Order Number |
755742224 |
Type of Project |
ESSAY |
Writer Level |
PHD VERIFIED |
Format |
APA |
Academic Sources |
10 |
Page Count |
3-12 PAGES |
The PHN received a referral from the county hospital to see Ray, a 57-year-old white man with newly diagnosed TB. The first purpose of the referral was for the PHN to meet with the client to ensure that he received the appropriate information about TB and received follow-up medical care on a regular basis.
The second purpose of the referral was for the PHN to meet with Ray and identify the people with whom he had been in close contact. The nurse then established contact with these people, notified them that they had been exposed to TB, and encouraged them to have follow-up tests for TB.
The nurse contacted Ray and established a time for the home visit. The nurse noted that he resided in a residential hotel in a lower-middle-class neighborhood of a large urban area.
During the initial visit, the nurse discovered that the client was an unemployed construction worker. He did not know where he might have contracted TB. Ray assured the nurse that he was taking his medication as directed. He gave the nurse the names of the friends he played poker with every week at a hotel and told the nurse that he advised his friends to be tested for TB. The nurse made a note of the names and later talked with them individually by telephone. During these subsequent conversations, the nurse was very careful to maintain the client’s confidentiality. The nurse informed these individuals that they could have been exposed to TB and that they should seek testing through their health care providers or through their local health department.
Ray indicated that he did not have family and he had minimal contact with other people besides his friends at the hotel. The nurse recorded this information on the communicable disease form and returned the information to the public health department’s communicable disease division.
Assessment
The PHN’s assessment of the client with a communicable disease involved the individual, family, and community. The PHN assessed whether the client received appropriate information and regular medical care for TB and whether the client followed the prescribed treatment regimen.
Although Ray stated that he did not have family, his friends in the hotel constituted a working support network. The PHN knows that the client’s support network is whomever the client identifies. Nursing assessment of Ray’s support network involved determining whether the members were tested for TB. In addition, the PHN assessed the client’s network for the following:
The PHN was aware that the number of new cases of TB in the community had increased over the past 12 months. The PHN further noted that there was an increase in the number of area residents immigrating from various developing countries and that this population might be at increased risk for development of TB.
Diagnosis
Individual
Lack of awareness regarding the disease process and transmission of TB
Family
Lack of awareness regarding the disease process and transmission of TB, location of communicable disease clinics, and the importance of screening those exposed to TB
Community
Potential for development of TB among community residents, indicated by an increased incidence of new cases of TB over the past 12 months
Planning
A plan of care is established with mutually agreed-upon goals based on the nurse’s assessment of the individual, family, and community.
Individual
Long-Term Goal
Short-Term Goal
Family
Long-Term Goal
Support network members with positive test results will receive appropriate treatment
Short-Term Goal
Support network members will demonstrate basic knowledge of cause and transmission of TB and will agree to be tested for TB.
Community
Long-Term Goal
Incidence of TB in the community will decrease over the next 3 years.
Short-Term Goal
Community members will demonstrate knowledge of increased incidence of TB in their community and of available community resources for treatment and prevention of TB.
Intervention
Implementation of the plan of care for the client with TB occurs at the individual, family, and community levels.
Individual
The PHN referred Ray to the communicable disease clinic at the local health department. TB is a reportable communicable disease; therefore the PHN obtained information from the client regarding people with whom he had been in close contact.
Family
The PHN contacted members of Ray’s support network and referred them to the communicable disease clinic as appropriate. The nurse provided these people with information concerning TB transmission and the importance of early treatment and follow-up.
Community
The PHN met with professionals from the communicable disease clinic and the health department and with members of the community to establish a program to raise public awareness about the increased incidence of TB in the community. The public was informed about the importance of preventive measures, the availability of community screening services for TB, and the existing health care resources in the community.
Evaluation
Individual
The client’s knowledge of the disease process, transmission, treatment, and signs and symptoms of TB is an indicator in evaluating the care plan. Confirmation of the client’s follow-up with the communicable disease clinic can also be used for evaluation.
Family
The support network’s knowledge of the disease process, transmission, treatment, and signs and symptoms of TB is an indicator in evaluating the care plan. Confirmation of the support network’s follow-up with the communicable disease clinic can also be used for evaluation.
Community
The incidence rate of TB in the community and the rate at which TB clinics and related resources are used are measures that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions at the aggregate level.
Levels of Prevention
The PHN is actively involved in all three levels of prevention through education programs, early detection programs, and appropriate referrals for patients with TB. Examples of each of these levels of prevention are as follows:
Primary
Goal: Prevention of specific disease occurrence such as TB.
Secondary
Goal: Early detection of existing conditions.
Tertiary
Goal: To reduce the effects and spread of TB.