DQ: Explain the role of health education in health promotion
to prevent disease while also assisting people in improving their health. Health promotion is the process of empowering individuals to take control of their health and improve their overall well-being. According to Falkner (2018), nurses are actively involved in both health promotion and health education, providing the education needed to help patients gain control over their own health promotion.
The nursing process is a systematic approach to identifying, preventing, and treating potential health problems while also promoting wellness. It was used to develop new approaches to dealing with a patient’s changing condition.
A contemporary issue that a family may face today is a parent or relative suffering from mental health issues. Depression, excessive alcohol use disorders, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders are all caused by mental health issues, and they are among the top ten causes of mental disability worldwide. As with physical health, nurses can promote mental health by developing positive relationships with patients, encouraging healthy behaviors, and identifying and treating symptoms early. The nurse collaborates with the family and the interdisciplinary team to create an approach that fully meets the needs of the patient and family while also empowering the patient and family to take control of their health and wellness (Falkner, 2018).
A. Falkner (2018). Health Education, Promotion, and Current Family-Centered Health Promotion Challenges Health and Wellness Across the Continuum, Grand Canyon University (Eds.). https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/#/chapter/5
Nurses’ role is to educate patients in order to promote their health. If nurses do not educate their patients, patients will not receive the necessary information to care for their health and diseases. As an ED nurse, I educate patients several times throughout the day. One of the primary ways I accomplish this is by reviewing the patient’s discharge instructions. I go over their new medications and when they should take them, as well as the specialists they should contact for follow-ups. This is an important step in the discharge procedure. If the patient does not understand their discharge instructions, their health may deteriorate and they may need to be readmitted. The nursing process is taught to every nurse in school. Even if it seemed far-fetched at the time, nurses use it on a daily basis in their practice. Patients with pulmonary edema present to the emergency department. Bipap is one of our first-line defenses for this. However, while rounding on patients and staff in the ED as a nursing supervisor, I came across one incident that I could use to help explain this. A patient was not admitted due to shortness of breath. However, because the hospital is full, the ED has been holding inpatients for days before they can be transferred upstairs. This patient had been in the ER for two days as of this evening. The patient began to experience shortness of breath.
The patient was given a breathing treatment by the nurse who was caring for him. When I arrived to check on the nurse and the patient, the nurse informed me that the patient was still experiencing shortness of breath despite the breathing treatment. I inquired as to whether the nurse had auscultated the patient’s breath sounds. She had said no. I explained to her that just because a patient has shortness of breath does not mean that a breathing treatment will cure it. After listening to the patient’s lungs, it was discovered that he was not wheezing. The patient did, in fact, have crackles. I informed the nurse that I had paged the doctor and respiratory therapy. I informed the nurse that the patient would require a diuretic and bipap. They had agreed when the inpatient provider arrived. During this process, we assessed the patient, devised a treatment plan, and then assessed whether or not the treatment was effective. which was correct. Motor vehicle accidents are a frequent occurrence for us in the ED. Every day, motor vehicle accidents occur, and as a trauma center, we receive a large number of patients who have been involved in a motor vehicle accident. It is critical to teach the importance of seat belts upon discharge or even if the patient is admitted. If it’s a young driver, I make it a point to educate them on the dangers of texting and driving. Cars can now communicate and text. Which is a far safer option to employ. It is the nurse’s responsibility to educate these patients in order to reduce the likelihood of something similar happening again.
