Fundamentals of nursing

• Health is the actualization of inherent and acquired human potential through goal-directed behavior, competent self-care, and satisfying relationships with others
• People who are free from disease are not necessarily healthy
• Health is influenced by a person’s culture and lifestyle
• Life conditions can have positive or negative effects on health long before an illness is evident
• Individual perceptions and definitions of health change with age and are affected by a person’s health beliefs
• According to WHO, health is a state of complete physical, mental, social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
• Wellness is a state of well-being
• Anspaugh, Hamrick and Rosato propose seven components of wellness:

  • Physical
  • Social
  • Emotional
  • Intellectual
  • Spiritual
  • Occupational
  • Environmental
• Dimensions of Wellness:

  • Caring for your body to stay healthy now and in the future (Physical)
  • Maintaining healthy relationships, enjoying being with others, developing friendships and intimate relations, caring about others, and letting others care for you (Social)
  • Understanding and respecting your feelings, values and attitude (Emotional)
  • Participating in activities that are consistent with your beliefs and values (Spiritual)
  • Being aware that everyone’s financial values, needs and circumstances are unique (Financial)
• • Growing intellectually, maintaining curiosity about all there is to learn, valuing lifelong learning, and responding positively to intellectual challenges (Intellectual)
  • Understanding how your social, natural and built environment affect your health and well-being (Environmental)
  • Preparing for and participating in work that provides personal satisfaction and life enrichment that is consistent with your values, goals and lifestyle (Vocational)
• Models of Health and Wellness:

  • Health Belief Model
  • Health Promotion Model
  • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
  • Holistic Health Model
• Health promotion helps individuals maintain or enhance their present health
• Health education includes providing information on topics such as physical awareness, stress management, and self-responsibility to enable individuals to improve their health
• Illness prevention activities such as immunization programs and blood pressure screenings protect people from actual or potential risks to health
• Levels of Prevention:

  • Primary Prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it ever occurs
  • Secondary Prevention aims to reduce the impact of a disease or injury that has already occurred
  • Tertiary Prevention aims to soften the impact of an ongoing illness or injury that has lasting effects
• Illness is a state in which a person’s physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental, or spiritual functioning is diminished or impaired
• A medical condition that causes distress for a person in the form of its symptoms is referred to as a disease
• Types of Illness:

  • Acute Illness: Has a rapid onset of symptoms that lasts for a limited and relatively short period of time (typically less than six months)
  • Chronic Illness: Has a gradual onset of symptoms that lasts for an extended and relatively long period of time (typically six months or longer)
• Variables Influencing Illness and Illness Behavior:

  • Internal variables: Developmental Stage, Intellectual Background, Perception of Functioning, Emotional Factors, Spiritual Factors
  • External variables: Family Role and Practices, Social Determinants of Health, Culture
• Stages of Illness:

  • Symptoms Experience: A person usually recognizes a physical sensation or a limitation in functioning but does not suspect a specific diagnosis
  • Assumption of the Sick Role: If symptoms persist and become severe, clients assume the sick role
  • Medical Care Contact: If symptoms persist despite the home remedies, become severe or require emergency care, the person is motivated to seek professional health services
  • Dependent Client Role: The client depends on health care professionals for the relief of symptoms
• • Recovery and Rehabilitation: Resume former roles and responsibilities
• Health Care Delivery System:

  • Health Care System: Rendering health care services to the people
  • Health Care Delivery: The network of health facilities and personnel which carries out the task of rendering health care to the people
  • Philippine Health Care System: A complex set of organizations interacting to provide an array of health services
• Levels of Health Care Facilities:

  • Primary Level of Health Care Facilities: Rural health units, sub-centers, chest clinics, malaria eradication units, and schistosomiasis control units
  • Secondary Level of Health Care Facilities: Smaller, non-departmentalized hospitals including emergency and regional hospitals
  • Tertiary Level of Health Care Facilities: Highly technological and sophisticated services offered by medical centers and large hospitals
• Three Levels of Primary Health Care Workers:

  • Village or Grassroot Health Workers: First contacts of the community providing simple curative and preventive health care measures
  • Intermediate Level Health Workers: Provide support to front-line health workers in terms of supervision, training, supplies, and services
  • First Line Hospital Personnel: Provide back up health services for cases that require hospitalization
• Criteria of a Profession:

  • A profession requires extensive education or special knowledge, skill, and preparation
  • Distinguished by:
  • Prolonged, specialized training
  • Orientation towards service
  • Ongoing research
  • A code of ethics
  • Autonomy
  • A professional organization
• Specialized education:

  • Trend in education for professions shifted towards programs in colleges and universities
  • Undergraduate nursing curriculum should include liberal arts education, biologic and social sciences, and nursing discipline
  • Various degrees available: hospital diploma, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, master's degree, and doctoral degree
• Body of Knowledge:

  • Nursing is establishing a well-defined body of knowledge and expertise
  • Nursing theories and conceptual frameworks contribute to the knowledge base and guide practice, education, and research
• Service Orientation:

  • Differentiates nursing from profit-driven occupations
  • Altruism is considered a hallmark of nursing
  • Nursing involves service guided by rules, policies, or codes of ethics
  • Nursing is an important component of the healthcare delivery system
• Ongoing Research:

  • Nursing research has evolved over the years
  • Focus shifted from nursing education to practice-related issues
  • Increased funding and professional support for nursing research
• Code of Ethics:

  • Nurses expected to do what is right regardless of personal cost
  • Nursing has developed its own codes of ethics to monitor professional behavior
• Autonomy:

  • Self-regulating and setting standards for members
  • Independence at work, responsibility, and accountability
  • Autonomy is easier to achieve from a position of authority
• Professional Organization:

  • Governance involves practitioners controlling their practice, self-discipline, working conditions, and professional affairs
  • ANA advances nursing profession by fostering high standards of practice, promoting nurses' rights, projecting a positive view of nursing, and raising awareness on healthcare issues
• Professional Identity Formation:

  • Begins during nursing education
  • Professional identity influenced by characteristics, norms, and values of nursing discipline
  • Professional identity is replacing terms like professional role and professionalism
• Qualities of a Nurse:

  • Caring nature
  • Empathic attitude
  • Detail-oriented
  • Emotionally stable
  • Adaptable
  • Hardworking
  • Quick thinker
  • Physical endurance
  • Good judgment
  • Good communication skills
  • Responsible
• Personal Qualities of a Nurse:

  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Compassion
  • Humility
• Fields in Nursing:

  • Registered Nurse (RN)
  • Cardiac Nurse
  • Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
  • Critical Care Nurse
  • ER Nurse
  • Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
  • Geriatric Nursing
• Family Nurse Practitioner duties include:

  • Diagnosing and treating illnesses
  • Conducting physical exams
  • Performing diagnostic testing
  • Prescribing medications
• Geriatric Nursing:

  • Specializes in treating older patients
  • Provides care for injuries, ailments, and illnesses
  • Anticipates future care for long-term illnesses like cancer or Alzheimer's disease
• Perioperative Nurse (Surgical/OR Nurse):

  • Focuses on pre- and post-operation care
  • Sets up surgical rooms, manages tools, and applies bandages during surgeries
• Mental Health Nurse:

  • Specializes in diagnosing and treating psychological disorders
  • Provides counseling services