Community health nurses: Nursing

Community health nursing is a branch of nursing focused on the health and well-being of communities. A community is a group of people who live in the same area or share certain experiences, values, or characteristics.

Examples of communities include specific locations like a town or neighborhood; a family or group of neighbors; a sports team; or a religious group.

Nurses can support communities by providing home health, hospice, and palliative care.

Okay so, nurses who work in public health departments, visiting nurse associations, home health agencies, hospice agencies, or schools may provide care for patients and families in their homes.

Home health allows patients to retain as much independence as possible while receiving needed health care wherever they reside, which can be a family home, group facility, hotel, or temporary shelter.

Now, the services home health care nurses provide will depend on the type of agency they work for, the community they serve, and the individual patient's needs.

Direct care services can include wound dressing changes, assisting with activities of daily living, administering medications or tube feedings, and assisting patients to transition from inpatient care to their home.

Home health nurses can also assist with prevention strategies like administering vaccinations, screening for risk factors for certain health conditions, and monitoring patients for adverse effects of medications.

They may also work with other members of the health care team to coordinate patient care to ensure medications are refilled, assist with scheduling screening tests, or confirm needed physical or occupational therapy sessions have been ordered.

While providing direct care for the individual patient, the home health nurse will also assess the patient-family relationship, communication patterns, and methods of coping while providing education for the patient and their family.

Other activities can include ensuring quality care by participating in performance improvement initiatives and using current research to plan and evaluate care.