Explain how your view of what a “patient” is has changed and expanded?
Patients are at the heart of health care systems since all medical advancements, processes and activities are geared towards enhancing their health outcomes. The definition of a patient has changed over the years regarding their input in the healthcare processes and the centrality of their health needs. A few decades ago, patients were more passive and did not put any contribution towards their healthcare, which was left entirely to the physicians and nurses. Today however, this definition has changed and expanded significantly with the concept of patient-centered health care. Patients are considered as individuals who can determine or choose their preferred healthcare services as well as medical procedures (Fiorio, Gorli, and Verzillo, 2018). The physicians no longer impose on patients, but instead, they offer advice, which the patient can take, or not. In this case, the patient becomes the center of the healthcare system while the doctor is seen as a facilitator helping the patient to have better health outcomes.
What are some major differences between the assessment of a public health nurse and a clinical nurse?
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Public health nurses and clinical nurses play a significant role in promoting the health outcomes of patients in their respective areas of practice. While both of these professionals are concerned with the health outcomes of patients, there are differences between how they assess their patients. Public health nurses conduct a community needs assessment to determine the most pressing health needs of a particular community. They base their assessment on various factors including age, gender, economic abilities, and geographical location. From here, these nurses can make recommendations and implement these recommendations to promote good health by preventing diseases (Fooladi, 2015). On the other hand, clinical nurses perform a physical examination of individual patients to understand the patients’ clinical needs. Clinical nurses can use inspection, observation, percussion, palpation, and auscultation techniques to gather the necessary information. From here, these nurses can come up with informed clinical judgment and recommend a course of action.
References
Fiorio, C. V., Gorli, M. & Verzillo, S. (2018). Evaluating organizational change in health care: the patient-centered hospital model. BMC Health Services Research, 18 (95).
Fooladi, M. M. (2015). The Role of Nurses in Community Awareness and Preventive Health. International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery, 3(4), 328–329.
