Nursing and the Family

Paper Summary:

The paper explores how family health nursing is an approach to nursing that recognizes the importance of the family for the patient. The paper discusses how the idea of the nuclear family has changed, with many new forms of families common today, such as single-parent, step and blended families. The paper explains that a family health nurse works with the family of the patient as much as the actual patient. The nurse is often the link between medical specialists and the patient's family and family members can become the health decision makers when the patient is not capable of making decisions for him/herself.

From the Paper:

"Family health nursing is an approach to nursing that recognizes the significance of the family for the patient. A family health nurse works with the family of the patient as much as the actual patient. They typically work with the patient and their family in the patient's home. They may provide advice to family members and show them how to care for the patient. This can include medical tasks such as how to change a patient's dressings or how to administer their medication. It can also include other tasks such as how to provide a positive environment for the patient and how to identify signs that the patient is anxious or depressed. They may also recognize family members that are not coping and provide support and guidance. Finally, they can also identify issues within the family and recommend action to be taken, such as by referring family members to appropriate social services."

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