Nursing in the Community
Health care delivery in the United States has been under scrutiny both nationally and globally, and work is currently under way to improve the system. In 2010, President Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which with time will restructure and rearrange the power of healthcare. The goal of this legislation is to transform healthcare from “late-stage, high intensity, illness focused, tertiary, interventional health service to a much stronger value driven focus on achieving the highest levels of health” (Porter-O’Grady, 2014, p. 65). The need for this change is based on many facts that have been surfacing since 2000. “In 2009, the United States spent 95% of health budget on …show more content…
2). Of course, this form of healthcare is still quite valuable. Due to the stricter guidelines set on hospitals, physicians are encouraged to discharge patients quicker. Therefore, the patients are going home sicker and in need of more individualized care in the home and clinic (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). Consequently, according to the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE), community based nursing focuses on the “individual and the goal is to promote effective meaningful and efficient health outcomes for individuals, families and healthcare system” (Pijl-Zeiber & Kalischuk, 2011, p. 2). These nurses work towards improving outcomes of acute and chronic patients in either the home or clinic setting. They work with individuals that are experiencing new onset or struggling to maintain and control diabetes, are recovering from recent stroke or congestive heart failure and the list continues. Due to the vast array of illnesses, these nurses must possess critical thinking skills, keen assessment skills as well as clear communication skills in order to provide the education necessary to their patients and the patient’s family. These nurses must tailor their education and interventions to meet the needs of the individual. These needs are based on cultural practices and stressors that might be affecting the …show more content…
As stated previously, with the passage of the Patient Protections and Affordable Care Act, healthcare is shifting its focus towards community health. The emphasis will be on prevention and wellness with an improvement on public health. In response to this act, the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council was created. “The Council provides leadership and coordination at the federal level on these topics. Creation of a strategy means that high-impact priority areas will be identified to target our limited resources and that an evidence-based implementation plan will guide future efforts. The prevention fund provides desperately needed resources to make financial investments into public health, prevention, and wellness initiatives” (Majette, 2011, p. 375). In doing so, the council promotes a “health in all policies” concept (Fielding, Teutsch,, & Koh, 2012, p.30). This approach encourages holistically caring for the community. The Healthy People 2020 initiative coincides with the government’s PPACA in transforming healthcare’s focus from a disease maintenance to a disease prevention. The goal is to “promote good health as well as promoting quality of life, healthy development, health equity, and healthy behaviors across life stages” (Fielding, Teutsch,, & Koh, 2012,
Health care delivery in the United States has been under scrutiny both nationally and globally, and work is currently under way to improve the system. In 2010, President Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which with time will restructure and rearrange the power of healthcare. The goal of this legislation is to transform healthcare from “late-stage, high intensity, illness focused, tertiary, interventional health service to a much stronger value driven focus on achieving the highest levels of health” (Porter-O’Grady, 2014, p. 65). The need for this change is based on many facts that have been surfacing since 2000. “In 2009, the United States spent 95% of health budget on …show more content…
2). Of course, this form of healthcare is still quite valuable. Due to the stricter guidelines set on hospitals, physicians are encouraged to discharge patients quicker. Therefore, the patients are going home sicker and in need of more individualized care in the home and clinic (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). Consequently, according to the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE), community based nursing focuses on the “individual and the goal is to promote effective meaningful and efficient health outcomes for individuals, families and healthcare system” (Pijl-Zeiber & Kalischuk, 2011, p. 2). These nurses work towards improving outcomes of acute and chronic patients in either the home or clinic setting. They work with individuals that are experiencing new onset or struggling to maintain and control diabetes, are recovering from recent stroke or congestive heart failure and the list continues. Due to the vast array of illnesses, these nurses must possess critical thinking skills, keen assessment skills as well as clear communication skills in order to provide the education necessary to their patients and the patient’s family. These nurses must tailor their education and interventions to meet the needs of the individual. These needs are based on cultural practices and stressors that might be affecting the …show more content…
As stated previously, with the passage of the Patient Protections and Affordable Care Act, healthcare is shifting its focus towards community health. The emphasis will be on prevention and wellness with an improvement on public health. In response to this act, the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council was created. “The Council provides leadership and coordination at the federal level on these topics. Creation of a strategy means that high-impact priority areas will be identified to target our limited resources and that an evidence-based implementation plan will guide future efforts. The prevention fund provides desperately needed resources to make financial investments into public health, prevention, and wellness initiatives” (Majette, 2011, p. 375). In doing so, the council promotes a “health in all policies” concept (Fielding, Teutsch,, & Koh, 2012, p.30). This approach encourages holistically caring for the community. The Healthy People 2020 initiative coincides with the government’s PPACA in transforming healthcare’s focus from a disease maintenance to a disease prevention. The goal is to “promote good health as well as promoting quality of life, healthy development, health equity, and healthy behaviors across life stages” (Fielding, Teutsch,, & Koh, 2012,