An NCD or non-communicable disease is a disease that cannot be transmissible among people. It is also a disease that is non-inflectional. On the other hand, a communicable disease is a disease that is easily transmissible among people. Examples of non-communicable diseases are diabetes, asthma, cancers and heart diseases. Examples of communicable diseases include flu, Ebola, influenza, salmonella, and measles (Porche, 2004).
In the case, James is in great danger. Because of his parents’ personal beliefs, James was not immunized. He can easily get infected. He can get diseases such as smallpox, measles, polio, and others that can affect his well-being and growth. Thus, as a nurse, I must help him out.
The first step in the nursing process is Assessment (Institute for Career Research, 2005). I already know that James is not up to date with his vaccinations. I also partially know about the spiritual beliefs of James’s parents. I will probe the matter further using an interview, the health history of the child, physical examination, observation and getting the health history of James’ family. Through this processes of obtaining data, I will assess the spiritual, sociological, physiological and psychological status of the child. I will use any loophole in the spiritual beliefs that the mother holds so that I can further examine the child.
The next step in the Nursing Process is the diagnosis phase. In this phase, a nurse is supposed to make an informed judgment about a health issue about a patient. There are cases where there are multiple diagnoses, while in some other cases; the nurse can only make a single diagnosis. After careful analysis of the data that I collected, I will know what the problem with the child is. Has he had any vaccinations in the past? If so, which ones? What re the current conditions of the child? The diagnosis phase is a very critical and significant phase in the treatment course. I will ensure that I get as much data as possible in the assessment phase so that I know whether the boy is in danger of contracting any disease that can be prevented using vaccination.
My next course of action will be a planning phase. In this phases, the information I got in the assessment phase and through the diagnosis I did in the diagnosis phase, I will know the course of action to develop. In case I diagnosed that the child so far has not had any vaccination, I will arrange with the head of the nursing department to prioritize each vaccination. Additionally, I will use the Nursing Outcome Classification that sets standardized measurements and terms to enable the process of treating a patient. For instance, if I find out that James did not have both polio and measles vaccinations, I will ensure that he has them.
The next phase is the implementing phase (Allender, Rector, & Warner, 2009). It is meant for the nurse to focus on the achievable outcomes that the nurse set. I will educate James’ mother on the proper caring habits that she should practice. I will also refer her to follow ups more so that James has all the required vaccinations.
The last phase in the nursing process is the evaluation phase (Allender, Rector, & Warner, 2009). I will ensure that James has all the vaccinations. I will even set personal evaluation sessions for him and his parents. I know that the mother may resist my plans to examine and help the child. However, I will ensure that I have all the information that relates to the reasons why she believes that the child is not supposed to receive any vaccination. After that, I will use the loophole that exists in the beliefs to ensure that I examine the child and commence the appropriate care for him. There is always a loophole in the spiritual beliefs that people have. Thus, I will get it from James’ mother. If she does not yield, I will inform the proper authorities because James is a ‘property’ of the government. Thus, by denying him proper care, James’ parents are breaking the law.
References
Allender, J. A., Rector, C., & Warner, K. D. (2009). Community and Public Health Nursing (8th ed.). New York: Walters Kluwer.
Porche, D. J. (2004). Public & community health nursing practice: A population-based approach. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
