Introduction
The health of families and communities is one of the main priorities for nurses of different types. However, non-nursing theories may also have a significant effect on family and community behavior. This paper will show an example of a health-based theory and a non-nursing theory, their application to health and behavior, strengths and limitations, as well as how they integrate the nursing process.
Summary
Systems theory is one of the more commonly used theories related to community and family health. It has four primary concepts that are core to its use. The first states that a family system belongs to a larger supersystem that contains a multitude of other systems. For example, a family that consists of a husband and wife belongs to a larger system of uncles, aunts, and other relatives. The second concept states that the family is greater when it is united, rather than separated. To fully understand the family, the researcher needs to examine it as a whole, rather than as individuals because their connections are just as important.
The third concept describes how a change in one family member can have an effect on all family members. A son who becomes addicted to drugs would elicit worry and deep concern of all the immediate members of the family, and perhaps its supersystem as well. The fourth core concept is the ability of families to balance change and stability. The balance may shift with new changes occurring, but eventually, new stability develops. The fifth and last concept states that family behaviors should be understood by using a circular point of view. Since every member of the family affects another member, it is wrong to approach their behaviors in a linear fashion (Real et al., 2018; Wright & Leahey, 2012).
Cybernetics is a theory of communication and control. Both of these elements are present in every family. In the context of family, it consists of two key concepts. The first is that families are able to self-regulate their behaviors. As it was previously stated, the balance of change and stability is often maintained by the family. This process occurs due to the looped nature of behavior control that each family member performs on their relatives. The second concept is that feedback processes that alter behavior may occur simultaneously on multiple levels of family systems. A fight between two relatives may leave them unable to talk to each other, while at the same time it may be caused by a conflict in the superstructure of their extended families (Haefner, 2014; Wright & Leahey, 2012).
Application to Family Health and Behavior
The systems theory is very valuable in the field of family health. The family superstructure and subsystems are often analyzed by nurses before starting their interventions due to the variability in the boundaries between family systems. When utilizing the wholeness of the family, nurses can approach one member to provide better assistance to another. If the intervention is successful, its positive effects then spread to the other members of the family (Real et al., 2018).
Cybernetics primarily affects the behavior of the family, and for nurses, they may be used for enhanced awareness of issues families experience. While it may seem that one person is having a negative effect on the behavior of others, it may be beneficial to consider how the extended family may be involved in this process. Otherwise, cybernetics has a limited effect on nursing (Haefner, 2014).
Strengths and Limitations
The systems theory can be very beneficial not only to nursing but to any examination of society due to the complex interconnections that people have with each other and groups they create by association and relation. For family nursing, this approach helps to approach issues in a more nuanced manner and with a better understanding of the environment in which the patient lives. However, there is a disadvantage to this complexity. Some members of the family may be hesitant to be involved in the nursing process, and their lack of involvement may lead to a less successful outcome. In addition, the understanding of this theory may be difficult for an inexperienced nurse.
Cybernetics is relatively straightforward when the core ideas are understood by the family nurse. They may be used to avoid false conclusions on the causes of issues within families and to gain a better understanding of their relationships. However, the application of cybernetics is very limited and requires the involvement of other theories to be effective (Östlund, Bäckström, Lindh, Sundin, & Saveman, 2015).
Integration of the Nursing Process at Different Levels of Prevention
The systems theory may be used on all three levels of prevention. During the primary prevention level, this theory allows the whole family to become less prone to illness even if only one person is immunized. The secondary prevention level is also affected because family members may monitor their relatives for the sign of symptoms that may lead to early diagnosis and treatment. Finally, during tertiary prevention, the family may assist a relative that requires help during the rehabilitation process. All of these elements are based on the interconnected nature of the family system (Bélanger, Bourbonnais, Bernier, & Benoit, 2017).
Cybernetics primarily operates on the secondary and tertiary levels of prevention. By focusing on creating a positive feedback process within the family, they may be able to assist their relatives during rehabilitation and identification of symptoms at the early stages of diseases. However, as previously stated, this theory should not be used independently of others (Haefner, 2014).
Conclusion
Both health-oriented and non-nursing theories of family interaction can be beneficial for family nursing. It is important to understand that the interconnected nature of the family structure may require a deeper understanding that such theories can provide. However, their limitations should be considered in advance.
References
Bélanger, L., Bourbonnais, A., Bernier, R., & Benoit, M. (2017). Communication between nurses and family caregivers of hospitalised older persons: A literature review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(5–6), 609-619.
Haefner, J. (2014). An application of Bowen family systems theory. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 35(11), 835-841.
Östlund, U., Bäckström, B., Lindh, V., Sundin, K., & Saveman, B. (2015). Nurses’ fidelity to theory-based core components when implementing Family Health Conversations – A qualitative inquiry. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 29(3), 582-590.
Wright, L. M., & Leahey, M. (2012). Nurses and families: A guide to family assessment and intervention. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
American Nurses Association Code Of Ethics
Out of the nine provisions explained in the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics, the following two seem to be the most crucial: provision 1 and 2. Provision 1 states that nurses should practice “with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person” (American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 1). Provision 2 declares that nurses’ main commitment is to their patients, be it “an individual, family, group, community, or population” (American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 1). These two provisions impact my professional practice most of all.
In my clinical practice, I once made a nursing error by not preventing a patient fall. I missed the moment when an elderly man got out of bed. I was right behind his ward’s door, and he knew about it. However, forgot to tell him to call me when he wanted to stand up, and he was ashamed to distract me from my other duties. As a result, he had to spend several more days at the hospital.
Using ANA provisions could have helped in that case. Taking into consideration the aspect of “the nurse’s primary commitment” from provision 2 and “compassion and respect for the inherent dignity” from provision 1, I would have avoided the nursing error (American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 1). If I had taken time to remind the patient that his needs were my responsibility, he would not have felt embarrassed to ask for my help.
References
About FDA: What we do. (2018). Web.
About the FDA patient education network. (2018). Web.
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses. Silver Spring, MD. Web.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. (2018). Web.
Florida nurse practice act. The Florida nurse practice and the scope of nursing. (2008). Web.
Hunt, D. D. (2015). The nurse professional: Leveraging your education for transition into practice. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
New York nurse practice act. Education law: Article 139, Nursing. (2010). Web.
Salmond, S. W., & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare transformation and changing roles for nursing. Orthopedic Nursing, 36(1), 12-25.
Weberg, D., Porter-O’Grady, T., Mangold, K., & Malloch, K. (2018). Leadership in nursing practice: Changing the landscape of health care (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Potential Disasters’ Impact On Nursing Community
Potential Disasters for the Nursing Community
The nursing community, which is in Miami, can be exposed to some natural disasters caused by the natural features of this location. Hurricanes in this part of the continent can lead to mass casualties, as well as heatwaves, tornadoes, and floods. According to Rokkas, Cornell, and Steenkamp (2014), some disasters and, as a result, victims among the population can be prevented through competent training. In particular, a flood caused by heavy rainfall can cause minimal damage if people are prepared for it in time. Constant weather reports, as a rule, inform about approaching thunderstorms and showers. In order to minimize injuries and destruction, nurses can evacuate people from potentially dangerous areas in advance, providing them with temporary protection. In this case, the disaster is unlikely to take human lives and leave behind a mass of casualties.
Stages of Disaster Management
In order to protect themselves and others from the potential threat coming from natural disasters, it is essential to prepare in stages for possible danger. Othman, Beydoun, and Sugumaran (2014) offer to use a special metamodelling process for disaster management. As the author’s remark, this method includes seven steps (Othman et al., 2014):
- “Identifying models by using Model Importance Factor” (Othman et al., 2014, p. 236),
- The choice of general concepts in the models found,
- Identifying a list with short definitions,
- A possible reconciliation of definitions,
- “Mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery” (Othman et al., 2014, p. 237),
- Search for relationships in the provisions of the four specified concepts,
- The validation of a metamodel received.
Such an algorithm can allow finding the best way to solve an impending problem in the form of a particular disaster. In some cases, points can be removed or exchanged. It is important to stick to the general idea of preparedness and take a responsible attitude towards it.
Role and Responsibilities of Nurses in Relation to Disasters
Increased requirements for the professional training of community nurses in the system of protecting the population from disasters are due to the specificity of their tasks and some attendant factors. According to Labrague et al. (2018), junior medical specialists working in extreme situations are entrusted with great responsibility and solving multifaceted tasks. All their actions should be immediate. Skills that are required for this work include the willingness to make optimal decisions, properly placed priorities, the development of a behavioral response model, and some other useful attainments. In addition, the preservation of mental stability under the influence of stress factors is an important quality of an experienced employee. Nurses need to conduct training exercises aimed at providing first aid and working with professional equipment.
Emergency Preparedness Education
The article by Adams, Canclini, and Frable (2015) reviews the activities of nurses in case of anthropogenic and natural disasters and mentions actions that need to be taken by medical professionals. According to the literary review conducted by the authors, many nursing schools provide training aimed at sharpening behavioral skills in case of disasters (Adams et al., 2015). As a possible algorithm, a specific design is proposed that includes such processes as development, planning, implementation, and evaluation (Adams et al., 2015). In conclusion, it is stated that the authors’ project is “consistent with cross-professional core competencies for disaster medicine and public health preparedness” (Adams et al., 2015, p. 61). This outcome corresponds with the stated goal of the study.
References
Adams, L. M., Canclini, S. B., & Frable, P. J. (2015). “Skip the infection, get the injection”: A case study in emergency preparedness education. Nurse Education in Practice, 15(1), 58-62.
Labrague, L. J., Hammad, K., Gloe, D. S., McEnroe-Petitte, D. M., Fronda, D. C., Obeidat, A. A.,… Mirafuentes, E. C. (2018). Disaster preparedness among nurses: A systematic review of literature. International Nursing Review, 65(1), 41-53.
Othman, S. H., Beydoun, G., & Sugumaran, V. (2014). Development and validation of a Disaster Management Metamodel (DMM). Information Processing & Management, 50(2), 235-271.
Rokkas, P., Cornell, V., & Steenkamp, M. (2014). Disaster preparedness and response: Challenges for Australian public health nurses – A literature review. Nursing & Health Sciences, 16(1), 60-66.