1.The values and beliefs held by a nurse in community health influence the nurse""? s ability to be an advocate for clients. Discuss your values and beliefs about rationing health care and how they affect your ability to be a patient advocate.
Rationing health implies restricting health care services only to those that can afford to pay for the high costs associated with health care. Those who are too poor to pay for health care, those who are not insured and those who are not willing to purchase any form of care are devoid of health care. The term has been used frequently by the American government in her bid to reduce government spending. In my opinion, rationing health care by any government is monumentally malicious because providing quality and affordable health care services is supposed to be one of the numerous responsibilities of a responsible government to her citizenry. More so, it is a fundamental right of every individual to be able to access affordable quality care at government hospitals. Hence, it is very difficult to be a patient advocate. For example, in a managed care setting, there is could be restrictions to the treatment options available to a patient.
2. If you thought a major disaster (hurricane, tornado, flood, or outside force) what steps would you take to adequately prepare for this possible disaster? What steps would you take to ensure for your family? Whose help would you enlist? What community resources are available to you?
Hurricane is a serious natural disaster and in the United States it is believed that the hurricane season is between 1st of June to the ending of November. With the above information in mind, it is advisable to tune in to the television stations frequently for forecasters take about weather forecasts for the period. It is expected that the populace will be alerted through the issuance of a watch, which literarily means that a hurricane is likely in the area. I would immediately inform my family about the impending hurricane, and commence preparations for survival. I will plan leaving the area for that period of time and at the same time make emergency preparations towards not being able to leave before the hurricane arrives. I will put together a lot of essential supplies that will make me survive the storm. The supplies include; a first aid kit, prescription drugs such as diabetics medications, asthma medications and other medications that could be required by any member of the family, food that can last up to two weeks especially the canned ones, cereals, milk, sugar, coffee, paper cups, paper bowls and plates, plastic utensils, water, budgeting at least two gallons per person per day, toiletries, extra clothing, sleeping bags or tents, rubber footwear, battery powered radios, flashlights, extra batteries and mobile phones with back up batteries. The community resources available include the community police, the fire services, the emergency agencies, the coast guards, the military and the red cross society.
3. What is the role of nurses in the preparedness response and recovery stages of a disaster?
Asides tending to patients at the bedside, nurses have a gigantic role to play whenever there is an occurrence of a disaster, be it man made or natural. They are involved in both the recovery stages and the preparedness response stage in disaster management. Be it public health nurses, occupational nurses, psychiatric nurses and all other nursing specialties, nurses are involved prior to a disaster, during a disaster and after a disaster. They are involved in the disaster plan, in educating the populace, in triage during the case of an emergency, planning institutional response of various health facilities, they assess the wellness and health of individuals and the community at large, they provide nursing care including emotional and psychological support, in volunteering and are also involved in the rehabilitation of the patients afterwards.
Works Cited
(2012) P. Hsieh Get Ready For Obamacare's Medical Rationing http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulhsieh/2012/10/03/get-ready-for-obamacares-medical-rationing/
(1999) S. Goold and M. Lipkin Jr The Doctor-Patient Relationship challenges, opportunities and strategies J Gen Intern Med 14(S1):S26-S33 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1496871/
(2012) AWHONN The Role of the Nurse in Emergency Preparedness Journal of Obstetric, Gynaecologic, and Neonatal Nursing Volume 41, Issue 2, pages 322-324 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1552-6909.2011.01338.x/full
(2012) L. Brown et al Emergencies, Disasters, and Catastrophic Events: The Role of Rehabilitation Nurses in Preparedness, Response and Recovery Rehabilitation Nursing Vol. 35, No.6 http://www.rehabnurse.org/uploads/files/pdf/RNJ329.pdf
