Review on Community Health Nursing
Question 1
A compassionate nurse working in community A can gain several benefits by being a member of AADE. Firstly, the few remaining nurses in the community are overwhelmed with the number of people with diabetes. Compassionate nurse who is a member of AADE has access to free education materials such as handouts and magazines from the organization that can provide guidance to the clients on how to manage diabetes with little or no assistance from the nurses (AADE, 2014). Further, members to the organization have access to online software package from the organization that can help to collect and manage data about patients with diabetes in the community. The nurse can also get free referrals in terms of extra assistance to address the problem from other members of AADE (AADE, 2014). Such support can help to reduce work overload and compassionate fatigue among nurses in community A.
AADE can provide further assistance through advocating for diabetes education. In community A, healthcare providers are moving away due to issues such as financial hardships and lower pay than in other areas. The education materials offered for free by AADE and other benefits such as referrals can help members in community A to enhance self-management practice and to provide other healthcare services to patients with diabetes at lower costs. Also, AADE provides other benefits such as continuing education opportunities worth $630 that can help to minimize the problem of financial difficulties (AADE, 2014).
Question 2
In order to enhance self-management practice among clients with diabetes in community A, the compassionate nurses should work with the clients to enable them gain cognitive, affective and psychomotor abilities. Cognitive ability simply refers to the knowledge on how to address an issue (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2013). The nurses should first provide the patients with diabetes with knowledge about how to manage diabetes and the importance of doing so. For instance, the nurses can provide the patients with magazines and handouts with information about the right diet to address the problem of diabetes.
Affective ability, on the other hand, refers to feelings, values, attitudes and interests that can help patients adjust to given situation (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2013). Nurses in community A can enhance affective ability among patients with diabetes through urging them to accept that there is limited care from healthcare providers and discussing with them issues such as the right diet and lifestyle that help to address the problem. Lastly, psychomotor ability refers to the actual skills applied to address an issue. Nurses in community A can help the patients with diabetes develop psychomotor ability through teaching them diabetes management practices such as performing body exercises and insulin administration.
Question 3
In order to address the problem of diabetes and to maintain safe environment for patients in community A, nurses must develop effective communication with the clients. The management of diabetes requires a patient to follow a daily management plan. It is only through close communication that a nurse can help a patient develop goals and understand the importance of the management plan (Holzemer & Klainberg, 2014). Even after developing the plan, patients need to be reminded frequently to follow the plan. Also, the nurses should frequently monitor clients’ progress. This requires frequent communication between nurses and clients. Without frequent communication, the ultimate goals of self-management may not be attained.
Question 4
The nurses should listen always listen to the client’s voice. Doing so encourages clients to disclose their values, interests, feelings, attitudes and experiences. This enables nurses to understand the exact illness that a client is suffering from and the exact health, social and emotional support that is needed. Importantly, this makes a client feel that his/her problems have been addressed, leading to a positive relationship with the nurses. Ultimately, the nurse and clients come to a common understanding or they come together in one voice.
