Question

Describe the public health nurse interventions that she may be currently doing or planning to do as a school nurse to help with her community?

Answer 1

Public health is defined as the study focuses on community health promotion. The objective public health is to aid community people to achieve healthy life , prevention of illness, and educating them to protect them from epidemic diseases.

Public health nurse is a professional nurse practitioner moves to community to safeguard community people from illness and disability , help them to improve their health and promote safe environment.

ROLE OF PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE:

1) To help community people to understand health illness continuum.

2) To safeguard people from epidemic diseases.

3) To decrease mortality and morbidity caused due to chronic illness.

4) To educate people regarding disease preventing measures ex) Self breast examination to facilitate early detection of breast cancer, PAP test to identify cervical cancer for all women above 30 years, Diabetes screening,Periodical blood pressure monitoring.

5) To identify high risk groups ex) vulnerable people : elderly, children, immunocompromised persons.

6) To conduct school health programs to promote early identification of minor illness like anemia, vision disturbance, attention deficit disorders, congenital diseases like congenital heart disease by doing periodical screening among school students.

SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMS PLANNED BY PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE:

As a school health nurse the interventions can be planned based on important components:

- Information, Education and communication (ICE) :

School health nurse can design structured program to motivate students to maintain basic hygienic measures to improve their health. Topics to be covered includes: substance use and abuse, sexual health, personal hygiene, emotional stability, prevention of accidents, environmental hygiene.The program must be designed in a simple way and easily understandable by the students. Pictorial presentation and field visits planned increases the students attention and improve their level of understanding.

- Nutritional program :

Explaining students regarding the importance of balanced diet rich in carbohydrate,proteins,fats. Demonstrating students regarding preparation of healthy nutritious diet. Web based learning by sharing link related to nutritional health.

- Counseling services:

Counseling is defined as a process of rendering support to rectify personal or emotional problems in school children. School nurse must gain confidence and trust with students to initiate healthy relationship. Individual counseling, group counseling can be conducted. Immediate interventions , remedial measures initiated based not he individual needs.

- Safe school environment :

School environment must be free from noise, air pollution, adequate lighting and temperature control. Safe and secure environment promotes physical and emotional wellbeing.