Community health case study - Substance use: Nursing

Nurse. Stevie is a community health nurse and is running a workshop about substance use for a group of parents and teachers of teenagers.

She goes through the steps of the clinical judgment measurement model to make decisions about the groups needs by recognizing and analyzing cues, prioritizing hypotheses, generating solutions, taking action and evaluating outcomes.

First, nurse, Stevie recognizes important cues including the participants responses on a preworkshop survey where they submitted a variety of questions regarding concerns about the prevalence of substance use in teenagers and how to support their teenagers to make good choices.

Next NSTE V analyzes these cues. She reviews the demographic data of the group which includes a mix of parents and teachers with varying levels of experience and knowledge on substance use.

She also reviews recent community data that indicates an increase in substance use among local teenagers. Nrs Stevie knows substance use includes any substance that threatens an individuals health or impairs their social or economic functioning substances can include alcohol, tobacco including ecigarettes or vapes and drugs such as prescription over the counter and illicit drugs.

She knows that teenagers are more likely to engage in binge drinking and that e cigarettes are becoming popular and prevalent.

Nurse. Stevie recognizes that while risk taking an experimentation is a normal part of adolescent development, younger individuals are at increased risk of dependence and poor health outcomes when using substances.

She also understands that risks for substance use include family related factors such as genetics, family dynamics and adverse childhood outcomes as well as social, financial and cultural influences.

Whereas protective factors against substance use include having a positive role model and a strong connection with family friends and the community, appropriate supervision and engagement in activities such as sports clubs and volunteer opportunities.

Nirs Stevie recognizes the group would benefit from primary prevention strategies focused on developing a healthy lifestyle and resiliency in teenagers and education on how to support teenagers in avoiding use of harmful substances.

Now using the information she's gathered, nurse Stevie chooses a priority hypothesis of knowledge deficit. Then she generates solutions to address the group's knowledge deficit including educational interventions.

And she establishes the expected outcome that after intervening, the group will communicate their understanding of the information provided by the end of the workshop.

Then nurse Stevie takes action to implement these solutions. First, she goes through her presentation on substance use which includes the community's most recent statistics and common misconceptions about substance use.

She also provides an overview on healthy lifestyle choices for teenagers including participating in routine physical activity, eating regular meals, consisting of nutrient dense foods and obtaining adequate sleep.

Nurse, Stevie then identifies effective strategies for parents and teachers to implement with their teenagers about substance use, including being aware of their own preexisting judgments, addressing the influence of peer pressure and actively listening to their teenager.

She then explains ways to develop resiliency in teenagers, including helping them to identify their own unique talents, create connections with community members and peers and promote a sense of responsibility for their own success.

Additionally, she encourages the group to take time for self reflection on their own use of substances so they can be positive role models.

Nurse Stevie also hands out a pamphlet that summarizes key points, lists community resources such as activities and peer mentorship programs offered by the local recreational facility and outlines steps to take if there's concern about a teenager.

Next, she divides the participants into small groups and provides them with instructions on role playing scenarios so they can practice the strategies and communication techniques they've learned after roleplay.

Nurse Stevie guides the participants through small group discussion by providing prompts so they can share their experiences, provide mutual support and develop connections for continued support.

At the end of the workshop, nurse Stevie evaluates the outcomes of her actions. She asks the group to share information that was most valuable to them and how they can implement it.

Group members communicate their understanding of how they can promote a healthy lifestyle and enhance resiliency in their teenager while also reflecting on their own use of substances.

They also identify resources that can help engage their teenager and keep them active as well as resources available if they feel their teenager requires more intervention.

All right. As a quick recap, nurse Stevie recognized and analyzed cues related to the group's knowledge deficit and prioritized hypotheses and generated solutions to address this problem.

Nur Stevie then implemented educational interventions to manage the knowledge deficit and evaluated the outcomes compared with the expected outcomes.

Since the group was able to communicate understanding of the education. By the end of the workshop, nurse Stevie determined the plan of care was successful.