Understanding the structure of families and family health enables the nurse to see beyond the individual patient. Viewing the family as a whole provides perspective to the nurse on how to best promote health (Green,2018). Nurses assess the health of the entire family to identify health problems and risk factors, help develop interventions to address health concerns, and implement the interventions to improve the health of the individual and family. Family nurses often work with patients through their whole life cycle (Petiprin,2021). The family unit is a vital component of health promotion. Nurses can guide families to the appropriate resources for their particular health concerns. Nurses can also provide health information and education to families to help support one another. Nurses can utilize the Calgary Family Assessment and Intervention Models(CFAM) for assessing families. CFAM helps to create a multidimensional view into a family’s life, using the categories structural, developmental, and functional. Interventions include areas focused on cognitive, affective, and behavioral patterns (Green, 2018). These interventions are selected to connect with and improve aspects of cognitive, affective and behavioral domain. Therapeutic communication should be used by the nurse to better understand each unique family. The nurse role in preventative health care is to utilize evidence-based research and recommendations to improve the health of patients. Nurses are the catalysts for healthier lifestyles through encouragement and teaching, helping patients to potentially receive preventative services such as counseling, screenings, and precautionary procedures or medications. Nurses can encourage families to engage in healthy lifestyles through education, mentorship, and leadership Nurses can assist families in navigating the health-care system. Nurses are consistently working to prevent illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and obstructive pulmonary disease; they do this through a variation of tactics that include education, risk factor prevention, and the monitoring of safety hazards either in the workplace, community, or home (Coloradotechedu). Through assessment and the nursing process, nurses can determine which strategies would be best for particular individuals and families.
Colorado Technical University. (2022, January 19). Nurses’ roles in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Nurses Roles in Health Promotion | Colorado Technical University. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www.coloradotech.edu/degrees/studies/nursing/articles/roles-health-promotion-disease-prevention
Grand Canyon University (Ed). (2018). Health promotion: Health & wellness across the continuum.Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/
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