Family Values - Abstract

Family Values Paper
Lisa D Reuss RN BSHA
University of Phoenix

Abstract

Family health nursing provides the "conceptual foundations of family nursing across the life span" (Garwick, 2002, p. 284). "The Family Health Nurse (FHN) concept was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe in order to provide a means to strengthen family and community-oriented health services" (West and Macduff, 2006). WHO defines family health nursing as presenting a "key contribution within a multi-disciplinary team of health care professionals in the attainment of the 21 health targets" produced by the World Health Organization 21-policy outline.

                        Family Health Nursing and a Healthy Environment

Family systems frequently change as the members of a family adapt to the stress that is inherent to illness and/or injury. Families adapt to the stress, making use of family resources and capabilities, but they often need help in making these adjustments (Servonsky and Gibbons, 2005). In aiding families, nurses employ care that is culturally competent care that uncovers a family's personal story that reveals both the strengths and the deficits of a family, illuminating where they require assistance within a specific health care system (Servonsky and Gibbons, 2005).

Nurses are uniquely empowered to be able to address and see health as being intimately connected to the life of the family (Denham, 2003), and this particularly true within the context of family health nursing. Due to this factor, integrative practice models have been developed that utilize the skills of FHNs as these nurses work more directly with families within the context of the home and complex health care situations (Denham, 2003).

In nursing practice, a flexible definition of family is the key to the best outcome for patients and family. When the nurse views this family system as the client, "or as the primary focus of assessment and care," the family itself, as a...