A Client/Family Centered Nursing Care Study on Bronchopneumonia

Abstract

Nursing as a profession today has gone through a lot evolution through time to be the profession it is today. In the past, nursing was not tough; it wasn’t until the 1800's that nursing became an organized practice. During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale and 38 volunteer nurses were sent to the main British camp in Turkey. Nightingale and her staff immediately began to clean the hospital and equipment and reorganized patient care. Nightingale pushed for reform of hospital sanitation methods and invented methods of graphing statistical data. Nightingale’s work led to drastic changes in army medical care, the establishment of an Army Medical School and medical records, and ignited the growth of nursing as an organized profession. For these contributions, Nightingale is widely accepted as the founder of nursing.The nursing profession gained much recognition and support from civilians during this time, at long last realized as the tremendous asset to medical care that nurses truly are. In the early 1900's, nursing education was received primarily from hospitals rather than colleges or universities. The training of nurses in diploma program, licensing of nurses, specialization of hospitals and diagnosis, and advance degree programs and scientific and technological development are been offered today. This has aided to improve the quality of health services being delivered by the use of the nursing process. This involves the designation of nursing strategies and interventions required to prevent, reduce or eliminate patient/family health problems. Nursing care has evolved from just caring for the sick and the dying, to an era of assisting people who seek health guidance and counselling, as well as promoting the health of individuals, their families and the entire community. There has also been an extension of care to the sick person’s family and community, at large, in all aspects of health careThe patient/family care study forms part of the assessment of every final year student. It is a prerequisite for every candidate in order to partially fulfill the award of diploma certificate in Registered General Nursing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana. It affords the student the opportunity to develop his/her skills for future use. The patient/family care study is a detailed account of the nursing care rendered to the patient and family from the day of admission through the day of discharge, review and follow up visits. The comprehensive care rendered was made possible by the employment of skills and knowledge in such disciplines as psychology, public health nursing, medical nursing, surgical nursing, pharmacology and nutrition and dietetics to meet the patient/family’s needs and the community at large. This study helps the student nurse to apply the knowledge and skills acquired throughout his/her studies. It also helps the student nurse to have a wide knowledge in behaviors and attitudes of human beings and also builds the interpersonal relationships of the student. The study serves as a reference paper for other student nurses and qualified health personnel who may be interested in its content