Day: February 26, 2020

Reflect on the role that the electoral process and government plays in one’s daily work and family life. As nurses, health policy can influence both arenas of our lives. What policy issues might drive nurses to lobby Congress and/or get involved in campaign politics? What strategies might nurses use to have their voices heard? 

The American Nurse: 

Violence does not discriminate against any social or economic position or situation. It can be physical, emotional or psychological and usually is inflicted by a close family member (Ford-Gilboe, 2016). Characteristics that trigger providers of violence taking place is patients arriving at the emergency room with a trauma that is not related to an illness, withdrawn behavior or changes that are not normal in their everyday mood, depression, and anxiety. Other behaviors that something is wrong, is observing self-harm, suicide comments, and anything from the persons norm (Mayo Clinic, 2017).

Working in a Cardiac Unit, I have seen the abuse of a patient where the patient is abandoned or not cared for the way they should be. I see many patients where the family members (spouse, son or daughter), no longer want to be apart in their care. Once, I received a call from a daughter wanting to know if her mom has died yet. I had trouble responding because it was cold-hearted.

My facilitys procedure is to report these types of abuse as soon as possible. We wait for the right time when the patient is alone to approach them with another nurse and question them about the abuse signs or abandonment noted by family members. We also inform the Charge Nurse so a message can be sent to a Social Worker and Adult Protective Services can be notified. Most of the time, once APS is involved, we do not know the outcome of the investigation. The goal is to protect a victim of abuse of any age (Mayo Clinic, 2017).

Reference

Ford-Gilboe, M., Wathen, C. N., Varcoe, C., MacMillan, H. L., Scott-Storey, K., Mantler, T., Hegarty, K., & Perrin, N. (2016). Development of a brief measure of intimate partner violence experiences: the Composite Abuse Scale (Revised)-Short Form (CASR-SF). BMJ Open, 6(12), e012824. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012824

Mayo Clinic. (2017, March 1). Domestic violence: How to leave a dangerous situation. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/domestic-violence/art-20048397

National Domestic Violence Hotline. (2020). Is This Abuse? Retrieved from https://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/

There are various concerns that hinder healthy living among families. Such include; domestic violence, child abuse and elder abuse. By definition domestic violence which generally involves intimate partner violence describes physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. Child abuse on the other hand is any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Lastly elder abuse refers to an intentional act, or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult. (CDC, 2019). Some of the characteristics to look for while assessing domestic violence are; when an individual is fearful of their partner who is in most cases the abuser, when the abuser acts in a controlling manner, when they yell and throw things around, when the victims sustain but hide body injuries, when the victims isolate themselves, are depressed and engage in health risk behaviors like smoking, excessive drinking and even suicidal attempts. Secondly, ways of recognizing child abuse include; when the child has unexplained burns, bites, bruises, broken bones or black eyes, seems frightened by the presence of the abuser who may be a care giver, when a child becomes watchful as though preparing for something worse to happen, when the child starts abusing animals or other kids, when they show change in behavior by being rude or intentionally careless and when they get overly protective of their private parts among others. Lastly, signs of adult abuse include; poor hygiene, injuries such as bruises, cuts and broken bones, symptoms of anxiety, depression or confusion, weight loss, unexplained transactions of money and withdrawal from family members et cetera (CDC, 2019)

Due to the negative impacts of health from such issues, health institutions have devised policies and procedures of reporting these types of abuse. In my facility, the purpose of the abuse policy is to identify, document and report suspected abuse, neglect and/or assault and to offer appropriate resources to patients and their families. If a healthcare professional suspects any of the above types of abuse or neglect, they are legally mandated under the state of North Dakota to report it by completing a given form specific to the type of abuse. Once completed, they are expected to notify the social worker or case manager of its completion, who will then make contact with the appropriate agency. The social worker then documents pertinent information related to the specific forms in power form. Also, while doing these necessary procedures, the professionals first priority is ensuring safety of the patient from the suspected abuser. If the victim is a child for example, the child may be kept in the custody of the hospital for not more than 96hours and the healthcare provider must notify the juvenile court and the department of children in order that child-protective proceedings may be instituted. Conclusively, it is important to educate families on such signs of abuse and also provide them with contact information of resources that can ensure their safety in the event that any of these abuses is suspected (Falkner, 2018)

References.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (2019). Injury center: Violence prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov>violenceprevention

Falkner, A. (2018). In GCUs Health Promotion: Health and Wellness Across the Continuum. Retrieved from

https://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-university/2018/health-promotion_health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum_1e.php

Health promotion has and remains to be significant to patient care outcomes through its roles that include; management of diseases and provision of tools and resources that enable patients to take personal action and achieve accountability for their own wellness. On this same road to health promotion, health education has been essential in ensuring wellness. By definition, health education is any combination of learning experiences designed to help individuals and communities improve their health, by increasing their knowledge or influencing their attitudes (WHO, 2018a, para 1). Therefore, health education plays a paramount role when nurses use it to provide patients with necessary tools and information that empowers them to make informed choices and decisions that enhance health promotion. One way of achieving health education is through the nursing process. This component, which has been the backbone of nursing uses various aspects to include; assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation to help patients achieve desirable health outcomes. Through assessment, the nurse is able to identify a need from which he/she can formulate a diagnosis. Thereafter, by involving the patient, they come up with a plan that is practical and the patient then move to implementing it with the support of the nurse. Finally, through evaluation, the nurse is able to compare the expected outcomes to the actual outcomes done by the patients from which they can work on making necessary improvements to improve health promotion.

One issue that poses as a threat to the wellbeing of a family is the incidents of falls. Despite its prevalence among pediatrics and geriatrics, falls may also occur in any age group. According to (CDC, 2017e), falls are a leading cause of death and disability among geriatrics and are nearly always a preventable cause. CDC also gives statistics of more than 27000 deaths of older adults resulting from falls which is almost 74 elderlies per day. Additionally, of all the reported cases of falls, approximately more than 7 million require medical treatment or restricted activity for at least a day. Through the nursing process, a nurse is able to perform a thorough assessment and employ effective strategies to help prevent this epidemic among susceptible populations (Falkner, 2018)

Some of the ways that can help address prevention of the risk to falls for children are: ensuring Play safety; through safe playground equipment and environment, Home safety; through safe home devices like guardrails, door locks et cetera, Sport safety; through appropriate gear like helmets and sunscreens and lastly Supervision; through guidance from a responsible adult. On the other hand, ensuring safety among the older adults can be through the following; installation of grab bars in the bathroom, decluttering the home environment, strength and balance exercises to improve their balance, removal of small throw rugs, adequate lighting and the use of assistive medical equipment such as walkers. This is helpful to achieving a fall-free environment for both groups. Additionally, collaboration with the case management worker to coordinate with the patients insurance company is essential for the acquisition of medical equipment especially for the older adults (Falkner, 2018)

References.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017e). STEADI Older adult fall prevention. Retrieved from

Falkner, A. (2018). In GCUs Health Promotion: Health and Wellness Across the Continuum. Retrieved from

 World Health Organization, (2018a). Health education. Retrieved from

Gaining health education as providers give educators a chance to help individuals and communities on how to enhance their health. Through teaching, hands-on and practicing, patients will feel better about themselves which will make room for healing faster. Proper education will minimize frequent hospital visits from providing a list of proper food, the proper way to store potential hazardous objects around the house to make an available list of organizations that can further assist with continued education. individuals and communities will also benefit from safe transportation and housing.

To develop a health education plan, the individual or the communities must be assessed. Assessment will give the educators ideas of what the patient needs. It will also assist in knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the individual. From the assessment, a diagnosis will be made, whether it is a knowledge deficit or ineffective. From there, a plan is made with the patient being the center of that plan. If the patient is not involved in creating that plan, the plan will not be effective. After a plan is made, education be implemented in the plan. By having the individual demonstrate what was learned is a great way to evaluate whether the plan was effective or not. Cultural competency plays a major role when developing a health education plan.

The active mass shooting has become a major global issue. According to a report from FBIs Office of Partner Engagement along with FBIs Criminal Investigation Division and the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response training center at Texas State University, in 2018 alone, 27 incidents resulted in 213 casualties (85 people killed and 128 people wounded, excluding the shooters). The highest number of casualties (17 killed and 17 wounded) occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. (FBIs Office of Partner Engagement, FBIs Criminal Investigation Division and ALERRT, 2018). Because of these frequent casualties, nurses require more education on the preparedness for those incidents. Parents and families will also require education on gun safety.

Planning comprises creating a kit with essentials in case a tragedy arises. This includes items such as water, flashlights, batteries, first-aid kit, and canned or dried edible food items that should be included. Educators should teach individuals or communities on communicating in meeting areas in case of a disaster. Per Angel Falkner, Families should also take the time to discuss types of disasters with members of the family, including small children. (Falkner, 2018). It is normal for families to panic at the time of a disaster but with good education and planning, it will alleviate some of the stress that may arise.

Reference

Falkner, A. (2018). Health Promotion in Nursing Care. Grand Canyon University. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/#/chapter/4

FBIs Office of Partner Engagement, FBIs Criminal Investigation Division, and ALERRT. (2018). Active shooting incident in the United States in 2018. Washington D.C. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/active-shooter-incidents-in-the-us-2018-041019.pdf/view