Nurses Role In Health Promotion
Nursing’s Role in Health Promotion and Prevention Sheri Lancaster
Grand Canyon University: NRS-429V-0101-Family Centered Health Promotion
September 26, 2014 Nurse’s Role in Health Promotion and Prevention According to the Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing (2012), health promotion is defined as, “Any activity that seeks to improve a person’s or population’s health by providing information about, and increasing awareness of, at-risk behaviors associated with various diseases, with the intent of reducing those behaviors”. The purpose of health promotion is to provide people with the necessary tools and education to empower them to adjust their current lifestyles to achieve a higher state of wellbeing. The following …show more content…
paragraphs will discuss the nursing roles and responsibilities in the revolving healthcare promotion, as well as and explanation of the implementation methods for health promotion. A comparison of the three levels of health prevention, known as primary, secondary and tertiary prevention will also be discussed.
Nurse’s Role and Responsibilities in Health Promotion The health promotion arena is continually evolving due to the greater degree of diversity among clients.
This can present a challenge for nurses who must also continually evolve their methods of teaching to fit the client’s specific needs. According to Edelman, Kudzma & Mandle (2014), in order to meet these challenges, nurses need to be able to assist the patient’s behavioral changes, by valuing individual lifestyles, values and beliefs and incorporating these into the teaching methods used so that personal health goals can be achieved. Nurses also carry the responsibility to act as role models. It can be difficult for a nurse to teach the importance of weight reduction in preventions of illness and gain buy-in from the client, when the nurse is also overweight. Other areas of nursing roles and responsibilities include community involvement and development. This can involve facilitating educational classes within the community and outside of the clinical setting. Nurses can also fill their health promotion role through political avenues as well by influencing changes in public policy relating to …show more content…
healthcare.
Implementation Methods for Health Promotion Nurses facilitate the health promotion process by providing people with appropriate education materials and information. Within the health promotion arena, nurses can implement the methods for health promotion by turning every interaction with a patient into an education intervention. For example, when a nurse is giving an insulin shot to a diabetic patient, he or she can use this opportunity to discuss blood sugar testing and the importance of diabetic control. When practicing in a clinic and treating a patient with a cut, the nurse can assess for the patient’s last tetanus booster. While performing a blood pressure check at a health fair, the nurse can discuss with importance of maintaining normal blood pressure in reducing the risk of stroke. Without realizing it sometimes, nurses are continuously practice health promotion strategies through their interactions with patients.
Primary Prevention Edelman, Kudzma and Mandle (2014) state, Primary prevention precedes the disease or dysfunction” (p. 14). It includes health promotion, education, various physicals, and immunizations. At this level, the nurse can teach the client preventive measures that can be taken to avoid certain diseases and illnesses. For example, in the article, “Saving costs using an ounce of prevention: Introduction of a regional stroke prevention clinic,” the author discusses a program that addresses modifiable risk factors such as smoking, excess weight, smoking and hypertension with the patient during a clinical visit. During this visit a treatment plan is developed to address these risks. The clinical staff then provides patient and family education sessions on the warning signs of stroke. The educations is then integrated with other community and hospital services to provide additional information and counseling (Bisaillon, Douen, Neabel, Pageau & Selchen, 2006). While the nurse can provide the information and educational materials to help the patient reduce his or her risk of stroke, the patient must also take an active role in following-through with the recommendations and education provided in order to be successful.
Secondary Prevention Although primary prevention can address the modifiable risks of stroke and refers to the treatment of the client with no history of stroke, secondary prevention ranges from providing screening activities, treating early stages of disease for a client who has experienced a stroke.
According to article, “Stroke Policy and Secondary Prevention: How Well are We Adhering to These Guidelines” indicates that it is important for nurses to recognize the signs of a stroke in a hospitalized patient and obtain early screening (ultrasound) and treatment with anticoagulant medications can reduce the residual effects of a stroke. Educating the patient also includes many of the same risk reducing lifestyle and health modifications as seen in primary
prevention.
Tertiary Prevention
Once a disease or dysfunction results in permanent or irreversible disability or defect, tertiary prevention takes effect. This phase of prevention involves the minimization of the effects of the stroke through maintenance activities that help to prevent complications or further deterioration (Edelman, Kudzma and Mandle, 2014). In the case of a client who has experienced a stroke, the nurse will need to collaborate with other members of the interdisciplinary team such as physical therapy and occupational therapy in order to achieve the desired goal. In the article, “Stroke Rehabilitation and Discharge Planning,” the author identifies the nurse’s role in tertiary prevention as diverse and multifaceted and involves assessment, communication, coordination, therapy integration and emotional support (Kerr, 2012). The goal of tertiary prevention is to return the client to his or her highest level of function. In conclusion, health promotion is an important role for nurses and the responsibilities that fall within this role can be diverse and challenging. They can range from providing education about disease and illness prevention, screening for risks of a secondary event during the secondary prevention phase and coordinating with the interdisciplinary team to provide a higher level of function to a patient after experiencing a health event. The nurse can use many different avenues for health promotion such as community education meetings, inpatient/clinical educational opportunities. Education opportunities present themselves to nurses and patients continuously and by using these opportunities to their fullest extent, nurses can help patient’s prevent or reduce the risk of serious illnesses. References
Bisaillon, S., Douen, A., Neabel, B., Pageau, N., & Selchen, D. (2006). Saving costs using an ounce of prevention: introduction of a regional stroke prevention clinic. Axon/ L 'axone, 27(3), 29-33. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=ce479ae7- d558-47a6-8065- 527dd3603d74%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZz Y29wZT1zaXRl#db=ccm&AN=2009192212
Edelman, C. L., Kudzma, E.C., & Mandle, C. L. (2014). Health promotion throughout the life span, (8th ed.). Retrieved from https://pageburstls.elsevier.com/#/books
Kerr, P. (2012). Stroke rehabilitation and discharge planning. Nursing Standard, 27(1), 35-39. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=c e479ae7-d558-47a6-8065-527dd3603d74%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4111
King, P. (1994). Health promotion: the emerging frontier in nursing. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 20(2), 209-218. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.1994.20020209.x. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=2a a16a39-4a1b-4a47-9127-945df45c6366@sessionmgr111&hid=115
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing. (2012) Health Promotion. Retrieved September 27 2014 from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/health+promotion
Grand Canyon University: NRS-429V-0101-Family Centered Health Promotion
September 26, 2014 Nurse’s Role in Health Promotion and Prevention According to the Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing (2012), health promotion is defined as, “Any activity that seeks to improve a person’s or population’s health by providing information about, and increasing awareness of, at-risk behaviors associated with various diseases, with the intent of reducing those behaviors”. The purpose of health promotion is to provide people with the necessary tools and education to empower them to adjust their current lifestyles to achieve a higher state of wellbeing. The following …show more content…
paragraphs will discuss the nursing roles and responsibilities in the revolving healthcare promotion, as well as and explanation of the implementation methods for health promotion. A comparison of the three levels of health prevention, known as primary, secondary and tertiary prevention will also be discussed.
Nurse’s Role and Responsibilities in Health Promotion The health promotion arena is continually evolving due to the greater degree of diversity among clients.
This can present a challenge for nurses who must also continually evolve their methods of teaching to fit the client’s specific needs. According to Edelman, Kudzma & Mandle (2014), in order to meet these challenges, nurses need to be able to assist the patient’s behavioral changes, by valuing individual lifestyles, values and beliefs and incorporating these into the teaching methods used so that personal health goals can be achieved. Nurses also carry the responsibility to act as role models. It can be difficult for a nurse to teach the importance of weight reduction in preventions of illness and gain buy-in from the client, when the nurse is also overweight. Other areas of nursing roles and responsibilities include community involvement and development. This can involve facilitating educational classes within the community and outside of the clinical setting. Nurses can also fill their health promotion role through political avenues as well by influencing changes in public policy relating to …show more content…
healthcare.
Implementation Methods for Health Promotion Nurses facilitate the health promotion process by providing people with appropriate education materials and information. Within the health promotion arena, nurses can implement the methods for health promotion by turning every interaction with a patient into an education intervention. For example, when a nurse is giving an insulin shot to a diabetic patient, he or she can use this opportunity to discuss blood sugar testing and the importance of diabetic control. When practicing in a clinic and treating a patient with a cut, the nurse can assess for the patient’s last tetanus booster. While performing a blood pressure check at a health fair, the nurse can discuss with importance of maintaining normal blood pressure in reducing the risk of stroke. Without realizing it sometimes, nurses are continuously practice health promotion strategies through their interactions with patients.
Primary Prevention Edelman, Kudzma and Mandle (2014) state, Primary prevention precedes the disease or dysfunction” (p. 14). It includes health promotion, education, various physicals, and immunizations. At this level, the nurse can teach the client preventive measures that can be taken to avoid certain diseases and illnesses. For example, in the article, “Saving costs using an ounce of prevention: Introduction of a regional stroke prevention clinic,” the author discusses a program that addresses modifiable risk factors such as smoking, excess weight, smoking and hypertension with the patient during a clinical visit. During this visit a treatment plan is developed to address these risks. The clinical staff then provides patient and family education sessions on the warning signs of stroke. The educations is then integrated with other community and hospital services to provide additional information and counseling (Bisaillon, Douen, Neabel, Pageau & Selchen, 2006). While the nurse can provide the information and educational materials to help the patient reduce his or her risk of stroke, the patient must also take an active role in following-through with the recommendations and education provided in order to be successful.
Secondary Prevention Although primary prevention can address the modifiable risks of stroke and refers to the treatment of the client with no history of stroke, secondary prevention ranges from providing screening activities, treating early stages of disease for a client who has experienced a stroke.
According to article, “Stroke Policy and Secondary Prevention: How Well are We Adhering to These Guidelines” indicates that it is important for nurses to recognize the signs of a stroke in a hospitalized patient and obtain early screening (ultrasound) and treatment with anticoagulant medications can reduce the residual effects of a stroke. Educating the patient also includes many of the same risk reducing lifestyle and health modifications as seen in primary
prevention.
Tertiary Prevention
Once a disease or dysfunction results in permanent or irreversible disability or defect, tertiary prevention takes effect. This phase of prevention involves the minimization of the effects of the stroke through maintenance activities that help to prevent complications or further deterioration (Edelman, Kudzma and Mandle, 2014). In the case of a client who has experienced a stroke, the nurse will need to collaborate with other members of the interdisciplinary team such as physical therapy and occupational therapy in order to achieve the desired goal. In the article, “Stroke Rehabilitation and Discharge Planning,” the author identifies the nurse’s role in tertiary prevention as diverse and multifaceted and involves assessment, communication, coordination, therapy integration and emotional support (Kerr, 2012). The goal of tertiary prevention is to return the client to his or her highest level of function. In conclusion, health promotion is an important role for nurses and the responsibilities that fall within this role can be diverse and challenging. They can range from providing education about disease and illness prevention, screening for risks of a secondary event during the secondary prevention phase and coordinating with the interdisciplinary team to provide a higher level of function to a patient after experiencing a health event. The nurse can use many different avenues for health promotion such as community education meetings, inpatient/clinical educational opportunities. Education opportunities present themselves to nurses and patients continuously and by using these opportunities to their fullest extent, nurses can help patient’s prevent or reduce the risk of serious illnesses. References
Bisaillon, S., Douen, A., Neabel, B., Pageau, N., & Selchen, D. (2006). Saving costs using an ounce of prevention: introduction of a regional stroke prevention clinic. Axon/ L 'axone, 27(3), 29-33. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=ce479ae7- d558-47a6-8065- 527dd3603d74%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZz Y29wZT1zaXRl#db=ccm&AN=2009192212
Edelman, C. L., Kudzma, E.C., & Mandle, C. L. (2014). Health promotion throughout the life span, (8th ed.). Retrieved from https://pageburstls.elsevier.com/#/books
Kerr, P. (2012). Stroke rehabilitation and discharge planning. Nursing Standard, 27(1), 35-39. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=c e479ae7-d558-47a6-8065-527dd3603d74%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4111
King, P. (1994). Health promotion: the emerging frontier in nursing. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 20(2), 209-218. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.1994.20020209.x. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=2a a16a39-4a1b-4a47-9127-945df45c6366@sessionmgr111&hid=115
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing. (2012) Health Promotion. Retrieved September 27 2014 from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/health+promotion