Nurse Practitioners and Men’s Primary Health Care

Abstract

Though life expectancy sex differences are decreasing in many Western countries, men experience higher mortality rates at all ages. Men are often reluctant to seek medical care because health help-seeking is strongly linked to femininity, male weakness, and vulnerability. Many men are also more likely to access emergency care services in response to injury and/or severe pain instead of engaging primary health care (PHC) services. Nurse practitioners are well positioned to increase men’s engagement with PHC to waylay the pressure on emergency services and advance the well-being of men. This article demonstrates how nurse practitioners can work with men in PHC settings to optimize men’s self-health and illness prevention and management. Four recommendations are discussed: (1) leveling the hierarchies, (2) talking it through, (3) seeing diversity within patterns, and (4) augmenting face-to-face PHC services. In terms of leveling the hierarchies nurse practitioners can engage men in effectual health decision making. Within the interactions detailed in the talking it through section are strategies for connecting with male patients and mapping their progress. In terms of seeing diversity within patterns and drawing on the plurality of masculinities, nurse practitioners are encouraged to adapt a variety of age sensitive assessment tools to better intervene and guide men’s self-health efforts. Examples of community and web based men’s health resources are shared in the augmenting face-to-face PHC services section to guide the work of nurse practitioners. Overall, the information and recommendations shared in this article can proactively direct the efforts of nurse practitioners working with men.

Acesso dos homens aos serviços de atenção primária à saúde

“…Aracaju (SE), Brazil. E-mail: E-mail: damiao.araujo92@gmail.com ORCID iD: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1116-170X; 7 PhD, Federal University of Sergipe / UFS. Lizard (SE), Brazil.…”

“…In this paper, there is the recognition that adult males are more vulnerable to disease and death than other population groups, as men's resistance to seeking PHC services aggravates their morbidity, delays their care, and increases costs for There is an international consensus that men experience excessive morbidity and early mortality. [7][8] • To analyze the general aspects of adult men's access to primary health care services This study was extracted from the Final Report of the Extension / FHU Project << Friend-of-Man Group >>, effective from January 2017 to January 2018. This is a quantitative, exploratory and cross-sectional study conducted between September and November 2017.…”

Help seeking behaviours in men with depression : implications for primary care practice in northern BC

“…Moreover, these men report that expressing feelings of depression is perceived as less acceptable as compared to many other workplace settings (Coen, Oliffe, Johnson, & Kelly, 2013;Roche, Pidd, Fischer, Lee, Scarfe, & Kostadinov, 2016). In combination with limited health care provider availability, remote working locations, and a socio-cultural milieu that discourages help seeking and the expression of depression, Northern men face significant and multifaceted barriers to accessing mental health care (Northern Health, 2011;Rosu, Oliffe, & Kelly, 2016).…”

“…Implementing formal or informal, activity-based group interventions in safe, male-friendly spaces is another strategy to normalize depression. Groups allow men to socialize, discuss shared experiences with depression, access support in non-medical settings (which might be more acceptable to some men), and also address the stigma around having depression (Northern Health, 2011;Rosu et al, 2016;Spendelow, 2015;Wilkins, n.d.). There is also encouraging evidence that formal group-based medical visits could enhance help seeking and engagement in men with depression (Cramer, Horwood, Payne, Araya, Lester, & Salisbury, 2014;Northern Health, 2011;Spendelow, 2015;Rosu et al, 2016).…”

“…Groups allow men to socialize, discuss shared experiences with depression, access support in non-medical settings (which might be more acceptable to some men), and also address the stigma around having depression (Northern Health, 2011;Rosu et al, 2016;Spendelow, 2015;Wilkins, n.d.). There is also encouraging evidence that formal group-based medical visits could enhance help seeking and engagement in men with depression (Cramer, Horwood, Payne, Araya, Lester, & Salisbury, 2014;Northern Health, 2011;Spendelow, 2015;Rosu et al, 2016). Existing examples of these types of groups include the Dude's Club for the urban Aboriginal male population in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, and Men's Sheds, which are peer-run groups located in communal work sheds where men can complete woodworking projects, make music, or watch sports together (Gross, Efimoff, Lyana, Lambert, Joweski … & Smye, 2016;Wilson & Cordier, 2013).…”