Introduction
Nursing practice has changed tremendously because of the introduction and employment of the family concept in care provision. The paper shall argue that the family should be the focus of care in nursing practice and this shall be backed up by several theories and explanations.
How a family works as a system in promoting the health of its members
The family plays a crucial role in informing its members about some of the basic health, economic, reproductive, and developmental issues that they are likely to face within the external environment. In this regard, families play an important role in determining the types of family planning techniques that their members will use once and if they fall within an acceptable age bracket. Aside from that, the family system plays an important role in informing its members about other sexually related health concerns such as avoidance of sexually transmitted diseases. Here, families may teach their members issues concerning abstinence or they may advocate for other measures such as condom usage (Zilback, 1989).
The family can function as a structure for encouraging its members to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here, the family often dictates dietary preferences that in the end can lead to healthy lifestyles. In line with the latter function is the promotion of healthy activities ranging from adequate sleep, engaging in exercise, going for frequent medical checkups, and other necessary activities needed to ensure wellness.
The family system can boost an individual’s health by discouraging them from practices that could endanger their health such as alcohol and cigarette consumption, drug-taking, and the like. These can go a long way in promoting a healthy lifestyle.
It should also be noted that psychological elements of an individual’s health can be formed or damaged through the family unit. In this regard, the family is supposed to provide its members with a stable environment in which they can have meaningful relationships. Health complications may arise if this function is not carried out and they may be manifested in the form of suicides, drug-taking, prostitution, or other activities that put these members at high health risks. Aside from these depictions, a lack of strong family ties can cause mental illnesses (Rankin, 1986).
The concept of family most used in nursing practice and whether this is the most helpful concept for considering the family in nursing practice
In nursing practice, family is often treated as a context. Here, the direct focus is placed upon the patient or the individual whose wellness is under analysis, and family is seen as an influential force in the health of that person. Holders of this view believe that the family can either promote or impede an individual. Therefore according to Rodgers and Neuman’s models, the family forms part of the external environment in an individual’s life and causes variable changes within those people’s lifestyles. There are plenty of cases that exist within this frame of thought. Some nursing practitioners may opt to include families extensively in their care plan while others tend to think of them as contributory to health but not directly related. Such a method is particularly useful when dealing with children as the family is one of the supporting forces within a child’s life.
However, this approach may not necessarily be the most helpful concept for considering the family in nursing practice because it ignores the effect that different family members have on one another. In other words, when family members do not engage in exercise or they smoke in the house, then some health repercussions will be felt by other members of the family. Also, treating the family only as ‘context’ means that one does not consider some of the interconnections that exist between the family, its members, and health. In other words, such an approach lacks a holistic element and is therefore not practical for family nursing as a discipline. In other words, the more useful concept of family that should be adopted by most practitioners is the treatment of the family as the client (Borlick, 1974).
Nursing theory in readings that would be most conducive to my area of practice
According to Martha Rogers in her theory of Unitarian human beings, human beings should be seen as unitary beings that constantly re patterns their energy fields in response to external influences. Consequently, change occurs when energy fields between the latter two parties differ from one another. It can therefore be argued (as brought out by several pieces of research) that the family is itself in constant interaction with the environment and often sequentially responds to issues.
Nursing theory gains application in nursing practice when one sees the relationship that exists between families and nursing. Here, diversity patterns and innovation often relate to families but are quite unpredictable. Like the energy fields referred to in Roger’s theory, families face challenges that are nonrhythmic, and dealing with those challenges requires great adaptability or change.
In close relation to Rodger’s theory is Neuman’s Health care systems Model. This theory treats all clients as open systems interacting with their environment. However, it differs from Rodgers’ approach because it treats families exclusively as clients. Here, it is assumed that there are frequent stressors that families are exposed to (spiritually, mentally, physically, economically etc) and those stressors have the potential to impede their wellness. The latter theory is useful in nursing practice because it acknowledges the importance of maintaining relationships between different family members as lack of this aspect can lead to health complications.
Conclusion
Family nursing accepts the notion that there is a relationship between family, the members making up that family and their health. A comprehensive view of the family in nursing only arises when the family is given precedence in nursing as a whole.
References
- Rankin, S. (1986). Family transitions, expected and unexpected. NJ: Pearson Education Inc
- Zilback, J. (1989). The family life cycle. New York: Guildford Press
- Borlick, M (1974). Nursing examination review. NY: Medical examination publishers