Population based nursing care - Essay Example

Population-based nursing care Population-based nursing care What is population-based care? Population-based care is referred to as the “managed care mantra” (Dalzell, 1998). The population-based approach has certain traits that characterize is as the approach employed for the early detection, prevention and treatment of the disease in the context of public health. These traits include educating the patients, delegation and the smart use of information systems for transforming grass-root activity into a more systematic, integrated scientific approach (Dalzell, 1998).

According to Maurer and Smith (2005), population-based public health practice is directed at the prevention of disease and the promotion of health. These endeavors are not aimed at a selected group of people or are characteristic of individualized care; rather it is aimed to make the health status of the entire identified populations better (Maurer & Smith, 2005). A point to be noted is that the term based here does not refer to any place or a setting. On the contrary, it means that on which care is going to be provided (Maurer & Smith, 2005).

The main purpose of public-based care is to provide the community healthcare in conditions that are deemed as healthy by the people. Moreover it constitutes organized endeavors aimed for the population as a whole. 2. Define community.Generally community is regarded as a group of people with some element common to them. Community derives from the Latin munus, meaning gift, and cum, meaning together (“Community”, 2010). Therefore it community is a group of people with some shared interests.

More specifically, it is defined as a group of people who live together, have the same government ruling them and common cultural and historical heritage (Hart, 1998). Description of a community usually entails a peaceful, egalitarian social form, sharing their values and life and engaged in a social interaction (“Community”, 2010). 3. How to provide population-based care?In order to provide care to the community, one needs to use the available resources and the assets of the population on the defined community and to evaluate the capability of that community to meet the required health targets (“Population-Based”, 2003).

In order to provide population-based care, one needs to identify and take into account the health determinants that can impact the delivery of healthcare. Such determinants can be social, environmental and behavioral. The provision of population-based care also necessitates the identification of issues that are pertinent to the delivery of healthcare in the population and can subsequently affect the health outcomes. Nurses and healthcare professionals thus are required to provide population-based care through the mobilization of the community.

Mobilization of the community involves endeavors like the engagement of the community, community collaboration and partnerships as well as the organization of community work for the promotion and improvement of health in the community (“Population-Based”, 2003). Since population-based care encompasses both the prevention of disease but also health promotion, primary, secondary and tertiary levels of disease prevention are also made use of in its provision. Primary prevention strategies include injury prevention, health education and advice, immunizations etc.

On the other hand, secondary levels of prevention encourage routine medical checkups, identification of patients with diseases in the population as well as the early administration of treatment. Tertiary prevention includes work therapy and complete medical treatment (“Population-Based”, 2003). Reference ListCommunity- Definition. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Community Dalzell, M. D. (1998). Just What the Devil Is Population-Based Care? Retrieved from http://www.

managedcaremag.com/archives/9809/9809.population.shtml Hart, M. (1998). How do you define a community? Retrieved from http://www.sustainablemeasures.com/Training/Indicators/Cmmunty.html Maurer, F. A., & Smith, C. M. (2005). Community/public health nursing practice: health for families and populations (3rd ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences. Population-Based Public Health Practice. (2003). Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/3989_Chapter_1.pdf