Community nursing
Community nursing is population-based nursing care in which interpersonal relationships between nurses and communities are enhanced to provide primary health care services to communities. The theoretical basis for community nursing helps a nurse to understand the premise behind community-oriented care. The Florence Nightingale Environmental theory is of particular interest in community nursing. This theory focuses on how we can improve the environmental conditions to prevent and control diseases, and to promote the health of the community. Imogene king’s theory of goal attainment focuses on the Nurse-Patient partnership in facilitating family-centered care and achieving the best possible healthcare outcomes (Adib-Hajbaghery & Tahmouresi, 2018). Orem’s self-care model guides a community nurse to engage communities actively in regulating factors affecting their health and treatment performance (Borji, Otaghi, & Kazembeigi, 2017).
Health systems are very vital in improving health. Advanced healthcare systems provide efficient responses to public health concerns, reduced burden of diseases, and health promotion in maintaining healthy populations. Such systems provide platforms for effective patient treatment and management to control diseases. A plan of care commonly outlines a patient’s need and how to meet them. Stable healthcare systems and improved technology may prolong life and cure diseases quickly than the expected time. In my opinion, the primary role of a community nurse is to prevent and control infections, treat patients, conduct health education/talk within the community, initiate community wellness programs and health promotion, and administer immunizations. These roles help in achieving improved quality of life, enhance quality patient care, and prevent/control the spread of diseases among communities.
In the community, screening helps in the early detection of diseases or risk factors. It allows for timely interventions and treatment of diseases at an early stage to reduce morbidity and mortality. Screening also helps in identifying individuals with an infection within a community. On the other hand, health promotion supports to create awareness among community members on the dangers of certain behavioral practices. Health promotion also encourages populations to undertake regular health check-ups in knowing their state of health. Through health promotion, nurses can develop community wellness programs to improve the wellbeing of individuals.
Economic growth can be associated with improved health. Most of the screening programs undergo a cost evaluation, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and cost-utility analysis. These evaluations determine the economic viability of any screening program before it is initiated. Economic evaluations provide further information on whether to acquire new screening technologies or not. The impact of ethics on screening examines considerations that may arise when there is significant scale interaction of healthcare services with other societal institutions during testing. Ethical issues such as seeking consent for screening, the equity of access to screening, safety, and the principles of autonomy need to be examined thoroughly before any screening program is initiated.
Community collaboration in the development of a screening program is essential in enhancing a community’s knowledge of the screening program. Community members have access to various community associations and can break community administrative barriers in the development of a screening program. National partnerships provide skills, resources, and expertise in developing a screening program. Policies help various personnel to understand their roles, responsibilities, help to design a screening program that adheres to regulatory standards, and provide guidelines on multiple stages of developing the screening program.
As a community nurse, I agree with the goal of health education. Communities need to learn the necessary skills of improving health, critical health decision-making, prevent and control diseases, and adopt healthy behaviors in improving the quality of life they live. In my opinion, low health literacy levels are the most significant barrier to health education and affect various people in the community. Difficulty with reading, writing, and communication has been associated with poor health outcomes. Low health literacy impedes people’s ability to manage health problems and use health resources properly.