Forensic nursing is the application of the nursing practices and procedures to public or legal actions, as well as the application of forensic health care during investigations that are scientific such as suffering or death caused by abuse, accident, violence, liability, and crime among others. Forensic nursing is a growing nursing field that further scrutinizes and investigates issues arising in healthcare and involves a medico-legal component. Forensic nursing involves two different conceptions, which are nursing and forensic science. The nursing profession connects with the law in so many times and in various settings. The forensic nurse provides direct services to individual clients; consultation services to other nurses, medical experts, and law-related agencies; provides professional court testimony where there are questionable death investigative procedures as well as satisfactory services delivery and specialized analysis and diagnose (Hammer, 2013). Forensic nursing involves several dimensions and requires various theoretical approaches to explain the relationship between healthcare and law . Forensic nurses have advanced training on the collection and preparation of evidence, treatment procedures, as well as legal proceedings and testimonies. In Minnesota where I come from, forensic nurses assist in court procedures, providing testimonies and evidence in matters involving heinous acts such as murder and rape. They also assist other nurses and doctors with professional information and insights. In addition, they improve the legal results and value of life for crime victim patients in accordance with Emergency Room care. This paper will discuss the roles of Agnes, a forensic nurse at Wright County Health in Minnesota, the health promotion nursing interventions as well as professional nursing organizations.
Wright County Health is an institution that protects, maintains and improves the health of county residents. It also provides a variety of health services to communities, counties, and individuals for promoting health and prevention of diseases. Agnes is a forensic nurse in this institution. Her roles include helping crime victims overcome their post-traumatic stress disorders, suicidal thoughts, depression, and other medical issues. She also offers treatments on illness and injuries on the patients.
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As a community nurse, Agnes combines research based on evidence with the health needs of the community to provide health care built on science and evidence. She determines the cultural and socioeconomic requirements of the people in the community and adjusts the care provided according to their needs (Stanhope, 2015). The population served includes; the people who require medical attention, medical staff who she shares her expertise with, police and detectives who she assists with investigations, and courts where she provides testimonies and evidence in legal proceedings (Hammer, 2013).
Three health services provided by Agnes include; leadership, researching and advocating. She leads combined and concerted efforts to generate flourishing health results as well as providing vital medical and social services in the community. To achieve this, she uses evidence to execute changes in policy and guidelines as well as practices that are of high quality. As a researcher, she collects and uses evidence to implement constructive and helpful amendments for better health. This research is used to confirm and authenticate funding for programs concerning public health, for the reduction of disparities and inequities in healthcare, as well as for increasing access to healthcare services. She advocates on levels of local, state, as well as federal to provide improved access to healthcare, protect financial support for public health plans, and getting rid of any health discrepancies.
Health promotion entails providing activities that lead to the improvement of a person’s health. These activities help the patients in sustaining and improving their current health conditions. Therefore, health promotion activities inspire and cause people to utilize measurements that are going to improve their health. For nurses to be able to help their patients in reaching healthy lifestyles, they have to evaluate the perception a patient have concerning health. Therefore, nurses are an essential component of the broad and comprehensive principles of healthcare promotions. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health promotion as “the process of enabling people to increase control over the determinants of health and thereby improving their health” (Pender, 2006).
Health promotion revolves around three major roles of nurses, which include; advocating, enabling and mediating to minimize meager health results. Plans for health promotion should aim in reducing harmful health results, which are connected with health determinants by expanding information by use of health education. Nurses advocate for patients and the community by holding campaigns that assist in improving health, for example, non-profit organizations and enlightening campaigns. They also facilitate and empower their patients through pushing for equal access to healthcare services regardless of their ethnicity, race or gender (Pender, 2006).
Nurses collaborate with legal systems, businesses, government, as well as the media. They encourage and support health for all citizens through mediation between healthcare providers and these institutions. Collaborating between several organizations is the most effective method of ensuring the health of a community. Nurses apply concepts from their research based on evidence to execute successful plans, which encourage possible health. Additionally, they are experienced and talented in the skills and capabilities required to influence policy related to health as well as empowering communities to act in a way that will improve their health (Pender, 2006).
International Organization of Forensic Nurses is a Professional Nursing Organization that supports forensic nurses. This association was started in 1992 and members who come from twenty-five countries constitute it. Currently, the association has 4,400 members across the twenty-five countries. When the association was started in 1992, it had 72 registered nurses who were mostly nurses who examined sexual assaults. These nurses joined up and formed the International Association of Forensic Nurses. They had a vision of an organization that was to take in the profundity and extent of the people who practice nursing at the point where healthcare structures and legal structures interconnect (International Association of Forensic Nurses).
These involved nurses who use theories, policies, and intercessions to people affected by acts of violence and the persons behind these criminal acts are included in this vivacious profession. Currently, the association includes nurses who take roles in various fields such as death investigators, legal nurse consultants, forensic clinical nurse specialist, correctional nurse specialists, forensic gynecology nurses, forensic psychiatric nurses, nurse attorneys, forensic geriatric specialists, and so many more that work in several settings while forensic practice advances. Membership in this association provides forensic nurses with the resources they require to build up and expand their practice, be known worldwide as well as connect with people of the same profession. The professional issue this association address is how to identify , collect, and preserve medical forensic proof, which is obtained when the victims of sexual and domestic violence are being, treated (International Association of Forensic Nurses).
Agnes as a forensic nurse at Wright County Health has many roles to play in her community. Apart from being a medical professional, she has other roles that serve the members of her community such as helping crime victims to overcome their post-traumatic stress disorders, suicidal thoughts, depression, and other severe medical issues. In addition, she offers health services such as leadership, researching and advocating as well as health promotion interventions, which include; advocating, enabling and mediating to minimize meager health results. A forensic nurse is a vital component in the community.
References
Hammer, R., Moynihan, B., Pagliaro, E. (2013). Forensic nursing: a handbook for practice. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
International Association of Forensic Nurses. Retrieved on January 30, 2019. https://www.forensicnurses.org/
Pender, N., Murdaugh, C., Parsons, M., Ann, M. (2006). Health promotion in nursing practice. New Jersey, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Stanhope, M., Lancaster, J. (2015). Public health nursing e-book: Population-centered health care in the community. United States: Elsevier Health Sciences.
