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Maria has just finished her six-month orientation at a local public health department in the Maternal Child Health division. She received her nursing license just seven months ago after spending a decade in business management as a supervisor of a large customer service and sales department. Maria is concerned about how she can possibly assess all aspects of health in high-risk populations. One weekend, Maria receives a referral from the local hospital involving a child who needs to be seen by a public health nurse (PHN). Maria is excited and nervous about this first case. The only information she receives is that the family has a 2-year-old boy who is being released from the hospital after suffering an asthma attack. Newly diagnosed with asthma, the boy and his family need education and a home assessment.
Maria calls the mother to set a time for the visit. While driving to the home, Maria mentally reviews everything she knows about asthma. She anticipates that education will be easy because she has a son with asthma and is familiar with the disease process and management. Upon arrival at the home, she becomes slightly uneasy with the multiple dogs and cats roaming the yard. She knocks several times on the trailer door before a man answers and lets her inside the home. Maria enters the kitchen, and everyone exchanges introductions. Marcus, the boy with asthma, is quiet in his mother's arms. His brothers, 1 and 5 years of age, are running around the kitchen table, trying to open Maria's nursing bag, jumping on her, and attempting to take her pen. It is very chaotic. Maria has to overcome her anxiety as she realizes that completing a nursing assessment is going to be a challenge.
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MARIA'S NOTEBOOK: COMPETENCY #9 Incorporates Mental, Physical, Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Aspects of Health into Assessment, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation
Assesses mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual health
Develops and implements holistic public health interventions that meet the needs of individuals, families, communities, and systems
Evaluates the impact of public health nursing interventions on the mental, physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental health of individuals, families, communities, and systems
Source: Henry Street Consortium, 2017
USEFUL DEFINITIONS Assessment: “Assessment is holistic and conducted with emphasis on fine observation over time in addition to standard tools” (Kemp, Anderson, Travaglia, & Harris, 2005, p. 257). The importance of assessment in terms of culture is summarized in this way: “Accurate assessment of the state of cultural diversity within healthcare organizations and service communities is essential for the development of appropriate culturally congruent care” (Schim, Doorenbos, Benkert, & Miller, 2007, p. 106).
Environmental Health: “Environmental health comprises those aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by physical, chemical, biological, social, and psychosocial factors in the environment. It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling, and preventing those factors in the environment that ...