Although over the years of nursing practice, family intervention in the process of treatment has been recognized as a mandatory attribute, the scope of the family’s influence on the patient has been significantly modified. Previously, family health was related solely to the qualitative indicator of health conditions of the individuals within a unit. Today’s interpretation of the term encompasses the peculiarities of communication and mental influence (Wampler & McWey, 2020). Thus, it would be safe to assume that the concept of family health is of paramount importance for medical practice. Indeed, as soon as patients leave hospital premises, their treatment process continues at home, with family members being responsible for both psychological and physical support. In order to ensure satisfactory rates of family health and mutual health maintaining, Barnes et al. (2020) suggest some of the following strategies:
- Partnership. As family members frequently feel left out in terms of the treatment process, they tend to avoid further responsibility at home in order to avoid negative outcomes. However, when the family believes that the patient’s well-being is as dependent on their actions as on the actions of practitioners, it may be more willing to take action in ensuring family health improvement.
- Education. Nurses, as public health educators, should provide family members and close surroundings with exhaustive information about how the well-being of each of them may be directly affected by the family’s treatment and attitude.
In order to choose an efficient strategy, nurses are to communicate with the patient on the matter of their interaction with the family. After gaining proper information, the nurse obtains a better perspective in terms of the family’s perception of family health. As a result, medical workers have the ability to define where to start the educational process in order to secure a gradual yet efficient framework of family health promotion and therapy system.
References
Barnes, M. D., Hanson, C. L., Novilla, L. B., Magnusson, B. M., Crandall, A. C., & Bradford, G. (2020). Family-centered health promotion: Perspectives for engaging families and achieving better health outcomes. Inquiry: A Journal of Medical Care Organization, Provision and Financing, 57. Web.
Wampler, K. S., & McWey, L. M. (Eds.). (2020). The handbook of systemic family therapy. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.