Health is when a person is physically, socially, psychologically well, and not that disease is absent (Dummer, 2009). On the other hand, community health is when the quality of life of the community is at its highest (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). To facilitate the community’s quality of life, the community health nurse intervenes therapeutically via empowering the community with health information and providing strategies on health and wellness that facilitate the community’s quality of life in all aspects (Dummer, 2009). Therefore, the therapeutic intervention aims at promoting health, preventing illness, treating diseases, and rehabilitation (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010).
The community health nurse performs several therapeutic interventions that promote the health of the community and the clued health education, environmental engineering, and medication therapy (Dummer, 2009). Under health education, the community health nurse empowers the community with information that helps them remain on the wellness side of the health and illness continuum (Sines, Saunders,& Forbes, 2010). For instance, the community health nurse can teach the community healthy eating habits so that they do not acquire diseases associated with poor eating habits like malnutrition, obesity, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes (Dummer, 2009). On the other hand, environmental engineering involves collaboration between the community and the community health nurse (Sines, Saunders, & Forbes, 2010). In this case, the community health nurse assists the community members to identify an environmental problem that is a threat to health and the way of alleviating the problem (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). For example, if the problem is stagnant water, the community can intervene by draining it because stagnant water is a risk factor for malaria disease (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). Finally, medication therapy helps in health promotion in a variety of ways (Dummer, 2009). To begin with, a drug like vitamin A improves the nutritional status of the body and increases the eye’s functioning (Dummer, 2009). Additionally, a drug like the family planning pills promotes the health of the mothers by reducing the risk of disease associated with pregnancy and childbirth (Dummer, 2009).
Prevention of illness reduces the incidence of diseases resulting in a healthy community (Sines, Saunders, & Forbes, 2010). Therefore, concerning the prevention of illness, the community health nurse therapeutically intervenes by community development, health campaigns, medication use, and community education (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). Community development involves restructuring the environment so that diseases neither occur nor spread (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). For instance, the community health nurse can demonstrate to the community how to construct a house that is spacious and well ventilated because such a house prevents the spread of airborne diseases ( Dummer, 2009). On the other hand, health campaigns focus on creating awareness about preventable diseases like diarrhea and tuberculosis (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). In this case, the community health nurse can campaign about proper handwashing techniques because dirty hands are a carrier of diseases (Dummer, 2009). Medication use also plays a significant role in diseases prevention (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). For instance, vaccination prevents diseases like polio, measles, tetanus, and diphtheria (Dummer, 2009). Furthermore, deworming reduces the chances of worm infestations (Sines, Saunders, & Forbes, 2010). Finally, community education equips the community with knowledge and skills on how to avoid the occurrence of diseases (Dummer, 2009). In line with this, the community health nurse can educate the community on the importance of personal and environmental hygiene (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010).
In case of the occurrence of a disease in the community, the community health nurse should therapeutically intervene through the provision of medication, follow-ups, and counseling (Dummer, 2009). For instance, if there is an outbreak of a disease like cholera, the community health nurse should ensure that the required medications are available and the movement of people is restricted so that the disease does not spread (Sines, Saunders, & Forbes, 2010). On the other hand, if there is a prevalence of a disease like tuberculosis in the community, it is the responsibility of the community health nurse to follow up with the infected people to ensure that they adhere to the treatment regimen (Dummer, 2009). This is important because if they adhere to the treatment regimen they will recover but if they default, they will develop multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis that is difficult to manage (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). Finally, counseling is an important component in the treatment of disease, and in this case, the community health nurse should counsel the sick people on the importance of rational drug use because irrational drug use prevents recovery and exacerbate the signs and symptoms of the disease (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010).
Rehabilitation is a vital component of community nursing because all the chronically sick people go back into the community after recovery (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). Therefore, the community health nurse should intervene therapeutically by psychotherapy, psycho-education and follow-ups (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). Psychotherapy involves the community health nurse teaching the patient how to cope with the damage caused by the disease while psycho education involves teaching the significant others and the community how to cope with patient’s condition (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). Moreover, the community health nurse follows up the discharged patient to ensure that the patient takes his medication, observe healthy eating habits and attends the follow up clinics (Saucier & Sharyn, 2010). This follow up is important because it promotes the patient’s health and prevents deterioration of the patient’s condition (Dummer, 2009).
In conclusion, therapeutic interventions in the community lead to a healthy community (Sines, Saunders,& Forbes, 2010). Therefore, the community health nurse should strive to provide therapeutic services to the community because a healthy community results into a healthy nation (Dummer, 2009).
Referenses
Dummer, M. (2009). Nursing in the Community. Michgan: Appleton and Lange.
Saucier, K., & Sharyn, J. (2010). Community Health Nursing: Caring for the Public Health. New York: Jones and Barlete Learning.
Sines, D., Saunders, M., & Forbes, J. (2010). Community Health Care Nursing. North Carlifornia: John Wileys and Sons.