UNIT I. OVERVIEW OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING IN THE PHILIPPINES Flashcards
is one of the major fields of nursing in the Philippines; the
other is hospital nursing. We generally use the terms community health nursing and public
health nursing, and community health nurse and public health nurse interchangeably.
Community Health Nursing
Those
who work in rural health units (RHUs) or health centers are community health nurses and
are officially called_____. Occupational health nurses (company
nurses) and school health nurses are classified as .
public health nurses (PHNs) ; community health nurses
Public health systems are operating within a context of ongoing changes, which
exert several pressures on the public health system.
These changes include
- Shifts in demographic and epidemiological trends in diseases, including the
emergence and re-emergence of new diseases and the prevalence of risk and
protective factors - New technologies for health care, communication, and information
- Existing and emerging environmental hazards some associated with
globalization - Health reforms
gives us an idea of the health situation in the
communities where nurses work. Because of the different conditions prevailing in these
communities, their health picture expectedly varies. The local health situation, therefore,
needs to be established for each province, city, and municipality.
national health situation
implemented through FOURmula ONE and operationalized in the national objectives for health 2005 to 2010 spell out the program imperatives of the health sector. All of these are in line with the millennium development goal and the medium-term development plan of the country
health sector reform agenda (HSRA)
State of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity.
Health
relating to living together in organized groups or similar close
aggregates
Social
connotes community vitality and is a result of positive interaction
among groups within the community with an emphasis on health promotion and illness
prevention
Social health
’ refers to a positive rather than neutral state, framing health as a positive
aspiration
‘Wellbeing
Factors affecting health
- Income and social status
- Education
- Physical environment
- Employment and working conditions
- Social support networks
- Culture
- Genetics
- Personal behavior and coping skills
- Health services
- Gender
Indicators of health and illness
- Mortality and morbidity data
- Life expectancy
- Infant mortality
- Maternal mortality
- Age-adjusted death rates
- Disease incidence rates
(C.E. Winslow) is the science and art of (1) preventing disease, (2)
prolonging life, and (3) promoting health and efficiency through organized community
effort for;
1. Sanitation of the environment
2. Control of communicable infections
3. Education of the individual in personal hygiene
4. Organization of medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis and preventive
treatment of disease and
5. Development of the social machinery
Public health
The purpose of public health
is to improve the health of the public by promoting
healthy lifestyles, preventing disease and injury, and protecting the health of
communities.
Core public health functions
a. Assessment
b. Policy development
c. Assurance
is dedicated to the common attainment of the highest level of physical
mental and social well-being and longevity (Hanlon).
Public health
defined Community Health Nursing
as “the synthesis of nursing practice and public health practice applied to promoting and
preserving the health of populations”. This viewpoint noted that a community health nurse
directs care to individuals, families, or groups; this care, in turn, contributes to the health of
the total population.
American Nurses Association (ANA)
is considered to be a broader and more
general specialty area that encompasses subspecialties that include public health nursing,
school nursing, occupational health nursing, and other developing fields of practice such as
home health and independent nurse practice
Community health nursing
The philosophy of community health nursing is based on
the Worth and Dignity
of Man (Shetland
Field of Community Health Nursing in the Philippines
a. School Nursing
b. Occupational Health Nursing
Type of Public Health Nursing that focuses on the promotion of health and wellness
of the pupil/students, teaching and non-teaching personnel of the school.
School Nursing
The duties and
responsibilities of the school Nurse include the following:
- Health Advocacy
- Health and nutrition assessment –vision and hearing
- Supervision of the health and safety of the school plant
- Treatment of common ailments
- Referral and follow-up of pupils and personnel
- Home visits
- Community outreach like community assembly
- Recording and reporting of accomplishments
- Monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects
Functions of School Nurse
- School Health and Nutrition Survey
- Putting up a Functional School Clinic
- Health Assessment
- Standard Vision testing for School Children
- Ear examination
- Height and Weight Measurement and Nutritional status Determination
- Medical referrals
- Attendance to emergency cases
- Student Health Counseling
- Home Visitation
In the Philippines, the health of the people in the workplace is another important focus
for community health nursing practice, it is in the work setting that many individuals spend a
quarter to almost a third of their working lives each working person faces certain conditions
and develop certain patterns on the job that affect their health.
Occupational Health Nursing
has frequently been described as the synthesis of public health
nursing practice
Public Health Nursing
as a field of professional practice in nursing
and in public health in which technical nursing, interpersonal, analytical, and
organizational skills are applied to problems of health as they affect the community.
These skills are applied in concert with those of other persons engaged in
health care, through comprehensive nursing care for families and other groups
and through measures for evaluation or control of threats to health, for health
education of the public, and for mobilization of the public for health action
Public health nursing
Standards of Public Health Nursing Practice
Standard 1. Assessment Collects comprehensive data
Standard 2. Population diagnosis and
priorities
Analyzes assessment data
Standard 3. Outcomes Identification Identifies expected outcomes
Standard 4. Planning Develops a plan that reflects best practices
Standard 5. Implementation Implements identified plan
a. Coordination
b. Health education and
health promotion
c. Consultation
d. Regulatory activities
Standard 6. Evaluation Evaluates the health status of the
population
Standards of Professional Performance
Standard 7. Quality of practice Systematically enhances quality and
effectiveness
Standard 8. Education Attains knowledge and competency
Standard 9. Professional practice
evaluation
Evaluates own nursing practice
Standard 10. Collegiality and professional
relationships
Establishes collegial partnerships
Standard 11. Collaboration Collaborates with representatives of the
population
Standard 12. Ethics Integrates ethical provision
Standard 13 Research Integrates research findings
Standard 14. Resource utilization
population
Considers factors related to safety,
effectiveness, cost, and impact
Standard 15. Leadership
- Must be professionally qualified and licensed to practice in the area of public health
nursing. - Must possess personal qualities and “people skills” that would allow her practice to
make a difference in the lives of these people - Functions following the dominant values of public health nurses, within the ethicolegal framework of the nursing profession, and under the needs of the clients and
available resources for health care
Public health nurse
Functions of PHN are consistent with the Nursing Law 2002 and program policies
formulated by the DOH and local government health agencies and they are related to:
- Management function
- Supervisory function
- Nursing care function
- Collaborating and coordinating function
- Health promotion and education function
- Training and research
Francisca Friar Juan Clemente opened a medical dispensary in Intramuros
(the old walled city of Manila) for the indigent.
1577
Dominican Father Juan de Pergero worked toward installing a water system
in San Juan del Monte (now San Juan City, Metro Manila).
1690
Smallpox vaccination was introduced by Dr. Franciso de Balmis, the personal
physician of King Charles IV of Spain
1805
The first medicos titulares were appointed by the Spanish government;
medicos titulares worked as provincial health officers
1876
A 2-year course consisting of fundamental medical and dental subjects was
first offered atthe University of Santo Tomas; graduates of this course known
as cirujanos ministrantes served as male nurses and sanitation inspectors
1888
The United States Philippine Commission, through Act 157, created the board
of health of the Philippine Island with a commissioner of Public Health as its
chief executive officer.
The board of health eventually evolved into what is now the Department of
Health, subsequently provincial and municipal boards of health were formed.
1901
Act #2156 or the Fajardo act created a sanitary division made up of one to
four municipalities; each sanitary division has a president who had to be a
physician, sometimes a nurse
1912
The Philippine general hospital began to extend public health nursing service
in the home of patients by organizing a unit called social and home care
service, with two nurses as staff.
Puericulture Centers were organized by women’s clubs and other
community organizations which provided maternity and infant care. It is
staffed by a nurse or midwife, assisted by a part-time physician.
La Gota de Leche founded by Asociacion Feminista Filipina in 1905 was the
first center dedicated to the service of mothers and babies.
1915
The department of health was reorganized into bureaus.
1. Quarantine Hospitals took charge of the municipal and charity clinic
and health with sanitary divisions under it
2. The reorganization also placed the administration of city health
departments at the bureau level.
1947
Congress passed RA 1082 or the rural health act that provided for the
creation of a rural health unit in every municipality. RA 1082 provided for the employment of Physicians as municipal health
officers, public health nurses, midwives, and sanitation inspectors in the
rural health units.
1954