Primary Health Care Nurses Group Discussion

Question: Describe about the Primary Health Care Nurses Group Discussion. Answer: Primary health care is a dimension in the provision of health care services which focuses on health promotion through a collaboration between health professionals, the community as well as other stakeholders that have a role in improving health (MacDonald J.J.2013). Its an approach to health that focusses on a wider perspective other than just curative medicine. This discussion emphasizes on school health nurses as primary health practitioners. A school health nurse is a professional who unites the roles of public health and health promotion professionals with those of primary care providers in achieving optimum children health and education (Baisch et al 2011). Guzys et al (2013) explain that school nurses apply their expertise in child nursing to the school setup in providing diagnosis and evaluation of childrens health and in providing first aid for minor conditions. In New Zealand for instance, these nurses play a major role in schools in preventing rheumatic fever, a disease resulting from throat infection by streptococcus (litmus Ltd 2013). The nurses can also diagnose developmental milestones that can pose a challenge to a child ability to learn, an example of hearing and vision. Just like in any other country, New Zealand reaps benefits from school nurses as far as school health is concerned. The nurses play a role in the prevention of rheumatic fever among children whose prevalence is about 17.2 per hundred thousand (litmus Ltd 2013). Among children with disabilities, school nurses work with teachers and caregivers in providing the best care for the child, improving their overall health. According to Wallis Smith (2008), sometimes its the nurse that detects the disabilities giving room for treatment hence better chances of recovering. A school nurse after identifying such a child plays the role of ensuring they lead an independent life and participate fully in the educational experience. School nurse roles revolve around health promotion for the entire school community. As part of this, the nurse provides tertiary prevention for children with chronic health conditions. They do this by giving them the required support in readjusting to the school environment with a purpose of ensuring their academic success and entire well-being. In high schools, the role of school nurses focuses on social and emotional needs most being adolescence, poor parental relationships and any issue affecting students mental health. (Weist et al 2012). School nurses as well provide support to children in terms of diet, behaviors, coping with stress and home related issues. School nurses enhance community health through record keeping. According to Baisch et al (2011), this is essential in proper information dissemination to other healthcare providers especially in cases of allergies or another medical history that affects how a childs health is handled outside the school. In addition, these nurses identify disparities that would have an impact on the health of a student and help deal with them where possible. To summarize, school nurses are an essential element in health promotion. Their positive impact is felt by students, staff, caregivers and the community at large. Appreciating their role in education, health and wellbeing can only be done by providing them with the resources necessary to do their work effectively. References: Baisch, M. J., Lundeen, S. P., Murphy, M. K. (2011). Evidence Based Research on the Value of School Nurses in an Urban School System. Journal of School Health, 81(2), 74-80. Guzys, D., Kenny, A., Bish, M. (2013). Sustaining secondary school nursing practice in Australia: A qualitative study. Nursing health sciences, 15(3), 353-359. Litmus Ltd, (2013). Implementation and formative evaluation of the rheumatic fever prevention program. final report. Litmus Ltd, Wellington. Macdonald, J. J. (2013). Primary health care: medicine in its place. Routledge. Wallis, K. E., Smith, S. M. (2008). School health developmental screening in pediatric primary care: the role of nurses. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 13(2), 130-134. Zarb, P., Coignard, B., Griskeviciene, J., Muller, A., Vankerckhoven, V., Weist, K., ... Monnet, D. L. (2012). A the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) pilot point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use. Euro Surveill, 17(46), 20316.