - Luck, Fate, other people's actions (Mozafari et al., 2024)
Patient-related experience Part Three
Identifying that my patient had external driving force that he believed was influencing his health allowed me to provide education and a new perspective. He was able to change eating habits, start a medication regimen, and plan for regular check-ups to better preventative care.