Community health nursing practice and population-based care approaches

Community nursing management Community health nursing practice is a unique branch of nursing since it combines the synthesis of nursing and the public health practice and applies this combination in the protection and promotion of the health of population. In this line, the CHN can assume the role of a direct care provider where he will handle cases of members of the community coming in with illnesses that can be handled, providing diagnosis and dispensing medications to the individuals. He can also assume the role of educator where he will be responsible for education of the members of the community on the benefits of public health and also update them on any outbreaks of diseases and what they need to do to protect themselves. The CHN can also be a manger in that he will oversee client care, run clinics, carry out community health needs assessment projects, supervise the support staff and do case management. Upstream thinking is about addressing the issues that have the greatest impact on our health, which include the income, education, employment, early childhood, development, housing, environment and nutrition. One patient problem that I have encountered is the skin infection on a five year old. The microscopic approach would be focusing on what the boy might have come into contact with and administering of drugs that would help him recover. The macroscopic approach would be to look at the living conditions of the family back at home and if this could be the source of the skin infections, the possibility that other children in the house were infected too, the way this infection affects the school going routine of the boy is also of interest. Macroscopic perspective and upstream thinking have that common aspect that they both consider more than just the single aspect seen in the individual patient but consideration of background reasons and possible wider influence also considered. The Neuman System Model fits in with the use of the macroscopic approach in that the model doesn’t concentrate on the stress of the individual in isolation, but looks at the possible stimuli that might have caused it, the various prevention mechanisms available and the intervening factors in the stress of the individual. It has a wide approach just like the macroscopic approach. The core public health functions are assessment, policy development and assurance. The three changes in perspective that a nurse must have when providing population-based care as opposed to individual –based care are that he will have to embrace diversity in the cultures of the individuals he will encounter. He must have a global mindset to allow him, handle diverse health issues that may come up and he has to be a team player (Saint Xavier University, 2018). Reference Saint Xavier University, (2018). 8 Leadership Skills Nurses Need To Be Successful. Retrieved June 2, 2018 from https://online.sxu.edu/programs/masters-degree-nursing/resources/8-leadership-skills-nurses-need-to-be-successful