Community health nursing is derived from the belief that the health continuum is an ever changing pattern ranging from excellent health to impending death. As nurses, we must be able to facilitate patients and their families or supporting individuals in navigating through these sometimes difficult and often confusing situations. Through community health nursing we are able to support patients, both in and out of the hospital setting, thus fulfilling our commitment in being patient advocates and liaisons between them, their families, and other health team members throughout their life span.
When entering the nursing field, 31 years ago, I did not put much thought into the community health field. Working in the in-patient hospital setting, …show more content…
In my opinion nurses, in spending the majority of their time with patients and their significant others, have always known the importance of caring for the “whole patient” and not just focusing on their disease process. I have experienced this many times observing the positive affects patients have after receiving a visit from their dog, for example, or in watching an unresponsive patient’s vital signs return to normal once someone holds their hand. I could list many more examples supporting positive outcomes when treating patients holistically.
Witnessing many events, like those mentioned above, is why the philosophy of nursing I have incorporated in my nursing practice closely aligns with Katherine Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory. Her theory of comfort is adaptable to any patient population or age group and is consequently universal in application to patients, whether in or out of the hospital setting. It is my belief that patients’ need for comfort and security is a basic need that should be met during their hospital stay and followed through upon …show more content…
With insurance companies instituting “health care bundles” and payment reimbursement related to specific diagnosis, the current push is to treat and dismiss patients within certain time constraints. This seldom leaves staff the opportunity to take the time to get to know patients and their families on a personal level, nor the ability to anticipate obstacles affecting health post-discharge.
This is where community health nursing excels and functions as a very important adjunct to hospitals. Once a patient has been discharged, the community health nurse is able to continue monitoring a patient’s progress and intervene as necessary to prevent unnecessary readmission to the hospital. Another important aspect of community health nursing is their ability to meet with patients and their families in their own environment, therefore giving them the ability to assess support systems, living conditions, and other factors that may impede their recovery process.
They are also in the unique position to assess specific instances or health care disparities deterring someone from receiving the quality healthcare they
When entering the nursing field, 31 years ago, I did not put much thought into the community health field. Working in the in-patient hospital setting, …show more content…
In my opinion nurses, in spending the majority of their time with patients and their significant others, have always known the importance of caring for the “whole patient” and not just focusing on their disease process. I have experienced this many times observing the positive affects patients have after receiving a visit from their dog, for example, or in watching an unresponsive patient’s vital signs return to normal once someone holds their hand. I could list many more examples supporting positive outcomes when treating patients holistically.
Witnessing many events, like those mentioned above, is why the philosophy of nursing I have incorporated in my nursing practice closely aligns with Katherine Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory. Her theory of comfort is adaptable to any patient population or age group and is consequently universal in application to patients, whether in or out of the hospital setting. It is my belief that patients’ need for comfort and security is a basic need that should be met during their hospital stay and followed through upon …show more content…
With insurance companies instituting “health care bundles” and payment reimbursement related to specific diagnosis, the current push is to treat and dismiss patients within certain time constraints. This seldom leaves staff the opportunity to take the time to get to know patients and their families on a personal level, nor the ability to anticipate obstacles affecting health post-discharge.
This is where community health nursing excels and functions as a very important adjunct to hospitals. Once a patient has been discharged, the community health nurse is able to continue monitoring a patient’s progress and intervene as necessary to prevent unnecessary readmission to the hospital. Another important aspect of community health nursing is their ability to meet with patients and their families in their own environment, therefore giving them the ability to assess support systems, living conditions, and other factors that may impede their recovery process.
They are also in the unique position to assess specific instances or health care disparities deterring someone from receiving the quality healthcare they